A disciple once asked me: How can I be happy? I think this is an easy question to answer. Let go of persistence and you will be happy. But after a long time, I found that this simple and direct answer is not effective for everyone. What is persistence? How to put it down? These are all problems. So, when the disciple asked me how to be happy again, I asked: How do you feel now? Happiness, in the final analysis, is an inner feeling.
Sometimes, people are not unhappy, but just feel unhappy. If you try to observe your own emotional changes, you will find that emotions are like floating clouds in the sky, which are changeable and easy to disperse. From a distance, it seems that people can walk and dance on it, but when you look closer, you will find that there is no place at all. Nevertheless, clouds often appear in the sky, and emotional clouds gather in the sky of our hearts to form our mood. There are many happy and satisfied emotions, and the mood is happy.
What is happiness? The disappearance of pain is happiness. Don't take happiness too seriously, as if you can't get it without serious efforts. That was not the case. No matter how ordinary people are, ordinary life is full of happiness. When you are thirsty, you will feel happy when you drink water. You will be happy when you are hungry. Tired from a day's work, I will be happy if I accidentally sit in a seat on the subway home. That decayed tooth has been bothering you for several days, and you were happy when the doctor pulled it out. A cool breeze on a sultry summer night and a shade of trees on the roadside under the scorching sun will make you feel happy. Even the most ordinary breathing will bring you happiness. One way to start meditation is to observe your breathing. When you calm down, you will experience that every breath is full of joyful energy. Even in the chaotic daily life, you can realize this.
We've all had this experience. Caught a cold, stuffy nose and runny nose make people uncomfortable, but two days later, when we suddenly found that our nose was unobstructed and we could breathe normally, we were so happy: how happy it is to breathe smoothly with our nose! It can be seen that happiness is around us, but people can't notice it because their hearts are not quiet enough, or they can't fully feel it because happiness is fleeting. If people can understand the activities that are familiar with their minds like observing the spots and wrinkles on their faces, it is not difficult to find that every simple and direct moment has a faint joy. If people don't blindly pin their happiness on the stimulation brought by the ever-changing external world, then the feeling of happiness can be extended and expanded.
Buddhism tells us that pain comes from clinging and grasping by law, that is, clinging to oneself and things around us.
People believe that there is an absolute "I", this is my body, this is my idea, my house, my friend … but in fact this is just a misunderstanding caused by not knowing myself. As for the way to get rid of self-obsession, it is very clear in Guan Zhong and On Entering the Business, so I won't go into details. Simply put, there is no absolute "I". Is it you that you see in the mirror every morning? But in biology class, the teacher told you that the human body is metabolizing all the time, that is to say, it is constantly changing, and the cells that make up your body are constantly dying and regenerating.
Maybe you think a certain range of changes is acceptable. As long as you keep a "degree", you are still you, just like water is still water no matter how it changes between freezing point and boiling point. However, if you take out the photos when you were three, will you still insist that you have such a "degree"? Friends and relatives who have left for decades often sigh: it has changed beyond recognition! I know it's "you" because "you" are not isolated, and you can still find traces of the past in your inextricably linked with the outside world. This connection, this relative identification, is the basis for others to identify with us and for us to identify with ourselves. There are no people in the world who come and go out of thin air.
Knowing this relativity, we will realize that it is futile to spend a lifetime trying to build a wall between ourselves and the outside world, and the frustration caused by this futility makes us very unhappy.
Not only do we misunderstand our connection with the outside world, but we also know little about our hearts. For many people, the stranger in this world is "self", and it seems that there will never be a chance to calm down and get to know yourself well. How do you feel at this moment? Are you full or hungry? Is it cold or hot? Are you tired or energetic? Is it quiet or restless? This sounds like a simple question, but not everyone can answer it immediately. Interestingly, in this era of information explosion, you may know everything about the progress of the American election on the other side of the world, but you don't know your real needs and feelings. Habitual absentmindedness makes us miss a great opportunity to know ourselves.
Agama tells the practice method at the beginning of four thoughts, that is, starting from body, mind, mind and law, we can truly and closely perceive our body and mind. In this sober consciousness, many troubles disappear without a trace.
I don't know if you have ever had such an experience: when you feel pain in a certain part of your body, you pay attention to the "pain", the specific location of the pain, the degree of the pain, and the change of the degree ... Soon, you will find that the pain is relieved.
Similarly, when you are troubled by anger, jealousy, fear, irritability and other emotions, pay attention to observation. Take the most harmful negative emotion-anger as an example. Anger also has a process from brewing to erupting, just like fire, starting with a few small sparks and then developing into a flame. When the wind blows, it burns more and more fiercely and becomes a fire. Many people didn't realize that they were on fire until the flames soared into the sky. However, if you pay attention, Mars or flame will go out as soon as it rises, and the fire will not burn. You don't even have to rush to put out the fire, just stand by and watch how the fire burns.
Maybe you don't know, it's you who like pranks who usually fan the flames. Now that you're out as an audience, there's no one to help you, and the fire doesn't burn hard, so it will soon go out by itself. So are other emotions. Don't be pushed around by them Turn around and look at them and see where they come from and where they are going!
Everything will pass, including harmful negative emotions. When you are jealous, angry, sad, scared and full of grievances, say to yourself: it's no big deal, it will be fine. In fact, even if you want to be angry and worried all your life, you can't do it.
As we mentioned earlier, there is no absolute boundary between the self and the outside world, and this interconnectedness of the self provides us with an opportunity to train bodhicitta. We pursue happiness and don't want to be hurt; When we are misunderstood, we feel wronged; We want to be cared for and considerate ... with the same heart and the same reason, expand. All sentient beings share these same hopes and aspirations. In the bustling street, men, women, poor people, rich people, people you like and people you don't like all want happiness as much as you do, although their means of pursuing happiness may be clumsy.
This kind of thinking naturally makes us feel sympathy and tolerance. Living in negative emotions instead of depression can also help us cultivate bodhicitta. Anxiety, anger, jealousy, fear, boredom, illness, etc. All make us miserable. At this moment, we think: there are many sentient beings suffering like me! For them, for myself, I must learn how to get rid of the pain. Bodhisattva Yoshida said: It's like being blind. If I waste my life to get the most wealth, I will not be lucky. . There is another cloud: for all wanderers who want to enjoy happiness, this heart can satisfy them and make their stay the most enjoyable! .
Another manifestation of not knowing yourself is not knowing how to treat yourself correctly. Or indulge, or blame yourself, in short, you can't live in peace with yourself. The problem of many people is that they are never satisfied with themselves, their present appearance, intelligence, status, wealth and usefulness. If they are good, they want to be better, and their life energy is spent on the pursuit of better. In Buddhist scriptures, the world we live in is called a woman's world, which means a world that can tolerate shortcomings. Insist on pursuing perfection in this imperfect world, will there be results? What is the purpose of endless pursuit? There are many people who are distressed or too busy to live in pursuit of the richness and comfort of life. I worked hard all my life, but I was still unhappy, but my life has passed.
A happy life begins with accepting shortcomings, accepting my imperfect self and learning to say: I don't need anything anymore, I am satisfied.
Don't think that the purpose of our practice is to master more talents and skills, so as to become a more beautiful, mature, rich and enviable person. That's not true. Many times, we just need to do subtraction.
Simple mind, simple life is good. Under careful observation, things we deeply cling to, such as people, things and attitudes, are not indispensable in our lives. Putting happiness on external pursuit is like drinking salt water to quench your thirst. The more you get, the less satisfied you are. French king Ruyibao once said: Although not everyone can give up this life like Milarepa, don't be too greedy. The wealth pursued in the world is also a burden. Once upon a time, Hua Zhi Rinpoche lived an anonymous life, crossing over for a dead person on the way to charity. When all the deceased Rui Xiang appeared, the family members happily presented three horses to Hua Zhi Rinpoche, who was in rags, to show their gratitude. Rinpoche said: "I don't need any support. With three horses, there will be three horses' troubles. "
Some people say that Tibetans' living conditions are so difficult, and their sincere belief in Buddhism has not made their society more developed and their lives richer. But in our minds, the standard of developed society is not material wealth, but equality and happiness. Being rich but unhappy is not a happy life. In Buddhism, what we learn is the way to make this life equal and the afterlife happy. Dragon Tree Bodhisattva once made a wish: In the next life, I will not be reincarnated into a rich family, nor will I be reincarnated into a poor family. It's best to be reborn into a middle-class family with no worries about food and clothing, so that I don't have to worry about food and clothing, and I won't be tired of wealth. Stable and comfortable, most suitable for practice. Many people in Tibet are content all their lives and just want to have enough food and clothing. In their view, the happiness that Indra feels when she is satisfied is incomparable.
The reason why people think that they must be this way and that way to be happy is entirely due to inertial thinking. When some unexpected events, such as diseases and disasters, interrupt our usual way of thinking, we will find that we can be as happy as we think without many conditions.
Besides misunderstanding ourselves, we also have misunderstandings about the world around us. Some basic facts in life are obvious, but people always don't recognize them, such as impermanence. Everything in the world is always changing, and we instinctively want to pursue security and certainty, which means that life often goes against our hearts. People often sigh that life is frustrated. In fact, that kind of frustration is often just an impermanent experience.
If you admit that impermanence is the law of life and accept it, you will relax. You know, you are not the only one who is dissatisfied and insecure in this world. You will know that many things can't be forced, just do your best; There is no point in haggling over gains and losses. Knowing and accepting impermanence does not mean that you will become a pessimist, and life will be useless in your eyes from now on. Just think, before you recognize the impermanent facts, whether you are bitter or happy, haven't you been living well? Impermanence never leaves you for a second?
Sometimes we even have to thank impermanence, because of it, we won't suffer forever, and we always have a chance to come again. Just like now, after countless troubles, we can still find happiness through the teaching method of Sakyamuni Buddha.
There are two important concepts in Buddhism: the law of causality and emptiness. Believing in cause and effect and establishing emptiness can help us to let go of our persistence and get happiness. I will elaborate on these two points later.
Talking from Yushu: A Brief Introduction to Yushu Earthquake in Qinghai Province
2010 in April 14, a strong earthquake occurred in Yushu, Qinghai!
These days, in the face of the rising number of casualties, I believe everyone's heart is getting more and more sad.
Disasters make us more aware of the impermanence and troubles of life, and also let us know the meaning of alienation and compassion.
At present, we should actively lend a helping hand to the people in the disaster areas and do our best to help them. Lalong Wuming Buddhist College responded quickly after the earthquake, donating money and materials and organizing rescue teams. Most of the main Kampo, living Buddha and housekeeper of the college have joined the front line of disaster relief. Up to now, nearly a thousand people have entered the disaster area, searching for people from the ruins to save people, chanting prayers for the victims, and sending food, cotton-padded clothes and spiritual comfort to the survivors who are hungry and cold. Many people around me, as well as many other temples and Dojo I know, were also sent to help the disaster area at the first time.
For those who lost their lives in disasters and those who are suffering, as disciples of Buddhism, we should also practice good dharma for them in a unique way of Buddhism. We hope that with the merit of good dharma and the blessing of three treasures, the dead can die and the living can get out of the misery as soon as possible.
The Guanyin Bodhisattva with great compassion is the expression of the infinite compassion of the Ten Buddhas. If you don't lose confidence in the Three Treasures when the disaster comes, recite the mantra of Guanyin Bodhisattva sincerely, and hold the holy name of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva will definitely hear the news and save the ship. This is the great wish of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the past.
I can't go to the disaster area because of illness. Although I have been able to offer my humble heart to my compatriots in the disaster area with the help of my brothers and sisters from Lalong Buddhist College and Daoyou from Tashi Chilin, I still can't settle down. I want to do more for them in the rear. Therefore, within forty-nine days after the earthquake, I hope to practice the mantra of Guanyin Bodhisattva "Omani Mibai" and the name of Guanyin with you, which will help the deceased get rid of suffering as soon as possible and eventually die in the western paradise.
In addition to reciting the heart mantra of Guanyin, you can also release lanterns or practice other good methods according to your own specific situation, and return your merits to all sentient beings who feel pain because of the disaster. Such a good deed will make our transient person more meaningful.
Let's pray that all sentient beings will stay away from suffering, that all sentient beings will be blessed by Guanyin Bodhisattva and be interested in good dharma, and that disaster will never come!
Ommani, Mimi!