Humans beings, and animals for that matter, tend to like the comforts of home (if in fact they have one). For refugees, victims of natural disasters, wars, and all manner of displacement, this uprooting can have traumatic ramifications.
But there is an equal and opposite phenomenon: being transplanted into another environment that is equal if not superior to the comforts of home. While one may dearly require cherished human connections such as family and friends, it is rare that post-traumatic stress is induced by an upgrade in the quality of life.
The pig, in Tibetan Buddhist teachings, holds a lofty symbolic teaching. The actual animal will eat anything; thus it is said to have "one taste." It is used as a metaphor in said teachings to remind students that life has its ups and downs, ebbs and flows. An attempt to control these passages would induce a form of madness; you can't stop the wind from blowing, or the tides from going in and out, or the sunshine from emitting its rays.
Therefore, developing equanimity is the name of the game; to navigate the forces of life on planet earth with one center, one tranquil mind, one vast field of awareness. Then, whether a being finds him or herself on the run, or living the "life of Riley," constancy and non-attachment will reap rich rewards of a life well lived.
But there is an equal and opposite phenomenon: being transplanted into another environment that is equal if not superior to the comforts of home. While one may dearly require cherished human connections such as family and friends, it is rare that post-traumatic stress is induced by an upgrade in the quality of life.
The pig, in Tibetan Buddhist teachings, holds a lofty symbolic teaching. The actual animal will eat anything; thus it is said to have "one taste." It is used as a metaphor in said teachings to remind students that life has its ups and downs, ebbs and flows. An attempt to control these passages would induce a form of madness; you can't stop the wind from blowing, or the tides from going in and out, or the sunshine from emitting its rays.
Therefore, developing equanimity is the name of the game; to navigate the forces of life on planet earth with one center, one tranquil mind, one vast field of awareness. Then, whether a being finds him or herself on the run, or living the "life of Riley," constancy and non-attachment will reap rich rewards of a life well lived.
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