authored by 叶易安师兄
Image by Avi Chomotovski from Pixabay
What is happiness?
Often in our life have we experienced happiness as if that’s the nutrient if our mental contentment. The factor that fills up our so-called “happiness”?
Be it to watch a blockbuster movie?
To have the best available smartphone?
Or maybe to have special tips for the final exam?
Though we experienced these varieties of “happiness” as we gain something, let’s face the fact that we might be happier without needing all these. Let me tell you a story.
Life was simple there. We had no phone, no internet, no movie and no music, we were distanced from the entertainments. Yet, that one month was remarkably my happiest moment ever, as I had a glimpse of the way to keep the joy in my heart longer than how it used to be.
A non-typical oversea summer program changes us…
A month after I finished the study in UM, 3 of my friends took this non-typical oversea summer program, to become the Sama-nera-novice monk at the forest monastery near Ubon Ratchatani, the north-eastern province of Thailand. This “oversea summer program” teach only subject, Dhamma- the teaching of the Buddha. We routinely go to villages for alms-round, do chanting and meditations, participate in Dhamma Discussion and chores.
In the forest, consistent meditations act as the sun that clears the foggy mind, while the modest activities act to reduce our mental excitements, relieving the mind from any additional unnecessary thoughts. We are consciously more mindful of details of our little actions, we are mindful of every steps to avoid insects, we are more conscious about the taste of the food.
Like how we can see through a still and clean water, meditations and controlled senses allow us to observe and be mindful of our thoughts and intentions in daily activities, then contemplate on it. We don’t easily dwell on negative emotions when we know it’s pulling us down. We are more contented when we realized that we just don’t need that much.
Image by Devanath from Pixabay
Mindfulness Brings Happiness
Mindfulness shows the way to true happiness, as the headlights of the car in dark. Only with this light, we are able to see the directions of greed, hatred and delusion that will eventually hurt us, thus avoiding it. Anyhow, the direction without greed, hatred and delusion, is the direction to happiness.
“Conceiving so his foolishness
the fool is thereby wise,
while ‘fool’ is called that fool
conceited that he’s wise.”
-Dhammapada Verse 63-
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