We can learn to appreciate our lives more by considering the fact of our impending death, but we can also come to value our live more by contemplating the preciousness of our mere existence. This is another of the four thoughts that turn the mind to Dharma, in which we recognize that it is extremely precious just to have a human body, and that it is rare to have this opportunity to simply be a human being. There is a tremendous amount of happiness and well-being embedded within this very fact. But we often miss this subtle presence of happiness, and think that life should be all about getting things we don't have, things that are new to us, and adding more on top of what we have already acquired, without considering that what we already have is a situation of bountiful happiness and well-being.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Subtle Presence of Happiness
We can learn to appreciate our lives more by considering the fact of our impending death, but we can also come to value our live more by contemplating the preciousness of our mere existence. This is another of the four thoughts that turn the mind to Dharma, in which we recognize that it is extremely precious just to have a human body, and that it is rare to have this opportunity to simply be a human being. There is a tremendous amount of happiness and well-being embedded within this very fact. But we often miss this subtle presence of happiness, and think that life should be all about getting things we don't have, things that are new to us, and adding more on top of what we have already acquired, without considering that what we already have is a situation of bountiful happiness and well-being.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Dear Sisters!
ReplyDeleteI love reading your log - thank you for sharing your joy, your insights and your diligence.
I'm writing to you from Vietnam, where I'm attending the 11h Sakyadhita International Conference for Buddhist women.
I thought you may enjoying some news of the conference which is being posted regularly at this new blog site that the Rigpa Monastic sangha have set up : http://rigpavihara.blogspot.com/
I'm sure we will have much to share, and many notes to compare in the future!
With much Love,
Damchö (Damchö Drolma, if that helps to make things less confusing...)