..續本文上一頁peace, and donated a great deal of his royalties to charities to help those suffering from poverty. But this was the opposite to the wish of his wife, whom under her strong vanity, horded wealth and was unwilling to do good. In the end, after daily quarrels, Tolstoy at the old age of 82 abandoned his home during a snowstorm and left his companion of 48 years. In the bitter Winter of Russia, he rocked along in windblown train carriages, eventually catching pneumonia and died in a wooden cottage of a small train station.

　　Before dying, all his children came to see him, but he refused to see his wife for one last time.

　　Many young people today long for romantic love. When they are in love, they always believe: “He is my eternal happiness!” Yet after some time, when impermanence walks on the stage, they realize that “eternal” is not actually that long. Then they cry and complain: “Why is my life such a misfortune

　　 Why is he so heartless

　　…” Actually, rather than blaming everyone and everything, it is better to know early on: one”s happiness depends on oneself. With this understanding, when he brings you happiness, you will be grateful to him; when the opposite happens, you would not be overly attached. Otherwise, being two deeply entangled lovebirds would only bring eventual bitterness.

　　Of course, the tragic marriages I mentioned just then do not happen to everyone. But even in ordinary marriages, changes are always taking place, and this reality cannot be denied. Once you realize this, you will also realize that to build happiness on one person is a very unwise choice. Reasoning along this line, to build happiness on wealth or other external conditions are the same. Therefore, we should take hold of the main cause of happiness, which is our own mind, and through cultivation, uncover the treasures of our mind to obtain true happiness.

　　3. Treasures of the mind requires uncovering

　　You need to know that within everyone”s mind there is a treasure. What treasure

　　 Buddha has said in many sutras such as the Tathagatagarbha Sutra, Surangama Sutra, Sutra of Elucidating the Profound Secret, Lankavatara Sutra, and Nirvana Sutra that it is the luminous Buddha nature within all beings – Tathagatagarbha.

　　This treasure, speaking from the highest level, even Bodhisattvas of the tenth level do not completely manifest it. But from a simpler level, as long as you study it, practise it, and explore it, more or less you will obtain some of it. For example, it is not realistic for everyone to have as much wealth as Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. But if you are willing to strive for it, you should not have any problems in maintaining a decent quality of life.

　　Unfortunately, most people today generally only value the material. Although this is forgivable, just like without petrol a car would stall, if people do not work hard from day to night, their daily lives cannot be secure. But, think about this: as you devote all your time to these pursuits, if you do not have the time to monitor your own mind, would the loss not outweigh the gain

　　Since childhood, the “happiness” that we know has come entirely from the outside. For example, with money one is happy, without money one suffers, being loved is happy, being broken hearted is suffering…but in reality, all of these are not stable and can change at any time. The “happiness” revealed by Buddhism is built on inner foundations that are equally available to everyone. It is just that very few people know how to explore it. But once you have recognized it, you will then know what is unchangeable happiness.

　　The Way of the Bodhisattva also taught us: “All who fail to know and penetrate, this secret of the mind, the Dharma”s peak, although they wish for joy and sorrow”s end, will wander uselessly in misery.” Th…

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