An Island in the Flood

The world is a very uncertain place. Or it might be better to say, our safety in this world is a very uncertain thing. Aging, illness, and death, those come for sure. Of course the question is when, how. And how are we going to be able to meet them? On top of that, there are all the other uncertainties in the world. Things that seem so constant and sure can suddenly just fall apart.

You’ve got to find refuge inside. And how do you make yourself a refuge? As the Buddha said, you practice mindfulness in a way that leads to concentration so that you can have safe place inside that is your own, that the changes in the world can’t touch. So work on that. That’s where your safety is going to be. That’s where your refuge is going to be.

We take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha because they give us good examples for how true happiness is found—how a safe happiness is found. But then we have to do the work.

So as the Buddha said, you stay focused on the body in and of itself. One aspect of the body would be the breath, so stay focused on the breath. Learn to make it a solid place inside. The image the Buddha gives is of an island in a river, in a flood. The island is above the flood. That’s what you want to create inside here. So for the time being, any other issues that come up are not of any interest to you. You have to find time every day when you can turn off the affairs of the world.

Here at the monastery you can turn them off all day long. Out in the world outside, you have to make some time for yourself. Be very strict with yourself about not allowing other things to get in the way of getting the mind to have its own place inside where it can heal itself.

The Buddha compared all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations to bugs. They come and eat away at our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. And on top of that, he says we’re like a flayed cow. The cow is all scarred, with wounds all around, and then the bugs come into the wounds. You have to have some time to heal yourself from those wounds, so that when the bugs come, there’s nothing for them to feed on. That’s when you can be safe. That’s when you can find refuge—a safe place inside—by creating that safe place inside, making yourself an island.

The word island, dīpa, can also mean lamp. Be a light to yourself. Keep reminding yourself what the Buddha had to say about where true happiness is found—what really matters in life, what doesn’t matter in life, or what matters on a lesser degree. Keep his principles in mind. Keep his standards, his priorities in mind, because they’re for your own true well-being. It’s in this way that you can live in the world and not be wounded by the world, not be misled by the world.

Sometimes you hear it said that the idea of an independent self is the source of all evil. Actually, it’s the source of what can be good inside. Your goodness doesn’t have to depend on the world outside being good. If it did depend on the goodness of the world—well, look at what the world is doing. Your goodness would be floundering around. But you’ve got this inner resource, this inner potential that you can develop. So make the most of it, because that’s where your best hopes lie.