Okay, so the idea that I could get one of these done per day hasn’t exactly worked out. However, I’m still going to finish the series, but it may take me longer than previously anticipated.

We need to seriously investigate whether people who have fame, power, and wealth are happy and whether those who have nothing are always unhappy. When we look into this, we see that happiness is not based on objects but on one’s mental state.
                    –Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche

In this bit of wisdom, Nyima encourages us to find evidence of the correlation between “fame, power, and wealth” and happiness. Are those three things–which seem to be interrelated in most Western societies–the source of happiness? If one answers “yes” to that question, then it naturally follows that people who do not have fame, power, or wealth are inevitably and perpetually unhappy. Further, since Nyima used a strong word like “always,” one only needs to find a single opposing case in order to completely refute and nullify the argument. Therefore, in this instance, anecdotal evidence seems sufficient to sustain Nyima’s investigation.

Fortunately, in the next sentence, he explains that these worldly and material things are not the stems of happiness. Rather, one’s “mental state” is more readily responsible for one’s happiness. As mentioned in Part III, it would seem that happiness (which is an emotional manifestation of a “good” situation) is not objectively determined by the situation around us, but rather by our perception of that situation. Nyima’s position, like Roshi’s, indicates that in order to feel fulfilled and to experience happiness, one needs to actively sustain positivity under both desirable and difficult circumstances. One cannot simply sit back and deem an aspect of or event in life as “bad,” and do nothing to change it; that will certainly result in unhappiness.

|:| Zach |:|

We should find the truth in this world through our difficulties, through our suffering. This is the basic teaching of Buddhism. Pleasure is not different from difficulty. Good is not different from bad. Bad is good; good is bad.
                    –Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

The first part of the quote seems to say that the through the tough times we can find what is real, and what is true. Roshi indicates that this sentiment is the fundamental principle of Buddhism. Though I don’t know that it is the basic teaching of Buddhism, it is certainly an important pillar thereof. It is an interesting idea in that many people don’t see anything positive stemming from periods of suffering. I have to wonder if it is a culturally / environmentally-inspired negativity that inhibits one from seeing anything good during tragedy, or if it is more of an aspect of human nature.

The most interesting part to me, though, is the next part of the statement. Pleasure and difficulty being one and the same is an idea that I don’t believe one is willing to readily accept. Put concretely, if one was given a choice of something pleasurable (e.g. an exquisitely prepared meal) or something inherently difficult (e.g. financial struggles), it is strange to think that he or she would view the two options as being the same. However, Roshi might be trying say that we should view the positivity or negativity of either situation as pivoting on the same aspect–our perception of the event. This encourages an active and dynamic approach to truth-seeking and perception; one cannot simply sit back and watch a tragedy or great time happen. In order to fully understand our circumstances, we need complete immersion in not only our situation, but also in our perception of the situation. Then, maybe we can see the truth and the greater meaning in what is happening to us. Then, we can fully appreciate the pleasure from one moment, and the pain from another. In the end, is life a huge and continuing juxtaposition of pleasure and pain, or as Roshi indicates, are they the same steady stream?

|:| Zach |:|