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II. Building up Mental Health
1. “Healthy” not just physically, but more so mentally
To be healthy is a popular pursuit nowadays. However, real health entails not merely the physical aspect; the mental aspect deserves more attention. The World Health Organization has made a resounding slogan: “Mental health is an integral part of health,” and elaborated that health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Richard J. Gerrig, a psychology professor at the State University of New York, also suggested in his book Psychology and Life that psychology is a science intimately related to human happiness. Thus a healthy mental attitude is closely interrelated with and inseparable from a sense of happiness.
In my opinion, of course, the best way to establish a healthy mental attitude is to study the Buddha Dharma. Some of you here may have engaged in Buddhist studies already, while other have neither studied nor cared for it. However, a person devoid of any spiritual faith who hankers all his life for practical gratifications—money, a nice spouse, a good job—may still feel hollow in his heart, even when all his desires are met.
It”s not uncommon to see some old folks deteriorate visibly in their body and mind after retirement. Passing their time muddle-headed, they just live from one day to the next; it”s quite miserable and pitiful. Just think, if they have taken up a religion, they will not loaf about but instead will seize every minute to prepare for the future life. Therefore, it is very important for a person to have religious faith.
2. Establishing a right view of life
Having found a religious faith, next comes establishing a sound view on life; that is, being unselfish and thoughtful to others. In Buddhism, it refers to “bodhichitta,” or “compassion” which you may not be familiar with. In other words, as long as you are not full of your own importance and are willing to help others around you, you have a right view. If this can be done, not only will you be happy personally, but you will also bring a positive impact to your surroundings and to all of society. For instance, as parents, you will guide your children onto the right path; as a teacher, you are leading your students by good example; as a supervisor, you will benefit your subordinates, directly or indirectly. Thus the mere effort of one person can create a far-reaching ripple effect. Even without a higher-education diploma, a person still can accomplish a great deal.
Professor Jin Kemu had only a primary school education but later became a university professor. At an early age he was forced to quit school; later when he went to Bejing to study, he seized every opportunity to read extensively and learned by himself to master a number of foreign languages—English, French, German, and others. In 1941, he went to India to assume an editor position of a Chinese newspaper; meanwhile, he immersed himself in learning Hindi and Sanskrit. He then went to the Buddhist holy site, Sarnath, to study Pali and Sanskrit languages with Professor Fa Xi and delved into the Buddha”s teaching of the third turning of the Dharma wheel. After returning to China in 1946, he was offered a professorship first by the Department of Philosophy at Wuhan University, and then by Peking University in 1948. He died in 2000 after illness, leaving his last words, “I came with tears, and am leaving with smiles.”
Therefore, one”s attitude toward life plays a major role in life”s success or failure; in comparison, a diploma may not seem that essential after all. Although in today”s society, a higher-education diploma may facilitate a person”s landing a decent job, if one lacks inte…
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