..续本文上一页 was not at lease. He was constantly tortured by restlessness and anxiety without knowing why. Later he came upon these lines in the Infinite Life Sutra: “In the midst of worldly desires and attachments, one is born alone and dies alone, comes alone and goes alone. Each receives his karmic consequences and nobody else can take his place…” He suddenly awakened, and his mind was at ease.
This is ease of mind – once the truth is clear, the mind is more solid. What is the truth
Living in this world, we are bound by desires and attachments. Everything we pursue and create day and night are but the coming together of illusions. As for each of us, in the end we are all born alone and die alone, go alone and come alone. We are the sole recipients of our sufferings, our happiness; no one else can take that place for us…
When you know this, you would no longer depend on outer factors for happiness. Many people believe that when they find a good partner, they will be happy; when they find a good job, they will be happy…actually this is not necessarily the case. Or should I say, even when you find that happiness, it is only temporary. Therefore, Buddhism teaches us: the root of happiness is within us – after everything I have said, I simply wish for everyone to understand this and to truly benefit from this.
2. The external conditions of happiness are not dependable
Regarding “true benefits”, people from different walks of life and with different needs have many differences in their understanding. But, if you throw away the portion that is imagination and look at it again, you will understand: actually, happiness is not about wealth or romantic love.
Then, do we need these
For people living in the world, they do need these. But these are only the external conditions to help you find happiness. Are external conditions effective
They are indeed effective, but they cannot be depended upon, nor are they long lasting.
Like a poverty stricken man who dreams daily of wealth. When wealth accumulates, he is still not happy. Or an insignificant and ordinary man who thirsts for power, but when he attains it, he cannot find inner satisfaction. Romantic love, fame, marriage etc. are all like this: when you cannot attain it, you believe that you will definitely be happy with it. But once you have it, not only does it not bring happiness, it could perhaps lead you deep into inescapable pain and suffering.
I once read Lincoln”s biography; he said that the greatest misfortune of his life was his 23-year-long marriage. His wife was bad tempered, moody, and picky about every part of him. Whenever Lincoln appeared in front of her, she would nag that his head is too small, hands and feet too large, nose crooked, chin sticks out, and looks like a gorilla. What she detested the most was the way Lincoln walked, so she constantly made him learn her way of walking indoors. There was even an occasion when Lincoln was dining with others; because he did not answer her, she poured a cup of hot coffee on his head…Of course, before Lincoln walked into the marriage, he could not have foreseen this at all.
It happens that similarly, Tolstoy”s marriage was also a classic tragedy. This great Russian writer was worshipped by so many; in his days, whatever he said became headline news. Yet for such a person, family life was extremely unfortunate, even becoming the fuse to his eventual death.
When he first married, he was very tender towards his wife. The two often wished and prayed that this kind of happy days would last forever; but regrettably, they were not. After a while, the two started to bicker incessantly. What was love in the past waned and eventually became hate.
After long years of suspicion and pain, Tolstoy in his old age devoted himself to humanity and …
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