Tashi Delek!
I am happy that the new Khacholing website enables me to pen down my thoughts to share with you. If you are reading this, it suggests you are on a spiritual quest. As with all journeys, we start with “Why this quest? What are we aiming for?” Whatever label we give to this driving force, fundamentally we seek happiness and freedom from misery. Even the tiniest insects share this aspiration.
Many people think that by changing external conditions like changing jobs, partners, where they live, even hairstyles, will bring happiness closer. This is a myth for two reasons: Firstly, it’s not possible to fix all of our external conditions. Secondly, even if we could, is the happiness derived going to last? Haven’t we gotten bored with the things we had excitedly bought? Haven’t we seen enough unhappy millionaires or suicidal celebrities? I’ve seen monks in the monastery where I spent many years studying, who happily went about their lives without a penny in their pockets. There were times where I did not have a single Rupee in my wallet but I don’t recall ever feeling unhappily disadvantaged. How so?
From the Buddhist perspective, happiness is a state of mind. Happiness comes from within and the mind is our inner resource that helps us to achieve this. Mind is something we can shape through cultivation. A beggar who is grateful for one meal is happier than a billionaire who craves for more. It is all about our attitude. Notice and appreciate what we have and immediately, life becomes happier. This is the basic premise. Understanding that mind determines all our experiences breaks our obsession over fixing external conditions. It’s like planting chili seeds and expecting strawberries to sprout. No matter how diligently we provide external conditions for growth, chili seeds will never bear strawberries. Chilli seeds are simply the wrong cause for strawberries. Likewise, happiness comes from working on our mind and for that reason, the essence of Buddhadharma is about transforming our mind; getting rid of seeds that bring misery and planting those that produce durable happiness for ourselves and others. With this as a foundation, the Dharma journey can begin. The ride can be bumpy as it requires a deep and honest look at ourselves too, so I suggest we buckle up! Until we next meet, I leave you with two images to contemplate upon.
