Happiness exists in busy life

Ven. Horowpothane Sathindriya Thera

SOCIETY: Today, every member in our family seeks happiness. Peace, calmness, serenity, tranquility, relaxation, contentment, and happiness are the key issues that are being discussed.

However, today's modern commercial and consumer based culture, materialism, drug trafficking, ethnic and family conflict, political turmoil, nuclear armaments and gun culture are ever increasing all over the globe.

Now the state of society is entangled with conflict. Everything is changing. Science and technology are overtaking us, national economies and culture are being invaded by the globalization of American culture.

Human qualities, social values, morals, ethics and customs are being disregarded and disgraced. Individual cultures of ours and moral guidelines that humans respect are exterminated by culture of violence.

It is crystal clear that we are globally in common destination, but in comparison with thirty years ago, qualities and values of human and way of human life completely have changed. It has dramatically become topsy-turvy. People face and suffer from numerous ill-health complications.

Mentally and physically most of them are in excruciating pain. Mental distress, depression, stress, frustration, tension, anxiety, phobia, fear and other negativities are rapidly escalating in our human society.

Because of these, suicide rates, rape cases, divorce rates, family conflicts, social frictions and violence are ever growing and multiplying. Even though modern science and technology have advanced and developed tremendously, we have found no remedy for these mental agonies and torment.

Happiness, contentment and inner peace do not exist outside, but they lie inside us. If one desires to find real happiness, one must cultivate and develop positive and wholesome thoughts that create peace of mind within oneself.

We should be introspective with our minds, the same way a security guard or gate-keeper observes and examines visitors.

From our childhood we have been accumulating unwholesome thoughts such as craving, anger, hatred, jealousy, pride, ill-will, aversion and so on. It is very obvious and crystal clear that they have created many problems and conflicts within us.

Simplicity and plain living is the most important practice for those who live in this sophisticated consumer culture, which encourages people to be in a state of fantasy. We should be content with the basic needs rather than more and more materials.

Furthermore we should associate ourselves with wise people and wise friends who value and admire human inner qualities.

Right Effort is very important fact that should be implanted and practised to cleanse our contaminated minds. If someone put it into practice in day-to-day life he or she will achieve the benefit of true happiness and peace of mind.

Right Effort is:

1. Preventing negative and unwholesome thoughts from arising.

2. Letting go of negative and unwholesome thoughts that have arisen.

3. Implant and cultivate wholesome and positive thoughts that have not yet arisen.

4. Maintain and develop wholesome and positive thoughts that have arisen.

Nothing burns our minds but negative and unwholesome thoughts create unbearable mental agony in everyone's mind. By understanding that situation, we must determine not to associate with any single negative and unwholesome thought.

Generally, the mind is like a wild monkey wandering from place to place and jumping from tree to tree and moving from branch to branch with greed in a very large forest.

The monkey mind creates conflicts within us. The ill-balanced and untamed mind leads us to a catastrophic life and it is the same as experiencing hell before we depart from this world.

Mostly and very often some people get angry and also jealous of others. Some people are not able to see others success and prosperity. It is impossible for them to rejoice and exult with other's progress, happiness, achievements and fortune.

That is a sickness which creates psychological and emotional conflicts and catastrophic inner atmosphere in human mind. Those defilements and mental viruses make mind dark and impure, then it is hard to comprehend and fathom how the mind is.

That is why the Supreme teacher, the Buddha exhorted and encouraged people to train and tame their minds to cleanse and develop to be free from mental agonies and unsatisfactoriness.

There is no one to be blamed. We should make our minds happy and let go all negativities which make our minds unhappy. Someone can make us angry by using bad and hateful words and acting wickedly and repugnantly. We may be hurt by rumour or hearsay that is fabricated by wicked and vicious persons.

As soon as it happens try your best to look inward and scrutinize the innermost atmosphere and what thought appears in the mind, certainly it may be anger and wisely, as well as gently let go that vicious thought. Because anger deludes and pollutes mind, make us suffer and completely unhappy.

Be very firm and try the best to be very strong not to welcome any single defiled thought which creates unhappiness.

In order to achieve genuine innermost happiness, MINDFULNESS is the key factor and the master element which helps to train the mind and to observe thoughts. With effort and firm determination very honestly.

We should put into practice to get rid of all burdens and worries that prevent us from Happiness and Inner Peace.

"The mind is very difficult to perceive; very delicate and subtle; it moves and lands wherever it pleases. The wise should guard his mind, for a guarded mind brings happiness". (By the Gotama Buddha)

The writer is from Samadhi Buddhist Meditation Centre, Campbellfield, Victoria, Australia.