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Appreciate a simple life
Life can be simple, free and easy. However, when people give rise to ignorance and delusion, they will complicate life and matters, which will cause all kinds of mental afflictions and suffering.
As the Chinese saying goes, “The world is originally peaceful and trouble-free. It is the foolish people who stir up trouble.” This is something everyone already knows, but there are still people who keep taking issue with other people and things in life, resulting in conflicts and disputes. Time passes by swiftly. However, there are some people who remain attached to memories of past events and conflicts, and they keep replaying those unhappy moments in their mind. Such is the troubled mind of ordinary people. Thus, the Buddha said, “It is difficult for one’s mind not to be affected by external conditions.”
Many people live a troubled life filled with mental afflictions. Why is that? It is because they make comparisons with others with a twisted mindset, and differentiate themselves from others.
For example, some people may be calculative about how much work they are doing and think that others are doing less than them. This is an arrogant mindset. On the other hand, there are some who know that others are doing more than them, but find it not a big deal and do not feel bad at all for contributing less than others. This is arrogance that arises out of an inferiority complex. These two kinds of arrogance are all mental afflictions.
Hence, we should do whatever we can within our means. Only by doing so will we not give rise to mental afflictions due to interpersonal issues.
Without comparison, there is peace
There is a story in the book, “Zhuangzi”, that goes like this:
In the Northern Sea, there was a fish that had lived for thousands of years. Its body was so huge that it stretched for miles. One day, a strong whirlwind suddenly appeared and whipped up the sea. The big fish turned into a huge bird after being blown by the wind. The bird was a few miles long, too. It was able to fly at great speed high up into the sky, and it took only half a year to fly from the Northern Sea to the Southern Sea.
During this half a year, the big bird never stopped flying. While high up in the sky, it could see numerous white clouds below. When it tilted its head to look up, it could see the vast sky that stretched to infinity. After flying for half a year, it finally arrived at the Southern Sea.
At that moment, a little sparrow on land saw the big bird and thought, “What is the use of flying so high up? Despite having a huge body, it still has to fly continuously to reach the Southern Sea. Unlike me, I am tiny, so it is easy for me to fly around, and I only need a small twig to rest myself. When I feel tired, I can walk about on the ground. Since I am unable to fly so high, I may as well rest on the grass. I feel carefree that way. It is no big deal being such a big bird!”
This is just a fable, and whether the big bird really existed is not important. What is important to notice is that the small sparrow compared itself with the big bird. Is it true that the sparrow enjoyed a freer and easier life than the big bird?
The truth is, as the sparrow had a small body and limited strength, it was never able to fly high up into the sky like the big bird. So it comforted itself and said that it felt freer and more at ease to just fly above the tree, and criticised the big bird by saying it was unnecessary to fly that high. The sparrow was simply being mean and jealous of the big bird. This is an example of “arrogance that arises out of an inferiority complex”.
The big bird had a huge body; its wings spread for miles. If it did not fly high up into the sky, it would not be able to fly about or survive. Besides, such a huge body came with great energy reserves, so it was naturally able to fly high and was not intentionally showing off its ability.
The sparrow was very tiny, but there are benefits of being small in size. Therefore, there is no need for it to compare itself with the big bird, and the big bird needs not envy the freedom and ease of the sparrow either.
Be in the now with a pure mind
Treasure every moment in the now by being mindful of the words you speak and doing every task well.”
Always work within our means in our daily life. Let go of whatever that has become history, and do not keep clinging to the troubled past. If we keep thinking about what is already gone, our mind will become even more cluttered and troubled. And if we neglect the now and place our hopes in the future instead, we are being delusional. So, it is best to seize every present moment and give our best in what we say and do.
Although we step on the ground as we walk, our feet will never stick to the ground. When we make a step ahead, we must lift the other foot from the ground in order to move forward.
Life is actually very simple. Why must we complicate it by reacting negatively to external conditions? Although it is not easy for our mind to remain untainted or unaffected as we come into contact with external conditions, if we can return to our pure, innate Buddha nature, it will not be that difficult. Hence, we should not complicate simple matters. And, if we are able to simplify complicated matters, we will naturally live a carefree and happy life.
Extracted from “Sheng Huo De Zhi Hui”《生活的智慧》
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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