Thoughts about Middle Way

Lately, I had been given the opportunity to oversee the general affairs in a small and medium company. This is due to the absence of the General Manager who is away to pursue her personal interest for the time being (impermanence).

During the course of this period, the importance of what our teacher taught us about Middle Way* come into my mind over and over again- from human resources to logistic matters in the running of a company.

Prior to his enlightenment, Buddha went from a prince who can have anything his desire to a seeker who have virtually nothing. He gained his enlightenment after practicing the Middle Way. In his teachings, he taught us to ensure the balance in our every day practice and way of life.

From working to sleeping and eating to exercising, too much of work and food, we get exhausted and bloated while too little of exercise and sleep, we may get weak and tired. Even taking medication when we are not feeling well, it should be done in moderation (not too much) and in accordance to the prescribe dosage (not too little to be effective).

*Central Path, Middle Way or Middle Path (Pali: majjhimā paṭipadā; Sanskrit: madhyamā-pratipad; Tibetan: དབུ་མའི་ལམ། Umaylam;Chinese: 中道 zhōngdào; Japanese: 中道 chūdō; Vietnamese: Trung đạo; Thai language:มัชฌิมา mátchímaa) is the term that Siddhartha Gautama used to describe the character of the path he discovered that leads to liberation.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the Middle Way refers to the insight into emptiness that transcends opposite statements about existence.