CHAPTER 7

KARMA.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.

The results of karma are very clear: negative actions always cause suffering, and positive actions always bring happiness. If you act well, you will be happy; If you act badly, you yourself will suffer. Our karmic actions follow us from generation to generation, which explains why some people who are infatuated with negativity still succeed on a worldly level or who are attached to Spiritual practice again encountered countless difficulties. Karmic actions have been contained for countless lives, so there is tremendous potential for countless results. Karma always grows over time. The tiny seeds have the potential to produce huge amounts of fruit. The same is true for intrinsic causes and results, only a small action can cause a great outcome, whether positive or negative. For example, once a boy offered Buddha a handful of sand, he vividly imagined that the sand was gold. In a later life, the boy was reborn as King Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor. From the smallest positive action that can lead to the greatest outcome being happiness, too, the smallest negative action can cause intense suffering. The potential of karma to grow in our mindstream is far greater than the potential of mere physical causes, like an apple seed. Just as water droplets can fill a large vessel, so too, the smallest actions, when committed repeatedly, can fill the mind of sentient beings. he vividly imagined that the sand was gold. In a later life, the boy was reborn as King Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor. From the smallest positive action that can lead to the greatest outcome being happiness, too, the smallest negative action can cause intense suffering. The potential of karma to grow in our mindstream is far greater than the potential of mere physical causes, like an apple seed. Just as water droplets can fill a large vase, so too, the smallest actions, when committed repeatedly, can fill the mind of sentient beings. he vividly imagined that the sand was gold. In a later life, the boy was reborn as King Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor. From the smallest positive action that can lead to the greatest outcome being happiness, too, the smallest negative action can cause intense suffering. The potential of karma to grow in our mindstream is far greater than the potential of mere physical causes, like an apple seed. Just as water droplets can fill a large vessel, so too, the smallest actions, when committed repeatedly, can fill the mind of sentient beings. The smallest negative action can cause intense suffering. The potential of karma to grow in our mindstream is far greater than the potential of mere physical causes, like an apple seed. Just as water droplets can fill a large vase, so too, the smallest actions, when committed repeatedly, can fill the mind of sentient beings. The smallest negative action can cause intense suffering. The potential of karma to grow in our mindstream is far greater than the potential of mere physical causes, like an apple seed. Just as water droplets can fill a large vase, so too, the smallest actions, when committed repeatedly, can fill the mind of sentient beings.

In the human community, we see many differences. Some people always succeed in life, some always fail, some people are happy, some have a good physique and a calm mind. A few people always seem to experience great unhappiness, contrary to our expectations. Some friends think that there will be no misfortune. All of this confirms the fact that nothing is in our hands. Sometimes, when we try to initiate an effort, we accumulate all the necessary conditions required for success, but there is still something forgotten. We say that someone is lucky and someone is unlucky, but this reason alone is not enough; Luck has a reason, a cause. According to the Buddhist explanation, it is the result of actions you have created in your previous life or in the previous period in this life. When the potential is ripe, even though you are dealing with adverse situations, the effort is fruitful. But in some cases, even if you have all the necessary conditions, you fail.

We Tibetans have become refugees and suffered a lot, but nevertheless we were relatively lucky and relatively successful. In Tibet, the Chinese try to make all people equal by establishing communes and restricting personal property. But nevertheless, in the communes, some farms with vegetables and fruits grow more luxuriant than others, and some cows produce more milk. This shows that there is a great difference between the blessings of individuals. If someone's virtues are ripe, even if the authorities confiscate their possessions, he or she will still be successful thanks to the power of their merit, due to the power of that karma. If you accumulate virtues in the right way, such as avoiding killing, releasing animals, and cultivating patience with others, then you will benefit in the future and in future lives, while if you are constantly fascinated in negative actions, you will surely face the consequences later. If you don't trust the principle of karma, you can do what you like.

Once you create an action, which is the cause of a reaction, this cause persists and grows until its consequences are realized. If you do not create an action you will never encounter consequences; and once you have created an action, unless you purify it through the right practices, or if it is a virtue, unless it is destroyed by anger or opposite factors, The fruits of action will be experienced. An action, even if it has been done many generations ago, will never lose its result just because of the time factor.

Positive and negative actions are determined by the individual's motivation. If the motivation is good, all actions become positive, if the motivation is wrong, all actions become negative. Karmic actions have many different types; some are totally good, some are not very good, some are mixed. If the motivation is right, even though the action itself may appear very intense, it will bring happiness, while if the motivation is false and untrue, then even though the action seems to be beneficial and positively, in practice it would be a negative action. It completely depends on the mind: if your mind is subdued and practiced, all actions become positive, while if your mind is not subdued and is constantly affected by desire and anger, then while actions can appear to be positive, in fact you will accumulate negative karma. If more and more people believe in the law of karma, we will probably never need a police force or a punishment system. But if people lack deep faith in these karmic actions, then even though on the outside one can use all kinds of techniques to enforce the law, they will not be able to create a peaceful society. jar. In this modern world, sophisticated equipment is used to monitor and detect offenders. But the more interesting and sophisticated these machines are, the more sophisticated and resolute the offenders will be. If this human society had to change for the better, then strengthening only an external law would not be enough; We need something to stop from the inside. If more and more people believe in the law of karma, we will probably never need a police force or a punishment system. But if people lack deep faith in these karmic actions, then even though on the outside one can use all kinds of techniques to enforce the law, they will not be able to create a peaceful society. jar. In this modern world, sophisticated equipment is used to monitor and detect offenders. But the more interesting and sophisticated these machines are, the more sophisticated and resolute the offenders will be. If this human society had to change for the better, then strengthening only an external law would not be enough; We need something to stop from the inside. If more and more people believe in the law of karma, we will probably never need a police force or a punishment system. But if people lack deep faith in these karmic actions, then even though on the outside one can use all kinds of techniques to enforce the law, they will not be able to create a peaceful society. jar. In this modern world, sophisticated equipment is used to monitor and detect offenders. But the more interesting and sophisticated these machines are, the more sophisticated and resolute the offenders will be. If this human society had to change for the better, then strengthening only an external law would not be enough; We need something to stop from the inside.

A civilized, peaceful lifestyle and a fundamental spiritual moral value need to go hand in hand. Before 1959, Tibetan kings made the laws for the country based on the concept of Buddhist morality. People all over the world say that the people of Tibet are gentle and kind. I do not see any other reason to explain this unique feature of our culture than the fact that it has been based on the Buddhist nonviolent teaching for centuries.

There are three doors through which we create actions: body, speech and mind. Through these doors, we can create either ten positive deeds or ten negative deeds. Of the non-virtues, there are three of the body, four of speech, and three of the mind. The first non-virtue is to take the lives of others. For killing to take place, there must be another being; taking one's own life is not considered the same way because no one else is related. If you were initially motivated to kill someone, but when the actual murder occurred, you happened to kill someone else by mistake, this did not constitute a complete murder. . On the contrary, when your motivation initially is to kill anyone you meet, then if you kill anyone, that constitutes the accumulation of complete non-killing.

The killing can be motivated by any of the three poisons: greed, hatred, or ignorance. For example, we can kill animals for meat-eating, we can kill enemies for anger, and we can perform animal sacrifices to worship gods out of ignorance. It doesn't matter whether you do the act yourself or let others do it; both create equally negative killing actions. The act of killing will be complete when the murdered person must die before the murderer.

The second negative act is theft. The theft may be motivated by greed, or you may steal it out of hatred for someone, to harm them. Theft can also be motivated by ignorance because of a false belief that you can take whatever you want. The intention is to separate the possessor from its owner. The theft can be done by force or by stealth, or you can borrow something and let its owner forget it yourself and keep it, or you borrow money and don't return it. . Behavior will be complete when you think that things belong to you now. Even if you don't do it directly, if you let others steal for you, it will still constitute theft.

The last of the three negative actions of the body is sexual misconduct, which is sexual intercourse performed with an inappropriate person, in an inappropriate body part, at an inappropriate time, in an inappropriate place, or against the will of others - of course, rape. For a man, inadequate women include his mother, someone else's wife or girlfriend, prostitutes who are temporarily paid by someone else, their relatives, or women. have taken ordination, like nuns. Also includes other men. Inappropriate body parts are the anus and the mouth. Inappropriate places are around the home of his teacher or near a stupa (tower) or in a sanctuary, or in the presence of his parents. The unsuitable time for a man is when a woman has her period, when she is pregnant, and when they are in pain due to a disease whose intercourse will make it worse. If a man makes intercourse in these ways, even with his wife, it is called adultery. Obscenity is generally done by desire, but one can also do so out of hatred, like when one sleeps with the wife of an enemy. It is also sometimes done by ignorance, thinking that through intercourse one can attain great realizations. The negative action of adultery can only be committed by oneself, and the action is made evident when the two sexual organs communicate. If a man makes intercourse in these ways, even with his wife, it is called adultery. Obscenity is generally done by desire, but one can also do so out of hatred, like when one sleeps with the wife of an enemy. It is also sometimes done by ignorance, thinking that through intercourse one can attain great realizations. The negative action of adultery can only be committed by oneself, and the action is made evident when the two sexual organs communicate. If a man makes intercourse in these ways, even with his wife, it is called adultery. Obscenity is generally done by desire, but one can also do so out of hatred, like when one sleeps with the wife of an enemy. It is also sometimes done by ignorance, thinking that through intercourse one can attain great realizations. The negative action of adultery can only be committed by oneself, and the action is made evident when the two sexual organs communicate. that through sexual intercourse one can attain great realizations. The negative action of adultery can only be committed by oneself, and the action is made evident when the two sexual organs communicate. that through sexual intercourse one can attain great realizations. The negative action of adultery can only be committed by oneself, and the action is made evident when the two sexual organs communicate.

The next four negative actions are verbal acts. The first is a lie. This includes speaking against what one has seen, heard, or known to be true. Lies can be motivated by greed, hatred, or delusion. The intention is to mislead others, and it can be done by talking or nodding or hand gesturing. Any action done for the purpose of deluding someone creates an evil act of lying. If others hear it, that constitutes the fullness of this action.

The next is divisive. The intention is to create divisions between friends or people in the spiritual community for their own benefit or for the benefit of others. Whether one succeeds in dividing or not, the moment another hears the word of division, that constitutes the fullness of this action.

The next is the bad talk. The intention is to speak evil, and the behavior will be complete when bad words are heard. Bad speech includes insults to others, about their mistakes, true or false; If people do this to harm others, it is a bad thing.

Next is meaningless gossip. That is to say, cotton has no purpose, and it can be motivated by any of the three poisons. The intention is just gossip for no reason, completely gossip without purpose. The conduct of this action does not require a second person. You do not need a person to attend; You can do this by talking to yourself. Useless gossip includes talking about war, the mistakes of others, or arguing just for reason. It also includes reading unnecessary books due to desire.

Finally, there are three negative actions of the mind, the first action is desire. The object of desire is possessions belonging to others. The delusion that drives greed can be any of the three poisons - craving, aversion, or ignorance. This fulfilling of wrong conduct requires five elements: a strong desire for the possessions of others, a desire to accumulate wealth, a desire for the possessions of others, a desire for having wealth of others, and see no harm in the desire of others' possessions. If all these five factors are present, when one desires something, it will fulfill the fulfillment of this mental action.

Next is the bad intent, which is similar to speaking evil. The intention is to hurt others or speak evil or hope that others will suffer unhappiness and failure in their activities. Once one is engrossed in such thoughts, the result or perfection is that you beat the person or the mind intends to do so. It also requires five factors: that we have - as a fundamental motivation - resentment or anger, we lack patience, we are not aware of the faults of anger, we actually have The intention to harm others, and we are not aware of the faults of the bad intent, is sufficient to fill our harmful intentions. Just wanting others to suffer is a bad idea.

The last of the ten negative actions is the wrong views or wrong views in which we deny the existence of things that truly exist. There are generally four types of wrong views: wrong views regarding cause, effect, function of an event, and existence. The wrong view of cause is the belief that there is no action according to karma; for the consequence is to believe that certain actions do not work; for the function of thinking that children are not born of their parents and that the seeds do not produce their results, and also assume that there is no previous life or life after death. The fourth type of wrong view is the wrong view of existing things - the beliefs caused by ignorance and desire are the enlightened, Nirvana, and the Three Jewels do not exist. Tsong-kha-pa said that although there are many kinds of wrong views, these wrong views actually cut off the root of human virtue and thus motivate the individual to ponder in negative actions. have any restraint. Therefore, the wrong views on the Three Jewels and the law of cause and effect are said to be the largest of the wrong views.

We should also pay attention to the relative severity of karmic actions. When the behavior is motivated by intense delusions, it is said to be very serious. The way the real behavior is performed also determines the weight of karma. For example, if an act of murder is committed with great pleasure, first interrogating the victim and then mocking and humiliating them, it is thought to be extremely serious by inhumane personality. in that person or being being killed. If the mind of a murderer has no conscience or shame, then because he does not have the forces to fight back, the misconduct of killing is extremely serious. If your act of killing is motivated by ignorance, such as making a sacrificial sacrifice, assuming that this killing is truly a religious act and that it does not constitute a negative act,

In general, the more negative actions you complete, the more serious the behavior will become. The weight of karma also depends on the person who takes the action. If you dedicate your merit to sentient beings for the sake of achieving Enlightenment, it is considered to be more effective, whereas, if it is devoted to lower goals, it will be considered less effective. This also applies to negative behavior; the stronger the motivation of delusions is the stronger the action of karma, and of all these delusions, anger is considered the most powerful. Just a moment of anger towards a Bodhisattva will destroy all the virtues you have accumulated for thousands of lives.

The consequences of negative actions are also based on the intensity of the delusion that drives them. There are also consequences corresponding to the cause. For example, due to the crime of killing, even if one is reborn in life in the lower realms, one is reborn as a human being, but his life will be short. By stealing, people will be deprived of material wealth, the result of adultery is that they will have a very unfaithful wife, the result of the harsh words that people will insult you, the result of the divisive words that there will be discord among friends etc. The result of killing in a previous life, even when being a human, one will have an instinctive impulse and interest in killing multiply. There are also environmental results, they are even more ripe for a collective. For example, as a result of killing, one will have to live in a place where the harvest is not so good, the harvest is not plentiful, the land is very arid, the climate is not very fresh, full of plants and thorns. As an environmental consequence of theft, a farmer will not have successful crops. The environmental result of wrong views is that people will have no protection and no refuge (refuge).

If the result of virtue, people refrain from immersing themselves in these negative actions and decide not to indulge in them, then that creates an accumulation of positive actions. However, if we do not have the ability or the capacity to indulge in negative actions, that does not mean that we have accumulated virtues; virtue can only be accumulated when we have the ability or ability to do these negative actions but we do not do so by restraint according to the rules.

Some actions are created but not intentionally, such as manslaughter, killing in dreams, or doing anything against the will of anyone. In these cases the action is created but there is no accumulation of karma; the act of creating karma is not complete, because the lack of an important element is intention. On the contrary, if you force someone to commit an evil act on your behalf, you will accumulate bad karma.

The result of an action may be ripe in this life or in the next life or after a life gap. Some very serious actions, performed by ignorance or intense anger, are known to be so severe that they produce results in this life. That is also the case with some positive actions; if you have great compassion for sentient beings, if you have strong refuge in the Three Jewels, and if you repay the kindness of the Master and your parents, the results of these actions are known to be very so strong that they will begin to mature in this life.

Having a human body is the main result of keeping morality clean and restrained for the ten non-virtues. However, to have a human body endowed with conditions that will support the process on our path, other factors are needed. They include a long life to complete Dharma practice. It also helps to make a healthy body, beautiful and healthy as well as born in a revered family, because then you can easily admire the great respect of people and have a strong influence. The other factor mentioned in the texts is that there is reliable speech and a powerful mind and body that makes you not vulnerable to obstacles. With an attractive appearance, your simple look will attract the disciples and make them have great faith in you without any difficulty. Coming from a respected family, everyone will listen to you and heed your guidance. You will be able to gather many people under your influence by giving material things to them, and you will cause others to perceive what you say is true due to your trustworthy words. Anything you say will quickly accomplish as you wish, just like when a king issued an decree. You will not be afraid or ashamed to teach the Fa to a large number of people, and there will be few obstacles when practicing the Dharma. Thanks to a powerful body and mind, you will be able to endure great physical hardship, and there will be no regrets or disappointments in accomplishing all your own goals. or others. You will be able to gather many people under your influence by giving material things to them, and you will cause others to perceive what you say is true due to your trustworthy words. Anything you say will quickly accomplish as you wish, just like when a king issued an decree. You will not be afraid or ashamed to teach the Fa to a large number of people, and there will be few obstacles when practicing the Dharma. Thanks to a powerful body and mind, you will be able to endure great physical hardship, and there will be no regrets or disappointments in accomplishing all your own goals. or others. You will be able to gather many people under your influence by giving material things to them, and you will cause others to perceive what you say is true due to your trustworthy words. Anything you say will quickly accomplish as you wish, just like when a king issued an decree. You will not be afraid or ashamed to teach the Fa to a large number of people, and there will be few obstacles when practicing the Dharma. Thanks to a powerful body and mind, you will be able to endure great physical hardship, and there will be no regrets or disappointments in accomplishing all your own goals. or others. Anything you say will quickly accomplish as you wish, just like when a king issued an decree. You will not be afraid or ashamed to teach the Fa to a large number of people, and there will be few obstacles when practicing the Dharma. Thanks to a powerful body and mind, you will be able to endure great physical hardship, and there will be no regrets or disappointments in accomplishing all your own goals. or others. Anything you say will quickly accomplish as you wish, just like when a king issued an decree. You will not be afraid or ashamed to teach the Fa to a large number of people, and there will be few obstacles when practicing the Dharma. Thanks to a powerful body and mind, you will be able to endure great physical hardship, and there will be no regrets or disappointments in accomplishing all your own goals. or others.

Each of the different qualities has a special cause according to karma. The cause of a long life is always to have an attitude of help, altruism, never harming others. The cause of a strong, healthy body is giving new clothes to others and controlling your anger. The birth of a respected family is the result of an ever humble nature, never arrogant, and considering himself a servant to his teacher and his parents. The cause of wealth is material giving to the poor, and the cause of reliable speech is the self-restraint of the evils of language. The great influence that results from offerings to the Three Jewels, parents, teachers, etc. ... Having a competent body and mind is the result of giving food and drink to others.

If you treat and do not think seriously about the law of karma, then sometimes you may have the impression that you are not accumulating any negative actions at the moment and think that you are a good practitioner. If we analyze our thoughts and actions more deeply, we will find that we are talking in vain, hurting others, or engaging in desire every day. We will realize that indeed we lack the first factor which is the credibility necessary to truly obey the law of karma. We need to recognize the gap between our Dharma practice and the way we are living our lives now. To close the gap, merge your understanding of the law of cause and effect with your actions.

Tsong-kha-pa said that although we should make a great effort to never indulge in these negative actions again, but due to a long association with ignorance, sometimes they We realize we have committed them uncontrollably. They should not be left unnoticed. Rather, we should practice the purification techniques that Buddha himself taught. He said that by practicing the four opposing forces, we will be able to purify the negative that we have ever committed and will be able to overcome it. The first is the power of regret. By thinking about the weight of the consequences of negative actions, from the bottom of our hearts, we should develop a deep sense of regret for the actions we committed. The second is the power of purification. This can be accomplished through a variety of techniques, including reciting, remembering, and reading scriptures, coloring Buddha images, making offerings, and reciting the names of the Buddhas. These purification techniques must be performed until you see the signs and indications of the success of your purification practice. These include dreams of seeing you vomit, dreams of drinking milk or curd, seeing the sun and moon in a dream, dreaming of flying or seeing fire, seeing control of buffaloes, or seeing people wearing black robes, dreaming about monks and nuns, climbing hills, and dreaming of listening to the teachings. These are signs of success in your purification practice. These purification techniques must be performed until you see the signs and indications of the success of your purification practice. These include dreams of seeing you vomit, dreams of drinking milk or curd, seeing the sun and moon in a dream, dreaming of flying or seeing fire, seeing control of buffaloes, or seeing people wearing black robes, dreaming about monks and nuns, climbing hills, and dreaming of listening to the teachings. These are signs of success in your purification practice. These purification techniques must be performed until you see the signs and indications of the success of your purification practice. These include dreams of seeing you vomit, dreams of drinking milk or curd, seeing the sun and moon in a dream, dreaming of flying or seeing fire, seeing control of buffaloes, or seeing people wearing black robes, dreaming about monks and nuns, climbing hills, and dreaming of listening to the teachings. These are signs of success in your purification practice.

The third is the power of the decision not to do bad deeds in the future. If you have the power to make decisions and refrain from committing the ten non-virtues, then you will not only be able to purify the negatives of the ten non-virtues alone, but you will also be able to purify the ignorance and the the trail they left behind. If your decision-making power is very shallow, your purification practice will also be exhausted. The final power is the meditation on taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and developing the desire to become enlightened for all sentient beings.

If a negative act is committed and leaves impure, there is the potential to cause rebirth in the lower realms of samsara. Negative actions can only be completely purified in the sense that their potential will be completely destroyed, or their potential for rebirth in the lower realms will be destroyed but they can manifested as minor headaches in this life. That is because, on the other hand, any negative action that results in long-term consequences can be experienced for a short time. These results depend on whether the practitioner is skilled in the practice of purification or not, whether the four powers are sufficient or not, and also depending on how strong the practitioner's practice is and the pure practice. How long is this done? 

In some cases, the potential of the practice is destroyed; in other cases it may manifest in lighter experiences. You should not assume that this contradicts the representation in the Sutras that once the practices have been committed, they will never lose their power even for a hundred lives. This means that once they have committed acts and they leave traces, they will never lose their power just by time. No action cannot be purified. Purification destroys the potential of negative actions in the same way that positive actions lose their potential due to the generation of hatred. But Buddha said that you can never purify a karmic action once it has produced results. For example, the negative experiences we have in this life are the result of negative actions committed in the past - actions that have happened; There is no way you can purify them.

Tsong-kha-pa said that because positive actions can lose their potential due to the arising of opposing factors, such as anger, we are not only very cautious when accumulating merit. virtue but should be equally careful to uphold the virtues once they have accumulated them. This is done through the dedication of our merit for the attainment of enlightenment in order to attain Buddhahood. It is said that once you have dedicated your merit to achieving that goal, until you accomplish that goal, the virtue you have accumulated will never lose your potential. its. Like depositing your money in a bank, a thief cannot steal - in this case, the thief is anger, desire or ignorance.

Although by practicing the right forces, we can purify all the negatives and destroy the potential for their undesirable consequences, but first of all, it's simple, excellent. is not to commit these negative actions. So from the beginning, it's better to never indulge in them, never pollute your mind with such negative actions. Tsong-kha-pa said that it is similar to a person with a broken leg; later the leg is cured, but compared to a leg that has never been broken is very different.

Some people may think that because in the other sutras, the success and benefits of life in samsara are described as things to avoid and give up, which is not suitable for a practitioner when desires favorable forms of existence, because it is also a life in samsara. This is a very wrong attitude. When we talk about goals, there are two types: transient and ultimate. Transient goals include acquiring a precious human body in the next life. On the basis of such a precious human body, you have the ability to carry out your Dharma practice so that you can finally accomplish your ultimate goal of enlightenment attainment. Although for a Mahayana practitioner, the ultimate goal is to work to attain enlightenment for sentient beings, but it is also essential for a practitioner who wishes to have a favorable rebirth in the future, like human life, so that they (man or woman) can continue to practice. Shantideva said that precious human life should be seen as a boat whereby one can cross the ocean of life and death. To accomplish the ultimate goal of accomplishing the Enlightened state, you must have gained a precious human body for many lives. The fundamental cause of the attainment of such precious forms of rebirth is the practice of moral conduct. You have to have precious human bodies in many lives. The fundamental cause of the attainment of such precious forms of rebirth is the practice of moral conduct. You have to have precious human bodies in many lives. The fundamental cause of the attainment of such precious forms of rebirth is the practice of moral conduct.

For most, having developed the desire to practice Dharma practice, it is difficult to completely abandon the world. The best type of practitioner renounces worldly life and spends the rest of their lives in a solitary, solitary practice. This is truly praiseworthy and of great benefit, but for most of us it is difficult to do such a practice. You must also think about your own life and also work in the community and serve people. You should not be completely preoccupied with worldly activities; You must also use a lot of energy and time for Dharma practice in order to have a better future. You begin to realize that compared to your future destiny, the work of this life is not as important.

By taking refuge and living in the law of karma, the effort to abandon negative actions and accumulate positive actions, you can enjoy a favorable rebirth in the future. However, let us not be content with just that, because that favorable rebirth is a place in samsara, essentially suffering. Rather, we should cultivate the awareness that every form existing in this cycle of birth and death is essentially suffering. From beginningless time, we have an instinctive attachment to the glistening glory of samsara, and we can never be aware of what the pleasures of samsara really are: they are sufferings. true. As long as the prisoners are not aware that they are in the prison and are not aware that it is difficult and painful to endure the life of a prisoner,

You should not have the misconception that Buddhism is pessimistic. Rather, it is extremely optimistic, since the purpose of each individual is omniscient, it brings an absolute and lasting happiness. Buddhism reminds us that this is possible for everyone. The pleasures of samsara may seem momentary, but they can never satisfy us no matter how long we enjoy them, and they are unreliable because they are subject to change. Contrary to the bliss and happiness of Nirvana - something ultimate, permanent, and eternal - these pleasures and happiness in samsara become meaningless.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.26/5/2020.