Chapter 3: Why Do We Suffer? 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》

The cause of suffering is nothing but selfish desire, friction between elements and energies and changes.
~ Buddha ~

There was none so intimately aware of and concerned with human suffering than the Buddha. It may be useful to look into his life and his search into the cause and cure for universal suffering. 

As a prince, Siddhartha led a sheltered life amidst the splendour, beauty and security of his palace. He knew no discomfort, only ease and luxury. Day and night, he was entertained by beautiful maids and attendants, by court musicians and enticing dancers. He had everything a man would want of earthly pleasures, yet he felt a void in his princely life. 

While venturing out of the palace one day, Siddhartha saw four sights, which may be ordinary to our eyes but which to him had a great impact. He saw on separate occasions an old man, a sick man, a dead man and a mendicant or monk. These four sights made a deep impression on him, as he had seen them for the first time in his adult life. He was shocked at the nature of worldly suffering humans are subjected to after having witnessed the first three sights. It reminded him that old age, sickness, and finally, death, were the common lot of humanity, and that he too would one day have to face the same fate. 

However, it was the sight of a mendicant, which gave him the hope of deliverance. It gave him the inspiration and courage to renounce his regal position and all worldly pleasures to seek the Truth that would help suffering humanity.

One night he turned his back on material possessions and went in search of the universal answers to the problems of existence. That was the night when he left the palace quietly, dressed only in a single robe. For six long years, he hardly knew where to go or to rest. He had no companions and no proper meals, except what the people gave him. He ate from the alms bowl like a common beggar. Having been used to a life of luxury, he almost threw up at the first sight of the jumble of coarse food in his bowl which the poor people had offered him. But he endured it all - the food, the blazing sun, the drenching rain, and the cold nights in the forest - and wandered barefooted from place to place, from teacher to teacher in search of the truth.

The Truth finally dawned upon him six years later while seated under the Bodhi tree. During his search, he came to share the whole vast spectrum of human experiences. He learned about unsatisfactoriness not only from his life of abundant luxury, but also by
following for a while the way of the ascetics who tortured their bodies under the belief that wisdom and freedom could be attained through such practices. He almost died from such practices which ultimately proved futile. He also tried to learn from the best
teachers who willingly taught him, but who were unable to give the answers he sought.

Realising that he had to find the Truth through his own effort, he gave up self-torture and followed the Middle Path of avoiding the extremes of indulgent luxury and self-torture. With perseverance and unfailing determination, he gained Buddhahood through his own persevering effort. 

The Buddha discovered that Suffering, which is caused by desire, could be put to an end by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Through this Path, suffering could be ended completely. Having understood completely the nature of life, the Buddha dedicated the rest of his life to teach what he had discovered to all who would listen to him and understand.

The Nature of Life

The Buddha saw suffering as suffering, and happiness as happiness. This is not what unenlightened minds would see. Generally, most people dislike having to face the true facts of life. They lull themselves into a false sense of security by day-dreaming and imagination, taking the shadow for the substance. Many never see, know or even care to find out the facts of life, preferring to live a humdrum existence in the world to which they are born.

If we examine the actual state of humanity, it is clear that this state is marked by unsatisfactoriness throughout. Every living being, human or otherwise, throughout the whole universe is struggling for existence through a never ending battle for survival. The
brief moments of happiness come to an end with the onset of sickness, old age and death.

Goethe, the great German poet, dramatist and philosopher, once said that if he were to count all the days of real happiness he had during his life time they would only add up to no more than a fortnight in duration.

However ingeniously we might plan and organise our society and adjust human relationships, so long as the world remains what it is even the best of us cannot escape suffering. Even if, by some stroke of good fortune, we manage to evade the usual irritants of life,
we cannot free ourselves from death. Our bodily organism has in it the seeds of dissolution. Mortality is native to our world of component things. The thought of death as the end to all existence would be unendurable to the ignorant who is caught in the web
of worldly existence and engrossed in the enjoyment of the fleeting life which he mistakenly thinks is permanent.

The danger of refusing to face facts and accept the truths of life, such as old age and death, is that it makes a person suffer even more, not less, in the long run. Recollection on the inevitability of death, accompanied with the right attitude of mind, gives a
person courage to lead a purposeful life and calmness during periods of sorrow and at the time of death.

Unsatisfactoriness follows man like his shadow along the pathway of life. During childhood, he has to shoulder the demands of duty. In the prime of manhood, he struggles ceaselessly to support himself and his family in answer to his responsibilities. The declining years bring sickness, weakness, dependency, loneliness, suffering, and finally, death. Such is the fate of all humanity.

It is sheer folly to expect security or eternal happiness while one sojourns in a world subject to constant change. People work hard and undergo much suffering in order to have a little bit of pleasure. But they would have to give up fleeting pleasures if they wish
to secure permanent happiness. If man wishes to put an end to suffering, he must eradicate his own selfishness and cultivate contentment.

Understanding the Facts of Life

Those who have not studied the Buddha's teachings cannot understand what is meant by the statement that existence creates suffering. Reflect on this: Every creature which lives on earth either preys on other animals or is itself being preyed upon. All creatures
either hunt or are hunted by others. Even herbivorous animals live in fear because they are the victims of other animals and human beings. No one can escape from this eternal battle for survival which creates suffering, fear of death and uncertainty in life. The
turning point in the Buddha's life came when he was still a prince. One day he observed that a frog was swallowed by a snake. Just then a hawk swooped down and carried both the snake and frog away. The prince reflected upon this phenomenon and observed that all existence is sorrowful because living beings try to escape from each other. At the same time, they prey on others for survival. It is difficult to understand why all these innocent beings should suffer if they were created by an all powerful, compassionate creator. How could such a creator allow his creatures to be preyed upon by others and to live in constant fear?

In the world marked with unsatisfactoriness, the Buddha makes no pretence of offering stability in conditions and things which are essentially unstable. Some people who do not understand this call him a pessimist. They are not unlike a child who builds a sand castle near the sea and regards any prediction of its dissolution with the rising tide as pessimism. But the Buddha offers something infinitely better than the stability which people foolishly seek in unstable worldly phenomena. He offers them a method of attaining ultimate stability, Nibbana, which is eternally peaceful and secure. 

Worldly conditions, according to Buddhism, are impermanent and unsatisfactory. The current wave of discontentment which man is caught up with is mainly due to a lack of understanding of the fleeting nature of worldly life. Many of us do not know this nature at
all. Even if we do, we habitually fail to apply it to our daily lives. In our ignorance, we blame the government, society or everybody else except ourselves. As cultured people, we ought to know that our egoism and ignorance are to be blamed. What hinders us from
realising the TRUTH is our selfishness, our pride, hatred and ignorance. These defilements appear to be so real that our power to believe in the Truth is crippled.

We do not like the truth because sometimes it is unpleasant, inconvenient, or it does not support our craving. There is no other more important injunction in the world, nor one with a deeper hidden meaning, than the phrase (used by Shakespeare in Hamlet) 'To thine own self be true.' In other words, be true to your own conscience. Whether we accept the Truth that craving causes sorrow or not does not and cannot alter the basic principles of the universe. We can recognise the difference between right and wrong, but through our ignorance and foolishness, we rationalise or give a thousand reasons for failing to perceive that difference. With our intelligence, we can justify our actions for any wrongful actions committed, but in the final analysis, it is better to call a spade a spade. We must be like a good surgeon who can locate the source of a cancerous growth and remove it. The operation is painful, but once the diseased part is removed, our chances of enjoying good health are vastly enhanced.


Fleeting Happiness

Life is unsatisfactory because it is impermanent. Henri Bergson, the French philosopher, says, 'To exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.' So, those suffering and despairing ones who seek light and guidance should not base their hopes of happiness on a life whose elements are in a flux as the shifting sands of a river mouth.
 
When a person has a happy life, he would like the passage of time to stand still. This ceaseless passage of time is so obvious a quality of our lives that we take it for granted. Within this ceaseless movement, all things we know are born, grow, decay and die, and we will go through this process with them. 

'Life is uncertain,' says the Buddha, 'but death is certain.'

The law of impermanence lays its cruel hands on all people. And all youth ends in old age, all health in sickness, all strength in impotence, all beauty in ugliness, and all life in death. Nothing can stop this process. Death follows birth, as night follows day.
This process of change is common to all - to the poor and the rich alike, to the young and the old. But this seems to be the very thing some of us forget, living and acting as if we are immortal. 

If we look closely at life, we can see how it is continually changing and moving between contacts. We will notice how it fluctuates between rise and fall, success and failure, gain and loss, honour and contempt, praise and blame. We see more clearly how our hearts would respond to happiness and sorrow, delight and despair, satisfaction and disappointment, hope and fear.

These mighty waves of emotion carry us up, but no sooner are we up in the crest when, they fling us down. Hardly have we found some rest, before we are swept up again by the power of a new wave. How can we expect to gain a footing on the crest of the waves? Where shall we erect the building of life in the midst of this ever restless ocean of existence, if not on the island of equanimity which will shelter us from every storm? This island of equanimity develops in our minds after we have undergone many disappointments, and have finally emerged much wiser. It is an island which provides stability and peace in the face of sickness, separation and death.


The Picture of Life

Even our pleasure is the basis of unsatisfactoriness. If we are seeking the Truth, we must recognise this fact, whether we like it or not. This may be unpleasant at first sight, but if we give it up because of that unpleasantness, we will not get very far in the search for Truth. We will be blinded by Maya - illusion. 

It may not be easy to accept this version of the world which seems at times so fair. And yet, when we look around, we see that even in the beauty of spring, many die and many more suffer from incurable diseases. We experience disappointments, frustrations, miseries and suffering in various forms. 

Gradually, as we grow in years and experience, this vision of a world in constant flux widens, if we are not wilfully blind. Looking still deeper beneath the surface of life, we can profit and learn from the events in the lives of people we know. We see how even a happy ending may prove to be but a sad beginning, or how a slight indiscretion or weakness may ruin a man's whole life.

Therefore uncertainty in everything is certain. This understanding can console our unsatisfied minds. 

Worlds on worlds are rolling ever 
From creation to decay 
Like the bubbles on a river 
Sparkling, bursting borne away.
~ Shelley ~

A Tibetan Buddhist yogi and poet, Milarepa, gives this simple but comprehensive picture of human life. 

'Youth is like a summer flower -
Suddenly it fades away. 
Old age is like a fire spreading 
Through the fields - suddenly, it's at your heels. 
The Buddha once said, 'Birth and death 
Are like sunrise and sunset 
Now come, now go.' 

Sickness is like a little bird 
Wounded by a sling.
Know you not, health and strength
Will in time desert you?
Death is like a dry oil lamp
(After its last flicker)
This world is impermanent;
Nothing, I assure you
Can remain unchanging.
Evil karma is like a waterfall
Which I have never seen flow upward,

A sinful man is like a poisonous tree —
If you lean on it, you will injured be.
Transgressors are like frost-bitten peas -
Like spoilt fat, they ruin everything.
Dharma practisers are like peasants cultivating in 
the fields.

The Law of Karma is like Samsara's wheel -
Whoever breaks it will suffer a great loss.

Samsara is like a poisonous thorn
In the flesh - if not pulled out,
The poison will increase and spread.

The coming of death is like the shadow
Of a tree at sunset -
It runs fast and none can halt it.
When that time comes,
What else can help but the Holy Dharma?

Though Dharma is the fount of Victory,
Those who aspire to it are rare.
Scores of men are tangled in
The miseries of Samsara
Into this misfortune born,
They strive by plunder and theft for gain.
When you are strong and healthy
You ne'er think of sickness coming,
But it descends with sudden force
Like a stroke of lightning.

When involved in worldly things
You ne'er think of death's approach
Quick it comes like thunder
Crashing round your head.

Sickness, old age and death
Ever meet each other
As do hands and mouth
Do you not fear the miseries
You experienced in the past?
Surely you will feel much pain
If misfortunes attack you?

The woes of life succeed one another
Like the sea's incessant waves -
One has barely passed, before
The next one takes its place.
Until you are liberated, pain
And pleasure come and go at random
Like passers-by encountered in the street.

Pleasures are precarious,
Like bathing in the sun;
Transient, too, as the snow storms
Which come without warning.
Remembering these things,
Why not practise the Dharma?'
~ Songs of Milarepa ~


Can We Satisfy Desire?

It is hardly surprising that today, in our so-called highly advanced society, dominated by greed, hatred, suspicion and fear, an increasing number of people should feel loneliness, frustration, jealousy and enmity, and are unable to see any meaning in life. Youths today demonstrate this inability to see meaning in life in various ways, which range from delinquency to drug addiction. 

The enemy of mankind is selfish craving. Through this all evils come to living beings. People are always craving for pleasures, wealth and property. They are deluded with the idea that happiness consists of the satisfaction of their desires. Such a belief is particularly prevalent in a materialistic society such as ours. While the fulfilment of our needs and desires, which cause no harm to others, does bring some form of happiness, one should not be led into thinking that sensual gratification is the only source of happiness nor does it constitute the highest form of happiness. A person who subscribes to such thinking will lead a life of non-fulfilment, like chasing after rainbows. 

Certain things give us pleasure, so we try to hold on to them and increase their quantity. Some other things bring displeasure, so we try to avoid or remove them. Unless we can have mastery and control over the forces of desire and aversion, they will drive us from one unhappy experience to another. Desire and aversion operate together: at one moment it is aversion in action, at another moment it is desire. 

When hunger or thirst arises, there springs a feeling of discomfort. Subsequently, desire springs up to allay that discomfort. All our desires are like that. They start from some discomfort or a feeling that something is lacking. And then we search for things that we think can fill that aching void. If we do not get what we want, the feeling of void continues to ache. If, however, we succeed in getting it, the desire or hunger becomes satisfied, and for a time, ceases to exist. Even so, the pleasure of anticipation disappears,
and we feel somehow cheated and disappointed because what we experience is never quite what we expected. And so, new desires and anticipations are created. This continual arising and search for the satisfaction of desires is the basis that constitutes mundane,
human life.

Some people spend their whole life accumulating material things: no amount of accumulation can make them contented. The desire for more and more is their whole life's devotion. When they fail to get what they seek, they become disappointed. But even after getting the things they have so desperately worked for, they may turn out to be just as disappointed as before. The object of their dreams appears to be less wonderful, less appealing or desirable than they had earlier considered it to be. By now, their desires and expectations have gone up by a few notches, and they are not satisfied with their new acquisitions. They are constantly egged on by the notion that the 'grass is always greener on the other side of the fence'. People such as these can never be happy or contented. In fact, the more they have, the greater their desire becomes. It is said that man's needs, such as food, shelter and clothing, can be satisfied, but seldom his desires.


Pleasure is not Happiness

Many people have the mistaken idea that they can solve all their problems with money. While money is necessary for one to lead a comfortable life in modern society, it does not always solve one's problems. Not only that, it also creates new problems as well. Therefore, it is important for us to put things as well as our lives in proper perspective. When we realise the true value and nature of things and reduce our craving for sensual gratification, we will have more peace arising from simplicity and contentment.

To satisfy their craving and hatred, people create problems for themselves and others. Nations go to war for this reason. They hope to defeat others and conquer their lands. Battles and wars were fought and stories of enormous suffering have been recorded in the annals of world history. But human beings, entangled in worldliness, will not come to their senses so easily. They suffer so much misery and face many dangers, but yet will not wake up to reality. They are like the camel which loves to eat thorny bushes. The more thorns it eats, the more the blood which gushes from its mouth. Still it continues eating thorny plants and will not give them up. In fact the worldly pleasure that people experience is like eating a hot potato. 

The Buddha taught that all our miseries arise from wanting the wrong sort of things: more money for self indulgence, power over other people, and cherishing the idea of living on forever after one is dead. The desire for these things makes people become discontented with life. This is especially the case when they think only about their own interest, and disregard others' welfare. When they do not get what they want, they become restless and discontented. At the same time when we gain what we were longing and praying for we experience unsatisfactoriness or disappointment because of the fear of losing it. 

All our mental sufferings are caused by selfish desires for pleasure. Think about that. They are caused by the desire to be what we are not, to have what we do not have, and not to have the things we already have. If we think hard and long about it, there is no denying that the chief culprit in our inability to enjoy a sense of happiness is desire. 

What is fear but the desire to avoid; greed, the desire to have; jealousy, the desire that others shall not have; grief, the desire to regain something or someone. All our negative emotions can be worked out in terms of desire, the chain that binds us. The only way to avoid this restlessness is to reduce or get rid of the desire that causes it. This may be difficult to do, but not impossible. When a man overcomes restlessness, he arrives at a state of calmness or contentment.

The Buddha has said: 'The joy of pleasure in the world, and those of heaven are not worth a sixteenth part of the joy arising from the destruction of craving.'

Here is another saying from a writer for you to ponder:

'Sorry is he whose burden is heavy,
And happy is he who has cast it down;
When once he has cast off his burden,
He will seek to be burdened no more.'

Suffering, which is the price we pay for our existence, is brought about by craving. As a result of craving, we perform actions which leave imprints or seeds stored in our minds. Later in this life or another, the seeds of our actions will ripen as reactions. In
other words, selfish craving creates kamma which gives rise to reactions. Our past actions, coupled by other factors, cause the good and bad we experience today.


Contemplate on Yourself

As people go through life, some learn to age gracefully and accumulate wisdom born from experience. They realise that to crave is to be subjected to more suffering, and the cure for suffering lies not in appealing to the gods for help but by finding salvation within
themselves.

However, the person with a worldly nature suffers so much sorrow and affliction. In his youth, he tries to fill his days with enjoyment. But before he knows it, the years have passed and he has grown old. He is distressed to find that while his body has become unfit as an instrument for pleasure, his heart is still youthful in its craving. These are the people whose craving grows with their age: the older they grow, the stronger their craving becomes. This being the case, their suffering will correspondingly be greater.

One reason for failing to control craving is the pride in man. Under the false sense of pride, people go about committing evil deeds and refuse to recognise the obvious. By the same token, we should avoid maintaining pride in youth while still young, pride in health while still healthy, and pride in life while still living a good life.

Some people, without considering their real positions, think that they are higher than all others. They are so full of themselves that they develop a grandiose opinion of themselves. This can be dangerous because 'Pride always goes before a fall'. 

                *******

The proud beetle in a lump of cowdung. There once was a beetle which came upon a lump of cowdung. He worked himself into it and liking what he saw, he invited his friends to join him in building a city in it. After working feverishly for a few days they built a magnificent 'city' in the dung and feeling very proud of their achievement they decided to elect the first beetle as their king. Now to honour their new 'king' they organised a grand parade through their 'city'. While these impressive proceedings were taking place, an elephant happened to pass by and seeing the lump of cow dung he lifted his foot to avoid stepping on it. The king beetle saw the elephant and angrily shouted at the huge beast. 'Hey you! Don't you have any respect for royalty? Don't you know it is rude to lift your leg over my majestic head? Apologise at once or I'll have you punished.' The elephant looked down and said, 'Your most gracious majesty, I humbly crave your pardon.' Thus saying he knelt down on the lump of cow dung and crushed king, city, citizens and pride in one act of obeisance.

                *******

The Buddha, overcame these three kinds of pride when he saw the four sights. When he saw the old man, the pride in youth left him. When he saw the sick man, the pride in health left him. When he saw the dead man, the pride in life left him. If we remove these three types of pride from our minds, we will not be shocked and distressed when we encounter these states. It is useful to contemplate:

• I am liable to old age; I have not outstripped old age.
• I am liable to disease; I have not outstripped disease.
• I am liable to death; I have not outstripped death.
• Among all that is near and dear to me, there is changeability and separation.
• I am the result of my own deed; whatever deed I do, whether good or bad I shall become its heir.

It is a fact of modern society that youthfulness is regarded as most desirable, while growing old is to be avoided at all costs. Thus we will go to any extent to appear young even when the body is giving in to old age. We even lie about our age.

                *******

Age of a young lady. A film star was once brought up before a magistrate for drunken driving and she was asked how old she was, she replied, '30 years.' 

A few years later, the same film star appeared in court for the similar offence and this time also she gave her age as '30 years.' Now she was appearing before the same magistrate who remembered her. 'How is that?' he demanded 'five years ago you said you were 30 years old and now you say you are still 30.' Not to be outdone, the fading former actress fluttered her false eyelashes and explained, 'Your honour, I have been told many times never to change my testimony in a court of law. I told you once I was 30 and I will never change my word.'

                *******

For all men and women wishing to live happily and make the best of their lives without having to lie like the film star above, self-knowledge is the most essential factor. The first step to know the nature of the mind is to control it through systematic mental development or meditation. Mental culture is productive of insight which can light up a person's life. Like a torch, it brightens the winding path in life and enables him to sort out the good from the bad, the right from the wrong and realise the clear light of insight and he will soon get into the correct path. Therefore meditation is to cleanse the mind.

When we meditate, we should check against hallucinations, especially about our spiritual attainment. Such imaginations can appear even to experienced meditators if they are not careful.

                *******

A meditator's illusion. Once a monk had developed his meditation to a high state of mental absorption (jhana). He was able to project his mental creations as concrete images that other people could see. Because of this, he thought that he had attained the state of
Perfection, an Arahanta (Sainthood).

He had a pupil who practised meditation to a higher degree and became an arahant. When he attained this state, he realised that his teacher was unable to develop further because of conceit. But the problem was how to make his teacher realise this fact.

One day he came to his teacher and asked him if he was an arahanta. 'Of course, I am,' said the teacher, 'and to prove it. I can create anything you want with my mind.'

'Create a big elephant,' said the pupil. A big elephant appeared in front of them. 'Now make him charge at you.' said the pupil. The master made the elephant charge at him. Just as the elephant started charging, the teacher got up from his seat and tried to run.

'Wait. If you are an arahanta,' said the pupil, 'You should have no fear, why then did you get up to run?' Then only did the teacher realise that he had not attained arahantahood. 

                *******

Our physical body lasts less than a century at the most and undergoes changes from moment to moment. Our emotions are but a stream of feelings and images; our minds but a stream of thoughts. Our characters change with the years. Within this complex interaction of mind and body, there is no permanent substance which can be regarded as an unchanging self. 

Assume there is a pit about 100 feet deep and we put burning charcoal at the bottom. After that we lower a ladder into it and ask some people to go down one by one. Those who start to go down do not complain about the heat until they go down to a depth of 30 to 40 feet. After 40 to 50 feet, they feel a certain amount of heat. When they go further down to 70 or 80 feet and reach nearer to the burning charcoal, they experience the sensation of burning. In the same manner, young people do not experience suffering although the Buddha says life is suffering. But this is a good analogy to explain that as we gain more experience we see the truth about suffering more clearly. 

Admittedly, for convenience in our daily lives, we still talk in conventional terms and use words like 'myself or 'yourself. It is like saying that the sun is rising, although we all know that in actuality it is the earth that revolves on its axis and goes round the sun.

related post: Chapter 4: Mental Abuse And Metal Health

Source Of Information: 
 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》，by K. Sri Dhammananda, published in October 2018 by The Corporation Republic of Hwa Dzan Society, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Chapter 2: Our Troubles 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》

A difficult situation can be handled in two ways: We can either do something to change it, or face it. If we can do something, then why worry and get upset over it -just change it. If there is nothing we can do, again, why worry and get upset over it? Things will not get better with anger and worry.
~ Shantidera ~

Life is a continuous journey beset with problems. As long as we live in this world, problems and troubles will always be a part and parcel of human experience. On some occasions, we may be blessed with gain, fame, praise or happiness; and we may also face the unfavourable situations of loss, ill-fame, blame and pain. Life swings like a pendulum. One moment, it swings towards favourable conditions which we receive so heartily; at another moment, it swings towards unfavourable conditions which we so desperately seek to avoid.

Instead of understanding worldly conditions, as what they really are, people sometimes have the tendency to magnify their troubles. This is similar to the saying 'making a mountain out of a molehill.' When people lose someone or something they love, they feel that they will never be able to be happy again. When disturbed and harassed by people who are insensitive to their needs, they feel that they have never before been so harshly treated. And they carry that hurt in their minds, clinging to the pain needlessly and continuing to suffer with those thoughts. Would it not be better to let go of such thoughts and realise that since all conditioned things must one day come to an end, so the unfavourable situations they are experiencing will also pass away?

We should understand that there is a way out of the suffering and problems we face in this life. None is hopelessly condemned to eternal misery, unless he himself allows it to be so. It is important to realise that all conditioned phenomena, including suffering and all problems, arise out of causes and that nothing can arise by way of independent causes. Having realised this, we can put an end to each and every form of suffering by discovering the root causes of our problems.


Facing Problems

We should not be disheartened when faced with problems, but instead act wisely in overcoming them. No worldly-minded person can ever be free from problems. Hence, it is not so much who experiences problems that marks the difference between a wise and an unwise person, but the manner in which he faces them.

Socrates, whose wife was reputed to be hot tempered would always find fault with him and used to nag him almost daily. One day, when she had finished all what she had to say, Socrates complimented her saying that compared to previous occasions, she had on that particular day shown some improvement in her diction and style of speech. 

This shows how a wise person should face false accusation and blame in a humourous way. 

Pandit Nehru once said: 'We have to face problems and try to solve them. We have to face them, certainly, on a spiritual background; but not run away from them in the name of spiritualism.'

Ella Wilcox gives her viewpoint on smiling one's way out of troubles.

'It's easy enough to be pleasant;
When life flows like a song,
But the man worthwhile,
Is the one who can smile,
When things go dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth
The praises of earth,
Is the smile that shines through the tears.'

Dr. Rabindranath Tagore, a well-known Indian poet, explains in a prayer, the approach to face problems without harbouring fear or worry.

'Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
But be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
But for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,
But hope for the patience to win my freedom.'

Something unpleasant happens, say, our favourite thing or possession is lost or is accidentally broken. There are two ways of reacting to the loss and damage. We can either choose to brood over it, by blaming either ourselves or others. Or we can pass it off by saying 'The thing is gone. It is bad enough to have lost it, but why should we allow it to make us unhappy to suffer the loss and damage?' It would be useful to trace back to the causes that had led to the breakage and loss so as to avoid such an occurrence in the future. We can also think about how the loss can be replaced, or how to avert whatever problems that may arise from that loss. If the loss is of no real consequence to others, we may even start to do something else to take our mind from the incident, since it is in the nature of compounded things that such occurrences happen. Should an unfortunate thing happen and if it is beyond our control, then with the support of our understanding of the nature of life, we must have the courage to face it. 

In other words, adopt a positive frame of mind when faced with such problems, rather than let it dwell on negative states. If unhappiness should arise due to a negative frame of mind it is really of our own doing or seeking.

According to the Buddha, 'Mind is the forerunner of all states. Mind is chief; mind-made are these states.' The Buddha also taught that our sorrows are caused by our own actions and arise from our own ignorance. He showed us how to remove sorrow, but we ourselves must work to gain happiness.


Developing Courage and Understanding 

All negative forces can be uprooted by the correct method of meditation or mental culture as taught by the Buddha, because the untrained mind is the main cause of such illness or problems. The Buddha had said that the mind is very hard to perceive, extremely subtle and it wanders at will. A wise person will guard it as a guarded mind is conducive to happiness. 

It is common for people to blame others for their worries, especially when they do not find a solution to their problems. Under these circumstances, it is so convenient to find a scapegoat: someone who could be blamed for those problems and on whom grievances could be vented. When a child is hurt it starts to cry. To stop it from crying and to make it feel better, its mother pretends to hit another person just to show the child that he or she had been responsible for having caused it to cry. The child being satisfied that its vengeance had been accomplished stops crying and starts to smile. This clearly shows that the taking of revenge on someone gives satisfaction to the ordinary human mind.

It is always hard to admit one's shortcomings, and so easy to lay the blame on someone else. In fact, some would even take pleasure in doing so but it is a wrong attitude to adopt. When faced with a similar situation, we should not be resentful or angry with others. We should do our utmost in a painstaking and calm way to solve our own problems. It is always good to remember that while others can create disturbances which provide conditions for the arising of worries within us, no one can create worries in our mind if we know how to guard ourselves well.

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha said: 'Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own mind, unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your father, mother or any other relative.'

The following injunctions by a well-known poet can help us to face our troubles with courage and without harbouring resentment in our hearts.

Have faith in you

'If you keep your head, while all about you 
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 
If you can trust yourself when others doubt you, 
But make allowances for their doubting too; 

'If you can wait and not be tired by waiting 
Or being lied about and not deal in lies,
Or being hated and not give way to hating,
Nor yet look too good, nor talk too wise;

'If you can dream and not make dreams your Master,
If you can think and not make thought your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

'If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it in one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose and start again at the beginning,
And not breathe a word about your loss;

'If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or see the things you give your life to, broken
And stop to build them up again with worn-out tools;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinews
To serve their turn long after they are done,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them, "Hold on!"

'If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings and not lose the common touch;
If neither foes or loving friends can hurt you
And all men count with you, but none too much;

'If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it
And, what is more, you'll be a man, My Son!'

When we are faced with fear, considerable courage is required to recognise the truth of its origin, and still greater courage to accept that truth after we have experienced it. We attract what we fear and when we confront fears they disappear. Getting that fear out into the open and frankly facing it is of primary importance. If we can objectively trace the origin of the fear, we would have won half the battle of overcoming it.

When faced with worries, we should not wear a sulky face and exhibit it to the rest of the world. Everyone has enough of his or her own problems, without having to add on something extra from someone else. If we like we could confide our problems with another person or speak to someone who can really help us, but not add to the misery of one who cannot.

Do we have the courage and strength to maintain a smile when facing difficulties? It is not really difficult, if we were to reduce the egoism which leads one to believe that only he or she alone needs comforting. In addition, we should also count our blessings rather than shortcomings. Always remember the saying, 'I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.' When we think thus, we will realise that there are many people who may be in an even worse position than we ourselves, and against this understanding our own problem can be reduced accordingly. 

Thinking of others rather than brooding over our own problems is also a way of being happy. The person who is busy making others happy will have no time to think of his own selfish needs.

A noted British anatomist was once asked by a student: 'What is the best cure for fear?' His answer was, 'Try doing something for someone.' The student was considerably astonished and requested for further clarification. In reply the instructor said, 'You can't have two opposing sets of thoughts in your mind at one and the same time. One set of thoughts will always drive the other out. If, for instance, your mind is completely occupied with an unselfish desire to help someone else, you can't be harbouring fear at the same time.' This notion that it is impossible to have a wholesome thought and an unwholesome thought at one and the same time has been pointed out in the Buddha's teachings. By constantly striving to develop a wholesome state of mind, we can leave no room for delusion or fear to take root. In addition, we will also be able to maintain a warm feeling of having done something useful for another.

An important step in controlling the mind is the disciplining of the body and speech. The five sense organs namely eyes, nose, tongue, ears, and body — provide living beings with sense-information from their environment. The eyes see objects which create thoughts. Likewise, the ears are drawn to sounds and the nose to smells which also create thoughts. Arising from the sense information of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, the mind distinguishes that which is pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. In addition, it also dictates what the body should do in response to the same signal. Most people respond to their sense-objects spontaneously, developing attachment to pleasant objects and aversion to unpleasant objects. There are very few people who are not controlled by these conditioned responses.

One must learn to control one's thoughts in order to have a better control over one's body and speech. Thoughts can be classified as wholesome and unwholesome. Wholesome thoughts are those that contribute to the development of a positive character, proper attitude and right behaviour. Such thoughts are conducive to the benefit and well-being of mankind. On the other hand, thoughts which undermine the development of a positive individual and contribute to the detriment of mankind are unwholesome thoughts.

One should learn to recognize the nature of one's thoughts as they arise from moment to moment, distinguishing the wholesome thoughts from the unwholesome ones. Once a person has developed the facility of watching his thoughts, he has made a significant headway in nurturing wholesome thoughts. If the thoughts in his mind are unwholesome, he applies right effort to remove such unwholesome thoughts, and at the same time prevents the arising of such thoughts. If the thoughts are wholesome, he uses right effort to cultivate and promote such thoughts. In other words, through the cultivation of awareness of one's thoughts, a person can learn to have control over the mind instead of being reactive to sense impulses fed by his senses.

The process of disciplining the body and purifying speech and mind brings happiness. Everyone wants to live happily, and happiness is everyone's birthright. To achieve happiness to which one is entitled, we should practise the self-cleansing process prescribed by the Buddha:
1) To discard all unwholesome thoughts that have arisen;
2) To eliminate unwholesome thoughts as they arise;
3) To nurture wholesome thoughts that have arisen by putting them into daily practice; and 
4) To cultivate wholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen.

These four simple guidelines can easily be practised in our daily lives. This is one of the ways to maintain a healthy mind which everyone can follow. Although many may choose not to follow it but would prefer to give in to the dictates of their craving, desire and aversion, we should not follow suit if we sincerely wish to have happiness. It is never too late to start practising self-awareness and discipline to cultivate a positive, wholesome and creative mind. Anytime is a good time to start, especially starting from now. 


Putting Problems in Their Proper Perspective 

Sometimes when we are faced with a serious problem, we feel depressed with its seeming magnitude and weight. When this happens, it is profitable to wander out in the evening and look up at the sky. We see countless numbers of stars. From outer space, the sun in our solar system will only appear as one of the innumerable number of stars. If the sun were to disappear suddenly from space, would its absence be noticed from outer space?

Our world is only a tiny speck in the universe. What if we were to disappear from the world, would it be of any universal significance? Our loved ones and friends of course will miss us for a time, but besides them, maybe no one else would. But compared to ourselves, how much smaller are our troubles? When we consider the vastness of the universe with the tiny speck which the Sun is and the tinier speck which we call the world, and our troubles will appear very minute indeed in comparison.

If we can see our problems in this perspective, we would understand the first step of the Noble Eight-fold Path, that is, Right Viewpoint. This can also mean a right sense of values, that is, by not thinking that we are more important than we really are. And if we can develop this viewpoint, we will know what things in life matter and what do not, and that our troubles which come and go are of no real significance. Ponder for a moment the significance of the undermentioned valuable saying in Islam.

'Faith is the source of my power.
Sorrow is my friend.
Knowledge is my weapon.
Patience is my Garb and Virtue '
~ Prophet Mohammad ~

Troubles will soon pass. What had caused you to burst into tears today will soon be forgotten tomorrow. You may perhaps remember that you cried, but maybe not the exact circumstances which caused the tears. As we go through life, we waste so much mental energy when we lie awake at night, brooding over something that had upset us during the day. We nurse resentment against someone and keep running the same thoughts over and over again through our mind. But is it not so that while we may fall into a rage about something now, that after some time has elapsed and other problems arise which would seem to be more pressing, we may begin to wonder what it was that in the first place we were so angry about? If we reflect on past resentments, we will be surprised to find how we have deliberately continued to be unhappy when we could have in fact put that unhappiness to a stop by doing or thinking about something else.

Whatever our troubles, however pressing they may appear, time will heal our wounds. But besides leaving things to time, surely there must be something we can do to prevent ourselves from being hurt in the first place. We could maintain our peace of mind by not allowing people or troubles to drain our energies away since it is ourselves and not others who create our unhappiness.

We gain academic knowledge without personal experience. Armed with academic knowledge some young people think they can solve all the world's problems. Science can provide the material things to solve our problems, but it cannot help us to solve our spiritual problems. There is no substitute for wise people who have experienced the world. Think about this saying, "When I was 18, I thought what a fool my father was. Now that I am 28, I am surprised how much the old man has learned in 10 years!" It is not the father that has learned, rather it is you who have learned to see things in a mature way.

related post:  Chapter 3: Why Do We Suffer?

Source Of Information: 
 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》，by K. Sri Dhammananda, published in October 2018 by The Corporation Republic of Hwa Dzan Society, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Chapter 1: Fear And Worry 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》

We pay the price of fear and worry to live the life of a human being. Our susceptibility to anxiety is the root cause of our problems.

Fear and worry seem to be part and parcel of human life. One who is immersed in the mundane world is not free from these unpleasant mental states.

Why and what do people worry about? Their worries are due to various commitments and responsibilities they have. Their worries come in many various guises. They feel inadequate when they compare themselves with others. 'Maybe I'm not good enough to do that job' or 'I don't think I'm clever enough to make an impact.' They may be afraid to be themselves as they really are in the presence of others, so they end up saying to themselves: 'I can't let people get to know me as I really am. If I do so, they may lose confidence in me or belittle me.' So they act and pretend to be someone else when in fact they are not. 

People worry a lot about their physical appearances. Men worry when they become bald headed, while women worry when wrinkles start to appear on their faces, or when they are too thin or too fat, too dark or too fair, too tall or too short and so on.

They are afraid of being criticised, attacked by others or censured by their superiors. They are afraid to present their ideas or opinions before a crowd for fear of being ridiculed, but feel angry with themselves whenever someone else presents the same idea and gets credit for it. They feel they are being hampered by criticisms, even when they know that such criticisms are undeserved and unjustified. 

They are worried about their families. 'Maybe I'm not such a good father/mother/son/daughter after all.' Some husbands worry that their pretty young wives may go out with other men. At the same time some wives may worry that their handsome young husbands may leave them or spend their time with other girls. Unmarried people worry about how to get married while some married couples may worry about how lonely they are without children. On the other hand, those who have many children constantly worry about how best to bring them up; 'Maybe my wife/ husband no longer loves me and may desert me' or 'I wonder whether my children will take care of me in my old age.' Some parents worry unnecessarily over the safety of their children, having enough money for their daily household expenses, the security in their home, and the health of their loved ones.

In their workplace, they may have to face problems in carrying out assignments and have difficulties in making decisions. 'What if my decision proves to be wrong?' 'Should I sell my stocks and shares now or later?' 'Can my workers be trusted with money or will they cheat the company during my absence?' Some are worried about possible losses, of not getting a promotion or being entrusted with too many responsibilities. Some others worry thinking that their office mates are jealous of them. 

In fact, the list of worries people face daily would be endless. Human existence is full of worries and fear which lurk within the dark inner corners of the mind. Man has so many fears - fear arising from insecurity, fear of enemies, fear of hunger, fear of sickness, fear of loss of wealth and possessions, fear of old age, fear of death and even fear of the next existence. 

Not only does he worry and fear whenever things go wrong, he becomes worried even when things go on smoothly! He conjures a vague sense of fear in his mind that suddenly something may go wrong and that the happiness he now enjoys might turn to sorrow. Although some people say, no news means good news, people worry when there is no news. Such unfounded worries fill their life with undue fear. Such form of wretchedness befalls all mankind. And none are free from this except those who are perfect or pure in their minds.


The Cause of Worry

Of all adverse mental states, one of the most unhealthy and dangerous is prolonged worry. Why do people worry? In the ultimate analysis, there is only one answer. People worry because of the concept 'me' and 'mine', or what is known in Buddhism as the 'Delusion of Self.
 
Nearly all animals lower than human beings are motivated by instinct. This is not so with man, who has superior thinking power as well as intuition. With his rational intellect, he creates the idea of a permanent ego for self preservation. Buddhism, is unique in the history of human thought in that it points out the Self-or-Soul idea is merely a concept, with no correspondence to reality. From this belief of self, a person develops wrong ideas of 'me' and 'mine', together with all cravings, selfish desires, conceit, pride and other unwholesome thoughts. This concept of 'self, is the main source of all problems, ranging from personal conflicts to wars amongst nations. 

From this idea of 'self, man believes in the false notion of a permanent body which must be satisfied and at times goes to extremes in satisfying the craving body. The fear of not having his needs and desires met to his full satisfaction brings him worry and anxiety.

Hence, worry is nothing more than a negative state of mind arising out of attachment to worldly pleasures. The stronger the attachment is to a thing, the greater is the fear of losing it. The moment one's particular need is satisfied a person starts longing for another.

In a similar way, one becomes afraid of getting or coming into contact with something considered undesirable. This attachment to pleasant feelings and dislike for the unpleasant ones gives rise to worry. Sometimes when taken to extremes, fear may arise because of attachment or association with specific objects or situations which are harmless in themselves. Such cases are known as phobias like fear of darkness, fear of enclosed spaces, fear of open spaces, fear of heights, fear of animals, fear of devils and ghosts, fear of thieves, fear of enemies, fear of charms, illusory fears of being attacked or killed by someone lurking in the background.

The worries and suffering which a person experiences are nothing more than the interaction of his selfish desire with changing worldly conditions. The failure to understand this fact is the cause of much suffering. But for a person who has trained his mind to realise the real nature of life and its characteristics, he has indeed made progress in overcoming his suffering. He realises that departure or separation from pleasant experiences and those whom he loves are unavoidable. This can happen at any time, whether at the start of a career, at the middle or even at the end. The only certainty in this uncertain world is things must come to an end. So a person who thinks he is indispensable or that he must be around to see what is to be done, should consider what will happen when he is no longer around. He will be missed and his absence will be felt perhaps for a short period of time. Since no one is indispensable in this world, the world will still go on as usual without him. If that be so, then why should he worry himself so much, harbouring imaginary fears that only harm his health and eventually shorten the period towards the end of life's journey - Death!

The separation of togetherness also brings suffering. A person feels lost, dejected, hopeless and frustrated when someone beloved leaves him or her. This is a natural process. People experience suffering whenever they are rejected by those whom they love. But sometimes instead of learning to cope with the situation by allowing time to heal the wounds, they become paralysed with dejection, pondering about it over and over in their minds, looking for ways and means to mend their broken hearts. Some even express their anger and frustration through violent methods. 


Fear and Superstition

There is yet another kind of fear that stalks the human mind. It is the fear of the uncontrollable forces of nature and of the unknown. This fear has dogged man through the ages as he learned to deal with wild beasts and protect himself from the attacks of other tribes. In that long night of savagery, in that constant effort to deal with the forces of nature, the seeds of superstition
were sown in the human mind. And this superstition has persisted and been passed down from generation to generation up to the present day.

Fear in its primitive sense is described as an intense emotional reaction characterised by attempts to flee from the situation which elicits it and by physiological changes such as blanching, tremors, rapid heart beat, dryness of mouth, etc. According to a well known psychologist John Broadus Watson, fear is one of the three unlearned emotional reactions, the others being love and anger. Watson's view is that fear is induced in the newborn by a sudden loss of support or by loud noises. Even the infant, he believes, must receive affection and re-assurance, ' mothering ' may ease the tensions arising from basal anxiety. It is believed that certain fears in a new born infant could be those associated with its previous existence which have been brought forward and still remain fresh and vivid in its mind and that visions relating to such previous fears do sometimes manifest themselves from time to time during early infancy.

When faced with forces beyond his comprehension, the difference between the savage and the beast becomes apparent. The beast adapts itself instinctively and succumbs to this force. The savage, on the other hand, when surrounded by wild beasts stronger than himself, or when confronted by the forces of nature like rain, wind, thunder and lightning or natural calamities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or epidemic diseases, will prostrate himself in all terror on the ground, pleading protection from unknown powers. From his early perception of a power outside himself, which he thought could be appeased through prayer, just as he himself could be pleased, the savage developed ritual and worship and made the forces of nature as his gods. Good forces became good ' gods ' while evil forces became evil 'gods'. 

Fear comes to those who are unable to comprehend the basic laws of nature. Either as a principle or motive, fear is the beginning of superstitious beliefs. The notion of incurring the displeasure of a Creator is instilled into the minds of the followers of many religions who depend on the concept of God for the fulfilment of everything. The foundation of some religious systems and worship is based on the instinctive fear of the unknown. The fear created by religions is the worst form of fear since it imprisons and ensnares the mind. Fear fertilizes the growth of superstition that flourishes in the fog of ignorance. 

Man yearns for security for himself and for those whom he loves in this world of constant flux which could offer no permanent solution to his problems. The moment he thinks he has solved a particular problem, the conditions surrounding the original circumstances will change and yet another set of problems will then emerge, leaving him confused and lost as ever before. He is anxious, like a child who builds sand-castles on the beach and is afraid of every wave that comes in.

In this craving for security and fear of death, man falls prey to superstition. Surrounded by the mystery of the universe, he develops faith in things that he fears. It is ignorance and fear of the unknown that gave rise to early religious beliefs, and the workings of the universe are explained in terms of infallible supernatural gods who are supposed to control everything that happens. Even though science has done much to dispel such myths and improve the knowledge of modern man, much of the superstitions inherited from the past still continue to remain with him and he has yet to break himself free from this self imposed bondage. Superstitions weaken and enslave the mind. Superstitious ideas, beliefs and practices are ingrained not only amongst uneducated people but strangely also the well-educated as well.

Society should recall the words of the Buddha who said: 'Wheresoever fear arises, it arises in the fool, and not in the wise man.'


What does Worry Do to Us? 

'When envy, hate, and fear are habitual,' says Dr. Alexis Carrel, 'they are capable of starting genuine diseases'. Medical science is of the view that diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, gastric ulcers, skin diseases and asthma are aggravated, if not actually brought about from anxiety and worry. Thought can generate organic disorders as we tend to attract what we expect in life. Doctors find that their patients tend to heal in accordance with their own expectations, rather than healing as the prognosis would suggest.
Mental suffering profoundly disrupts good health. Businessmen who do not know how to cope with worry and stressful situations often die young. Those who remain calm and maintain their inner peace in spite of the external turmoil of worldly life are insulated from nervous and organic disorders. 

Experience has shown that a good deal of physical and mental ill-health can be traced to worry. Worry dries up blood sooner than age. Some degree of fear, worry and anxiety is natural and may even be necessary for self-preservation, but when it is not under control, constant fear and prolonged worry will only wreak havoc on the human organism. These factors all contribute to the weakening of our normal bodily functions.

According to medical opinion, in the treatment of most functional disorders, close attention has to be paid to the mental condition of the patient. They have also realised that worries do not solve problems but instead only aggravate them which in turn will cause one's physical and mental ruin. In addition, a person who is perpetually worried creates an unhealthy atmosphere at home, in the office and in society in general. Through rash actions arising from his personal worry and anxiety, he upsets the peace and happiness of others around him.

Just as worry is capable of causing so much harm to oneself and others, so also is fear. Persistent fear keeps a person in a state of perpetual mental tension and anguish. Fear progressively erodes life and debases the mind. Fear is a potent pessimistic force which darkens the future. If a man harbours any kind of fear, his way of thinking will be affected. This unwholesome mental state is capable of eroding his personality and making him landlord to a ghost. 

So great a hold has fear upon us that it has rightly been described as humanity's arch-enemy. Fear has become a fixed mental state amongst millions of people. To live in continued dread, cringing, and haunted by the fear of devils, spooks, gods and goddesses is the common lot of humanity wallowing in ignorance.

Fear can however turn to panic in cases of unexpected crises when there are no preparations for meeting the threat.

related post:  Chapter 2: Our Troubles

Source Of Information: 
 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》，by K. Sri Dhammananda, published in October 2018 by The Corporation Republic of Hwa Dzan Society, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.