Sometimes Happy – Sometimes Not

Looking at the quote above, and according to what we’ve learned from our study of Buddhist Beliefs, the negative side will bring to our life experiences which are not comfortable. Oh sure, in the short run you may experience some sort of satisfaction, but in the long run, when we are behaving badly, this negativity will eventually lead to unpleasantness.

On the other hand, when we engage in more positive activities we will find we develop an inner strength. Once we develop such inner strength, we find we have less fear and are much more confident of ourselves. We find it easier to show our caring for others without concern for barriers, whether those barriers might be religious, cultural or political. To my way of thinking, I believe it makes good sense to understand the importance of the potential results of our behavior, whether good or bad. It bears putting some of our meditation time into this.
As Buddhists know, gaining more understanding of human values as vital. One of the primary human values we want to develop is compassion – our putting greater value in our sense of caring and commitment to others. It truly doesn’t matter where you may prefer to be religiously, if you’re doing good things for people, you will be happier – you will feel good. As you who have been reading here for any time know, Buddhism for me is a way of life, rather than a religion.
Promoting the values of love and forgiveness are among the values promoted by most religions. The methods of how these are promoted may differ some from religion to religion, but the goal is the same, regardless. It’s about having a happier life and being a more compassionate person. When you develop these values in yourself, others will follow your example which is the first step toward a more compassionate humanity.
I’m going to touch on the core teachings of the Buddha here and then end this article for today – but I will continue this in my next post.
As Buddha taught, the Four Noble Truths are the foundation of Buddhist teaching. These truths are the truths of suffering, its origin, the possibility of the cessation of suffering and the path leading to this cessation.
The Four Noble Truths are grounded in our human experience. Something we all seek in our lives is to find happiness and avoid suffering. The happiness we desire – and the suffering we would like to be rid of are the result of causes and conditions in our lives. It’s the understanding of this which is what the Four Noble Truths are all about.
There are many people who would argue that the experiences which make us suffer – and the experiences which make us happy are nothing more than the luck of the draw. Buddhist teaching says the “luck of the draw” is not the case. Some people believe that our suffering and happiness are the will of some higher power. Buddhist teaching says this is not the way it is, either. There are also some who believe that whether we’re happy or miserable is predetermined by our genes or some other type of primal substance. This concept is also rejected by Buddhist teaching.
So, what is the answer?
You are probably not going to be happy with me when you finish this today, because I’m going to leave you with a question. You see, Buddha taught that our experiences of suffering and happiness do not come about by themselves or some other independent cause. Rather, all things and events, including our happiness and suffering, come about as a result of the process of interdependent origination – which is a whole variety of causes and conditions.
What does interdependent origination mean?
Be sure to watch for my next post when I will dig into this in a way I hope will be understandable by everyone.
Metta ….May I be well and happy. My I live in safety. May I be healthy and strong. May I live with ease. May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.