Changing suffering to happiness

When facing unexpected circumstances we all want to reduce suffering as much as we can, even try to hide from it. However, the Buddha says instead of running away we'd better find its causes for transforming

In reality, to decrease suffering we first should take it as the valuable lesson for life instead of complaining. It helps our mind and will be stronger.

There are various suffering in life we face such as not getting harmony with others about different opinions. We mostly get this matter because we never put ourselves into others' position to feel, to see, to think and to live. What's going on in our mind always right and worth to fight? Therefore the first rule of happiness is understanding other from different sites, different situation.

If there is no suffering how we understand the taste of happiness? The suffering itself has many value stuff for growing up and improving thoughts in what it should and what's shouldn't. Suffering bears the nature of impermanent and losses, by which we have the chance to see the unreal of every existence, then practice non-attachment and gradually removing our ego, our self, the concept of me, my and our belonging. When facing dying or accident, sorrow… we have no mind to be angry, hatred or harmful to others. Therefore our bad intention, bad thought, bad seed in mind will remove automatically. So the second rule for a happy life is taking the unexpected things as a chance to over what is weak in our mind. In the role of the sangha's member, we need to apply this chance as the best means for improving our practice.

When we found the causes of suffering we not only transform it but also be mindful our body, speech and mind not create more suffering for self and others. In fact, life is full of defilement and unpleasantness, therefore without everyday practice, we never can reduce and remove suffering. Remember cleaning your mind like you did on the body every day. Little by little, we come to know what our mind wants and how to treat them if a harmful thought arise. We can't control our mind but look at it deeper and deeper every day. Life is impossible to avoid unwanted things, but with a heedful mind, we quickly find how to deal with not creating bad karma. Time by time a skillful mind, trained mind and mature mind come to be, and there is no more suffering there, in the meditating mind.

In short, to deform suffering there is no way for hiding. Take it as the jumping-off for arising happiness. The beautiful and fragrant lotus grows up from the stinking mud, so our happiness must come from suffering. But don't forget the key to transformation is its causes. Till we find the cause of suffering, we find our happiness.

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