(Photo by Wong Twee Hee)
Falling sick is torturing, but illnesses of the heart and mind are even more tormenting."
There was an old man nearing 100 years old, lying sick in the hospital. Despite that, he was a lovable man with a very positive and upbeat attitude. He has more than a hundred children and grandchildren. Once, I said to him, “You are 99 this year. By the time you reach 120 years old, you may have double the number of children and grandchildren that you have now!”
“Yup! When I come back to this world, I am already prepared to have 200 children and grandchildren,” he replied. He sounded as though he was very sure of when he was going to leave this world and when he would return.
On the contrary, I have also seen some other people who are physically healthy, and yet, have unhealthy mindsets. They may be very knowledgeable, but they are also very extreme, arrogant, have a tunnel vision and are narrow-minded. In fact, such people are often unable to withstand setbacks in life, because they are inwardly very fragile and calculative. Hence, they are very particular about personal gains and losses.
As I observe the various mindsets of people, I can’t help but ask myself, “What constitutes a truly lovable life? Would being highly knowledgeable, talented, or famous make us lovable?” It may not necessarily be so.
If a highly talented person is unwilling to give of himself when he is needed, then what is the use of his talents? People as such are not better than the sick in the hospital. Usually, it is easier for us to recover from a physical illness than to recover from illnesses of the heart and mind, because it is very difficult to lower our ego and eliminate our arrogance.
As such, I often say, “Falling sick is torturing, but illnesses of the heart and mind are even more tormenting.” If we are emotionally unhealthy or have an unhealthy mindset, we will not only bring suffering to ourselves, but also to many others. Hence, we should regulate our body and mind well, then we will be able to lead a healthy, happy and wonderful life.
Extracted from “Xin Ling Zhi Chuang”《心灵之窗》
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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