Constantly bemired in worldly affairs,
Life is a cause of fatigue;
The dharma is our only consolation,
Arising adventitiously within the mind.Kings, presidents, and politicians may rule for decades, but eventually some trivial
adverse circumstance brings them down and costs them their status and perhaps
their lives. People of wealth and fame have no concern for this life or the next
while they accumulate their fortunes, even risking their lives and breaking the
law. They quarrel with their parents and children, break up with their partners,
and find themselves alienated from family and friends—all for the sake of money.
Even mountainous wealth and universal fame must be left behind at the time of
our death. To give our money to others seems unthinkable, and we cannot spend it
all upon ourselves. Our children may spend it lavishly and thoughtlessly, drinking
and gambling and womanizing, and seeing how they behave, we lose our sleep
and our appetite, and life becomes endless suffering. When we berate our
children, they ignore us or tell us that it is none of our business. In the passage of
time, partners who have been close to us and loving become estranged and seek
new mates. Friends who have been intimate with us and in tune with each other
become enemies for no good reason. Seeing that the world is changeable and
undependable for these and many other reasons, people’s minds are fraught with
anxiety and world-weariness. In such circumstances, if we are aware of the
Buddha Shakyamuni’s teaching, we will surely apply it.
If, however, we are unaware of that teaching, we will be unable to overcome our
suffering. We may try to drown it by consuming alcohol and drugs, or by
gambling, or some other form of escapism, but although such remedies seem to
give some happiness in the moment, actually the happiness they provide is
superficial and temporary. To apply such false antidotes is like pouring oil on to
fire, a fire that then burns with increased intensity. Besides, consuming alcohol
and drugs destroys health and leads to sickness. It also takes away self-control, and
we find ourselves roaming about like mad dogs, deprived of human society. Since
that condition is self-afflicted, rather than imposed upon us by others, it is a cause
for further grief. According to this logic, our faults derive from ignorance of
Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, ignorance of the message that has the potential to
overcome suffering and to nourish the mind.
Recently I heard the news of the death of the famous dancer Michael Jackson. He
was barely fifty years old. Hundreds of people from all over the world gathered to
pay homage to him, and likewise I was moved when I heard of his death. But then
the words of Shakyamuni Buddha flashed into my mind, that all beings in this
world are bound by birth, old age, sickness, and death. If anyone could have
escaped from the curse of sickness and subsequent death, it was Michael Jackson,
who was one of the richest men in the United States and seemingly had all the
wealth of the world at his disposal. People say that Michael had acquired immense
wealth from the sale of his CDs and from his stage performances. How was it that
someone like that who was admired the world over and was so fanatically