..續本文上一頁relax and accept ourselves as complex, with good and bad points, with attributes that we may find encouraging or discouraging in regard to ourselves. We see that these things are all just a part of human life and human suffering. Otherwise we”ll remain stuck in our own little make-believe world. When we are stuck in our own worlds, it is very difficult to process our suffering in a clear way because there is no sense of accepting our suffering, or accepting ourselves.

　　When we do not accept our suffering, the focus of our minds becomes, how can I get rid of it

　　 But how is it possible to get rid of our suffering without the wisdom to understand it, or without having developed the skillful means to really clear away our errors

　　Simply having this desire—wishing not to suffer, or wishing to be constantly in a state of happiness and joy—will not make much difference by itself.

　　The Buddhist idea of renunciation comes from the Buddha, but the reality of where the mind is, is not a function of the Buddha. Rather, it is something that is revealed. Even among those who hear about renunciation, how many really feel ready to simplify their lives

　　 How many have had enough of this complicated, difficult life, even though it has supported them so far

　　 It”s like the situation of a spider who has always tried to maintain her web, but becomes tired of it. She simply wants to let go of this web, no longer spinning it, and become a secluded, solitary spider. Other spiders may still want to spin even greater, more extensive webs. What”s there already is not enough. We want more. We”re not sure why, but we want more anyway. We have enough to live, and even enough to live quite well, but still it doesn”t feel like enough for us.

　　The mind is in a state of desire and craving—wanting to get and to cherish what comes from outside, no matter how feeble or short-lived it is. There is a quality of addiction in this tendency, and the addiction does not stop, as we all know. If the addiction stopped by itself, that would be great. But addiction rarely ends until something comes to a point of crisis. We have not yet reached this point with ourselves. We have not bottomed out. Instead there is momentum—the momentum of wanting more—and in this context there is no renunciation. Even if we try to sit from time to time, to simplify, or to be a good practitioner and abandon distractions and temptations, still there is no renunciation in the core of our hearts. There is only hunger—hunger with a flame that burns, without ever allowing the heart to rest. When this is our situation there can be no renunciation. It doesn”t really matter which side we find ourselves on.

　　At the beginning of our path, it is important to simply see where we are. Truly seeing where we are will permit us to get to where we want to be. If you do not truly see where you are, then you are relying on an idea to lead you where you want to be. By relying on ideas to lead us to our destination, we often fail because there is a lack of genuine understanding in the mind—there is no genuine understanding from our own innate wisdom. The appropriate way to examine where we are is to be nonjudgmental. Be nonjudgmental of the content we see in ourselves, and nonjudgmental of how we view ourselves.

　　In the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, Buddha said, “Bhikshus, samsara is suffering. Understand this fully.”

　　That was his first teaching. Try hard to understand this point clearly. In order to understand this point clearly, we have to understand that all beings want happiness. No one enjoys suffering. No matter how much we are addicted to suffering and indulge in the causes of suffering, no one really likes to suffer or be entangled in disturbing emotions. No matter how negative a person”s tendencies ma…

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