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Recommended
Reading
 The
Four Noble Truths- Ajahn Sumedho
Facets
of Metta- Sharon Salzberg
The
Happy Monk: Living Buddhism in the West - Ajahn Amaro
Body
People, Mind People - Larry
Rosenburg
Talks
& articles from the GLBV community
Growing
in Love
Balanced Relationships
The Brahmacariya Community
The Breath of Life
Freedom and Independence
Freedom and Oppression
Making Desicions
Dhamma 101 Tutorial
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Permanent Happiness
Ven Sathindriya
Good afternoon. I am Bhante Sathi. I am Bhuddist monk from the Theravada tradition. I come from Sri Lanka, and now I am living in Southfield Michigan, at the Great
Lakes Buddhist Vihara. It is nice to see you all today on this very beautiful afternoon. I hope you are all enjoying today's events.
First, I would like to share with you a short story:
One day a group of princes were having a picnic with some women friends. While having this picnic, the princes were indulging in luxuries of all kinds. In the midst of
their sensual distractions, one of the women stole all of the princes' jewels. Upset by this action, the princes decided to chase after the woman. As they were chasing her
they came across Buddha, who was taking a walk. They decided to ask Buddha, “Buddha, did you just see a woman come by, because one of our woman friends stole our
jewels and ran off with them.” Buddha then asked them, “Why are you upset about this situation? What is
more valuable, to find yourself or to find someone with your jewels?” They knew that Buddha was a wise man. He was not crazy for asking this question, so they carefully
thought about it. After examining this question, they were able to reach permanent happiness, which is also called Nibbana or Nirvana.
Here is the interesting part about this story: Buddha only asked them this one simple question and yet they were able to understand the essence of the entire dharma.
Now, you may be asking yourself, how could the entire dharma be found in one small question? They understood the entire dharma because by penetrating the very
essence of that question, they were able to understand themselves. How did they come to understand themselves? They simply examined what they were doing and
discovered who they really were. After they decided to stop chasing after someone else to solve their problems, they looked inward to themselves. At that moment, they
were living in the present moment. Being in the present moment brought them a real understanding of the nature of things. That is how they understood the entire dharma
from only one question.
Buddhism is teaching us to be aware of the present moment and how to achieve permanent happiness. Buddha didn’t discover anything new, he simply realized the
workings of living beings minds and the world. As human beings, we think that we can understand this world through our five senses, which are sight, sound, taste, touch,
and hearing. However, if you look closely at your senses, you will see that they have limitations. For example, some animals can see and hear better than us. Because of this,
we have to know that our senses are not enough to understand the ultimate Truth. We can not understand this Truth simply by using our five senses. We have to learn to
develop our mind. Whoever has developed their mind, has understood more things than an ordinary person. That is why Buddha once said, “All previous
Buddhas taught the same dharma and all future Buddhas will teach the same dharma.” If you can be in the present moment, then you will understand the entire dharma.
Usually, when we are doing one thing, our mind is somewhere else.
Sometimes it is in the past; sometimes it is in the future. For example, maybe you are thinking about your lunch or a conversation you had this morning. Or what you are
going to eat for dinner tonight. But, in reality, you are here. Words are coming out of my mouth, and into your ears. You are sitting, maybe some are standing. There are
clouds in the sky, there is a gentle breeze blowing and you are
right here, right now... at this very moment. That, my dear friends, is the Truth! At any given moment, NOW is all that there truly IS.
In day-to-day life, sometimes we are consumed with suffering and sometimes we are filled with joy. Where did those two things come from? They came from your past
or future. When you look at your joy or suffering, you will see that it is because you are dwelling on ideas from your past or future. Therefore, I would say that if you
were able to constantly BE in the present moment, you would be able to understand the true nature of suffering or joy. This is not to say that you will not have emotions,
but your emotions will not control you. They will arise and dissolve... like everything else. Since they won't control you, you will not be ruled by suffering or joy. This is
known as "equanimity".
If we can successfully focus our mind on the present moment, this is called "mindfulness". Then, when we have an emotion, such as anger, we will be able to see how our
mind is working. When we are frustrated, mindfulness will help us see why it is that we are frustrated. The same with an emotion like happiness. If we are mindful, then we
can see why it is that we are happy. We can understand how our mind is working. If we can realize the present moment, then we can see how we are thinking and why
we are doing different actions. For example, how are we talking? How are we dealing with anger? And how much compassion do we have?
There was a man named Bahiya. He heard that he could see Buddha if he went to Gethawana. So he decided to go there. When he arrived, Buddha was leaving to
collect food.
He asked Buddha, "Buddha could you summarize the entire Dhamma so that I can understand?" Buddha knew that if he summarized the entire Dhamma, Bahiya would
understand, so that is what Buddha did.
Buddha summarized, “Bahiya, Thus must you train yourself:
In the seen there will be just the seen.
In the heard there will be just the heard.
In the sensed just the sensed.
In the imagined just the imagined.
Thus, you will have no “thereby”. That is how you must train yourself.
Now, Bahiya when in the seen there will be to you just the seen,
in the heard just the heard,
in the imagined just the imagined,
in the cognized just the cognized,
then, Bahiya, as you will have no “thereby” you will also have no
“therein.”
As you, Bahiya, will have no "therein" you will have no “here” or
“beyond” or "midway between.”
That, Bahiya, is the end of suffering."
Bahiya could control his mind, and understood the words of Buddha. Through this understanding, he reached permanent happiness.
If you can live in the present moment you will not worry, be unhappy, or be unsatisfied. You will see things clearly. You can reach permanent happiness. It is right here,
right now, at this very moment in each and every one of you.
May you all be well and happy . May you all achieve permanent happiness.
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