Buddhist chant about the steps towards greater self

Buddham saranam gacchami (I go to the Buddha for refuge)
Dhammam saranam gacchami (I go to the truth for refuge)
Sangham saranam gacchami (I go to the community for refuge)

My personal interpretation of this chant is that there are three steps towards enlightenment. First, let go of your ego and dedicate yourself to another person. Second, let go of your biases and dedicate yourself to the truth. Third, let go of your material attachments and dedicate yourself to the rest of humankind.

I wonder, if progress is fundamentally at odds with enlightenment, under the assumption that progress is brought about by discontent and enlightenment teaches us to be content within ourselves? Is it possible that there are positive research directions and negative ones – positive ones encourage us to share and be connected  to rest of the universe (communication and networking) while negative ones encourage us to own and be more attached to our minuscule slice of the pie (privacy and security) ….. What is your choice of direction in life?

~ by manand76 on April 8, 2008.