1. Right View
The first Noble Truth of Buddhism tells us that all beings encounter suffering. The first step on the Eightfold Path towards the end of said suffering asks that a practitioner acknowledge that this is true. This is Right View, and, yes, I spent years ignoring this basic idea as it related to my life as an actor.
Most people will acknowledge that the acting profession is more difficult than most, but most actors fall for the seductive trap that the profession itself is a means to salvation, that a life in the spotlight will be free of all ills. The truth is that all the money and small statuettes in the world will not bring happiness. If they did, the people on top of the profession would be dancing in the streets instead of endlessly complaining about their agents and drinking alcohol as fast as its being produced.
Perhaps it was from the sheer exhaustion of repeated disappointment, but I believe I’ve come to embrace Right View. I still feel the erotic tingle of false expectation every time I get close to a part or a paycheck, but a steady diet of seeing things as they are has served me well.
And so the eight day journey begins. Tomorrow I’ll look at Right Intention. Things might get trickier…