Individuality is prized by moderns but it comes at a very high price and we often have to overestimate our abilities in order to maintain this perceived state of autonomy. This can lead to a sense of alienation and disconnectedness. I have found this to be true in my life. This is where Buddhism can be very helpful. From a Buddhist perspective, it is this over reliance on the “buffered” Self that causes our Suffering.

It is interesting to note that different schools focus on different jewels. For example, the Theravadan tradition tends to focus on the Buddha, their practices follow in the Buddha’s footsteps. We have our Zen master above focusing on the Dharma itself. Our tradition also places great importance on listening to the Dharma. So, if I was pushed to pick my favorite jewel, I would have selected the Dharma.

Sometimes I think we focus too much on our jobs. It is what we do but is it necessarily who we are? Have you ever noticed that people always ask “What do you do?” when you first meet? It is as if we value ourselves solely based upon our professions. This is also tightly associated with our salaries. There seems to be a dividing line between those who earn six figures and those who do not. But we are more than our jobs and salaries.

Our lives actually get off track not by making a single bad decision but by slowly getting into bad habits. So the solution would be too slowly start developing new habits. This is called the Blue Path and it is the only approach that has shown to have long lasting effects.

Group karma is much different than personal and is often ignored. Our group karma is when we were born, where we were born, the language we speak and the country we live in. It also includes the circumstances of our upbringing. For example, the death of a loved one can change our circumstances in an instance. We cannot really behave our way out of these situations. They are just so much bigger than we are.