Are we the frog in the well or the frog outside the well?

[Positive Change]

Basic scenerio:

Scenerio 1. Frog in the well - comfortable within its surroundings and completely oblivious to what is outside the well. Although true that it is sheltered from the outside but it is confined within the well and does not know any better.

Scenerio 2. Frog outside well - comfortable within its surroundings and finds the confines of the well unbearable. Perhaps more exposed to the outside but certainly has the "freedom" of being outside.

Ever contemplated on which frog we are? Most of us may think we are the frog outside the well but if we probe deeper we may well be a frog in a very large well. I for one think of my "well" as a deep trench/ditch which stretches on... I think I am fine because i can hop parallel but I will always remain IN the "well"!

[Big Uncle]

Basic scenerio:

Scenerio 1. Frog in the well - comfortable within its surroundings and completely oblivious to what is outside the well. Although true that it is sheltered from the outside but it is confined within the well and does not know any better.

Scenerio 2. Frog outside well - comfortable within its surroundings and finds the confines of the well unbearable. Perhaps more exposed to the outside but certainly has the "freedom" of being outside.

Ever contemplated on which frog we are? Most of us may think we are the frog outside the well but if we probe deeper we may well be a frog in a very large well. I for one think of my "well" as a deep trench/ditch which stretches on... I think I am fine because i can hop parallel but I will always remain IN the "well"!

I am definitely a frog in the well who aspires to be out of the well. Sometimes when I decide to do something out of boredom, I hop and catch a brief glimpse of the world beyond the well. The little impressions I get gets me dreaming and at times it gets me depressed as I feel it is too much effort to keeping hopping to see. At times, it brings me joy and hope that there is something more beyond the well. The little glimpses gives me strength to rest and hop more. Sometimes, I get so desperate to catch the beautiful sight again, I look desperately around the well for something that will propel me. I keep dreaming and thinking but in the end, I realize I need to do more than just think. As a radio ad says aptly, the world needs thinkers and doers. I guess the struggle goes on as I am not out of the well yet.

[dorjedakini]

We are still the frog in Samsara that is for sure. Due to our ignorant, desire and hatred., we have wrong views, thinking that everything is permanent and refuse to come out of it. we only come out of it when we achieve enlightenment. What we feel good about now is just that we at a different spot  of the well, and we happily swimming in it.

I always remember my Lama told me, focus on Dorje Shugden as he is the protector of this time, he is Manjushri who can cut off our ignorance to view the true natural, but sometimes our negative karma is so bad that our mind is clouded, even good things or truth given to us we will not treasure them. it is time to do more prayer and Kawang to Protector to clear our mind to receive more teaching.

[hope rainbow]

I see the "well" not as place, but as our aggregates.

I don't think we can "make trips" outside of our aggregates...
But we can understand how they function, how they came about and how we can have a positive effect on our aggregates in the future.
We can understand because we have the aggregates that allow us to understand, this is why Buddhas teach to humanoids and not to bears.

[pgdharma]

I am still a frog trapped inside the well just like I am trapped in samsara. While inside the well I try to create a way to make sure the well is not too deep and impossible to hop out. That effort is difficult at times but knowing that "freedom" lies outside the well, that effort is worth it. Having a Guru and Dorje Shugdan to guide me, it is not impossible that one day I will be able to hop out from the well.

[hope rainbow]

I am still a frog trapped inside the well just like I am trapped in samsara. While inside the well I try to create a way to make sure the well is not too deep and impossible to hop out. That effort is difficult at times but knowing that "freedom" lies outside the well, that effort is worth it. Having a Guru and Dorje Shugdan to guide me, it is not impossible that one day I will be able to hop out from the well.

Thanks pgdharma.
I would even say with more confidence, than not only "is it not impossible that one day i will be able to hop out from the well", but it is guaranteed!

[shugdentruth]

To me, the well is very much like my dharma center. I love being there, everyone is nice, everything is familiar and I am very comfortable. Outside the well is everything else where I have my job, my friends, my material belongings. Both these scenarios are equally important to me. I get dharma knowledge and good vibes from my dharma center and I go share it outside. But as time passes, it always feels good to go back to my dharma center again. Its very much like going home to charge my mobile phone after a long day. When the phone is fully charged, its time to take it out to be used again. Just like how we should be eager to go out and share dharma again. We should be as eager to share dharma as we learn it.

I wish to be a frog that can be comfortable in both scenarios.

[Klein]

I think no matter how many wells we get out of, we will always find ourselves in a bigger well. It will continue until perhaps we reach Enlightenment. Hence, it is very important for us to follow our Guru's advices. Our Guru will lead us out of all these wells.

[Positive Change]

I think no matter how many wells we get out of, we will always find ourselves in a bigger well. It will continue until perhaps we reach Enlightenment. Hence, it is very important for us to follow our Guru's advices. Our Guru will lead us out of all these wells.

Very true klein...

It is like a Russian Doll whereby it is a smaller doll within a larger one within a yet large one, etc... As soon as we 'get out' of one well we find ourselves in a larger well. There is a little more space in the larger well but one just and we keep going on and on... sometimes we even fall back into the smaller well. And this goes on an on till we achieve enlightenment and thus we actually are free of the well (wells).

But the great thing about this is, as soon as we achieve enlightenment, we would probably 'return' to the well to try to help the other frogs in the well...

[hope rainbow]

I think no matter how many wells we get out of, we will always find ourselves in a bigger well. It will continue until perhaps we reach Enlightenment. Hence, it is very important for us to follow our Guru's advices. Our Guru will lead us out of all these wells.

Very true klein...

It is like a Russian Doll whereby it is a smaller doll within a larger one within a yet large one, etc... As soon as we 'get out' of one well we find ourselves in a larger well. There is a little more space in the larger well but one just and we keep going on and on... sometimes we even fall back into the smaller well. And this goes on an on till we achieve enlightenment and thus we actually are free of the well (wells).

But the great thing about this is, as soon as we achieve enlightenment, we would probably 'return' to the well to try to help the other frogs in the well...

Thus, enlightenment is not "outside" or "inside" the well, right?
Can I understand that enlightenment is rather a liberation from the forces that build up this well "inside" and "outside"...
Thus not a place, right?

[vajrastorm]

I think being in the well and being outside the well represent the states of mind of being in samsara/suffering and being out of samsara and attaining ultimate peace and full liberation from suffering/Enlightenment respectively.

One is in the well of samsara and suffering when one is in the full grip of the delusions, especially the three poisons of ignorance, desirous attachment and anger/hatred. With unwavering guru devotion and strong focused Dharma practice (mind transformation),one can loosen the grip of delusions, in fact overcome them and rise out of the well of samsara into ultimate peace and full liberation from suffering and Enlightenment.