The path to Tranquility (summer)
100. Happiness and suffering are both guides to life
Our pursuit, whether material or spiritual, is essentially the pursuit of
happiness. Happiness is the driving force of life, so the pursuit of happiness
is the pursuit of the continuation of life. It can be seen that our pursuit is
to connect ourselves with the essence of life through the experiences of
living. All life must strive for survive. We live for better living, which is
the fundamental goal of life. Thus, whether we strive for responsibility,
dedication, love, friendship, or personal growth, fundamentally, we are
pursuing happiness. Suffering is not what we seek, but the cost of living or
pursuing happiness.
Ultimately, happiness is linked to survival, while suffering is associated with death. These two extreme feelings are nature's guidance for life. Happiness leads us, pain motivates us, and helps us stay away from death for the sake of survival. Happiness and suffering are not only standards for judging right and wrong, but also important clues for choosing the next course of action. Both reflect this possibility: choosing something that brings happiness is not necessarily correct, but choosing something that brings suffering is likely a mistake. Once suffering is felt, it means that what we are pursuing may come at the cost of life. The appearance of suffering reminds us not to overly focus on unattainable desires.
We should use the circumstances of life as a criterion to judge whether our pursuits satisfy needs or desires. If we feel happy about the chosen goal, it means our life is secure, and what we pursue is satisfying a need. If we feel suffering, a danger to life emerges, indicating that the goal is a desire. For example, in the pursuit of wealth, if we feel happy, it means we are able to obtain what we need, and the goal is correct. If we feel suffering, it means we have suffered a loss, and the goal is wrong. Acquiring wealth means life becomes richer, while loss means life becomes poorer. Compared to richness, poverty puts life in greater danger. This is the clearest guidance that happiness and suffering can provide. Unlike the sensation of pleasure and pain, happiness and suffering both come from our inner selves. This means that we must pay attention to the needs of our inner selves to understand the true circumstances of life.
When faced with choices and feeling helpless, we can let happiness and suffering serve as our guides and make decisions accordingly. If we are happy with our current choice, it indicates that the goal has value. No matter what happens on the way, it is worth moving towards this goal. And if we feel suffering about our current choice, it means we need to find out why we are feeling that way, or change direction and find a new path. This kinds of guides are particularly useful when facing difficult decisions.
Every choice implies imagination and prediction for the future. Therefore, when using these guides, it is necessary for us to imagine and predict our future in the long run, to deeply understand the information that happiness or suffering brings. There is a crucial point to consider. Any goal chosen, once goes against the fundamental goal of life, will inevitably bring suffering in the long run, even if it can make us happy in the short term. For example, acting out of habit or avoiding problems. Therefore, we must remain conscious when making choices and adhere to the fundamental goal of life.
Happiness is the attraction for our growth, while suffering is the driving force. Our memory of happiness is less lasting than that of suffering, indicating that we are not easily satisfied with momentary happiness. We tend to continuously pursue new happiness to achieve greater growth. Suffering prevents us from making the same mistake again. However, although suffering is a driving force for growth, it is also a pressure that forces us to change. This oppression of life may become a hidden danger to health. Therefore, we should not pursue suffering for any purpose, including harming our bodies. Instead, we should accept suffering and transform it into nutrients for growth, draw experience and lessons from it, and gain happiness from the growth of consciousness. Spiritual growth occurs in happiness, as happiness allows us to see the truth, kindness, and beauty, and live a better and more powerful life.
For example, when we are preparing to learn a skill, such as playing the piano, if we feel excited and happy, we can bravely begin. When we experience suffering during the learning process, we can examine our abilities and decide whether to continue persisting. When we temporarily put aside the piano to learn another skill, if we feel suffering, we can make a new choice, even the choice of the piano again. When the choice is determined, we can learn in a happy state of mind, and progress will be faster.
Every moment in the journey of life involves various choices, so these guides are available for use at any time. At a certain moment, if we choose one path and arrive at a certain point, we can still choose another path. By making choices consciously, we can seize every opportunity for growth. In the above example, even if we decide to learn to play the piano for the long term, these guides can still be useful. When we encounter difficulties and feel suffering in learning a piece, we can temporarily set it aside and practice an easier piece. Therefore, these guides can accompany us throughout our lives. When we reach a state of freedom and no longer need to make choices, it is time to put them down.
There will always be pursuits in life. By learning to use these guides, it will be easier for us to find the goals that are right for us. We have faced diseases and dangers since birth, and we are bound to encounter difficulties and setbacks in the pursuit of happiness. This means we cannot completely avoid suffering. Therefore, from these guides, we can also see the general direction of life: we not only need to pursue happiness, but also need to pursue the relief of suffering and remove obstacles to progress. In fact, the ability we need to improve most is the ability to relieve suffering.
99. Emotional lows are important moments for growth
