..续本文上一页e they don”t see themselves people can commit all sorts of bad deeds. They don”t look at their own minds. When people are going to do something bad they have to look around first to see if anyone is looking... "Will my mother see me

　　" "Will my husband see me

　　" "Will my children see me

　　" "Will my wife see me

　　" If there”s no-one watching then they go right ahead and do it. This is insulting themselves. They say no-one is watching, so they quickly finish the job before anyone will see. And what about themselves

　　 Aren”t they a "somebody"

　　You see

　　 Because they overlook themselves like this, people never find what is of real value, they don”t find the Dhamma. If you look at yourselves you will see yourselves. Whenever you are about to do something bad, if you see yourself in time you can stop. If you want to do something worthwhile then look at your mind. If you know how to look at yourself then you”ll know about right and wrong, harm and benefit, vice and virtue. These are the things we should know about.

　　If I don”t talk of these things you won”t know about them. You have greed and delusion in the mind but don”t know it. You won”t know anything if you are always looking outside. This is the trouble with people not looking at themselves. Looking inwards you will see good and evil. Seeing goodness, we can take it to heart and practice accordingly.

　　Giving up the bad, practicing the good...this is the heart of Buddhism. Sabba papassa akaranam -- Not committing any wrongdoing, either through body, speech or mind. That”s the right practice, the teaching of the Buddhas. Now "our cloth" is clean.

　　Then we have kusalassupasampada -- making the mind virtuous and skillful. If the mind is virtuous and skillful we don”t have to take a bus all over the countryside looking for merit. Even sitting at home we can attain to merit. But most people just go looking for merit all over the countryside without giving up their vices. When they return home it”s empty-handed they go, back to their old sour faces. There they are washing the dishes with a sour face, so intent on cleaning the dishes. This is where people don”t look, they”re far away from merit.

　　We may know of these things, but we don”t really know if we don”t know within our own minds. Buddhism doesn”t enter our heart. If our mind is good and virtuous it is happy. There”s a smile in our heart. But most of us can hardly find time to smile, can we

　　 We can only manage to smile when things go our way. Most people”s happiness depends on having things go to their liking. They have to have everybody in the world say only pleasant things. Is that how you find happiness

　　 Is it possible to have everybody in the world say only pleasant things

　　 If that”s how it is when will you ever find happiness

　　We must use Dhamma to find happiness. Whatever it may be, whether right or wrong, don”t blindly cling to it. Just notice it then lay it down. When the mind is at ease then you can smile. The minute you become averse to something the mind goes bad. Then nothing is good at all.

　　Sacittapariyodapanam: Having cleared away impurities the mind is free of worries... peaceful, kind and virtuous. When the mind is radiant and has given up evil, there is ease at all times. The serene and peaceful mind is the true epitome of human achievement.

　　When others say things to our liking, we smile. If they say things that displease us we frown. How can we ever get others to say things only to our liking every single day

　　 Is it possible

　　 Even your own children... have they ever said things that displease you

　　 Have you ever upset your parents

　　 Not only other people, but even our own minds can upset us. Sometimes the things we ourselves think of are not pleasant. What can you do

　　 You might be walking along and suddenly kick…

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