First, tonight let’s talk in very simple terms about how one can obtain temporary happiness through studying Buddhism. In fact, all the ways ordinary people live their lives are aimed at gaining temporary happiness—making money, starting a family, pursuing romantic love, traveling, lighting incense and meditating, and even, when anger arises, going out and beating someone up. All of these, without exception, are attempts to gain temporary pleasure.
The Ordinary Person’s Lifestyle is Entirely Aimed at Gaining Temporary Pleasure
The lifestyle of ordinary people is entirely about obtaining temporary pleasure. The only difference between this and gaining temporary pleasure through the Dharma is this: Buddhism requires that while you are enjoying temporary happiness, you should not create new causes of suffering. It also requirethat the principles governing how happiness is obtained be more reasonable and in accordance with the law of cause and effects. Buddhism holds that the cause of happiness lies in having performedwholesome actions; this is the source of happiness. In Yogācāra (Vijñaptimātra), this force is called a “seed” (bīja). In technical terms, a “seed” refers to the tendency or inclination of the mind.
So what exactly is this “tendency of the mind”? It refers to the way a person responds—his attitude and mode of engagement—when encountering dependent arising (pratītyasamutpāda). For example, take an illustration I mentionedin class a few days ago. Suppose a girl and I go out together and we both encounter a handsome young guy. Our reactions will definitely not be the same. The girl might instantly light up and exclaim, “Oh my God!” That reaction reflects her mental tendency. Due to variouscauses and conditions, she looks at this young guy and thinks, “Wow, he’s so cute! I want to have his babies!”
And what is my tendency? I think, “Uh… is that a man or a woman?”
Why are these two tendencies different? What is the cause? It lies in past experiences, past encounters, and the accumulated differences over many lifetimes. These first made us human beings—but I became a man, while she became a woman. Then, through the accumulation of different kinds of education, experiences, and our respective sufferings and joys, a particular tendency toward this appearance gradually formed. This is what we call a tendency。Do you understand? It is something built up through the gathering of many influences over time.
What I just described is the first type of tendency—the tendency by which an individual responds to situations. There is another type of tendency, however, which gives rise to one’s environment. This includes both the physical world we live in and the human or cultural world around us. For example, from the moment I was born, I had to face my parents, my school, my country, my ethnicity, the language I speak, and so on.
Buddhism holds that all of this, too, is the result of the mind’s tendencies. That is why I became a Han Chinese person, studying classical Chinese poetry from a young age and being continuously immersed in Han culture. Later, I also absorbed Western culture—and then I started wearing suspenders. If someone were born in Tibet, it would be completely different; they would be immersed in Tibetan culture instead…
So what is the relationship between the external work and ourselves?According to Buddhism, external conditions actually arisesfrom the tendencies of our own mind. Buddhism does not regard the external world as something separate from, or opposed to, the mind. Materialism, however, does not see it this way. It holds that the external world and the mind are separate, that spirit and matter are two fundamentally distinctthings.
This is actually quite laughable! Why? What is the basic theory of materialism? It holds that our consciousness and our individuality are entirely produced by matter. The world is material, matter is in motion, and the human mind is merely the result of material movement.
Materialism holds that everything in the world is material, which in effect turns matter itself into the creator. If matter produces everything, then functionally speaking, it plays exactly the same role as God. The absurd part is this: if there is no mind or consciousness to begin withhow could insentient matter—matter devoid of feeling—possibly produce emotion or sentient experience?
This cannot be proven at all, yet we have already forced ourselves to accept it. Science is supposed to be grounded in empirical verification—so what method be used to prove that insentient matter can give rise to sentient beings? If it really works, then show me: creata human being for me! Don’t say humans producing humans—that’s called marriage. You must rely on machines and create a living, breathing human being. That is absolutely impossible, yet science has already accepted these theories.
The same problem araiseswith the idea of God. Some people believe that a non-material spirit created matter and also created the world we now live in. But there is a very simple question here. If God created matter and also created our minds, then all the evil that humans commit today—was it created by God, or by ourselves? Christians will certainly say, “Of course we created it ourselves—how could God create such evil?” But then who created our capacity for agency in the first place? Wasn’t that also created by God?
In other words, God created another agent, and this agent then rebelled against God’s own will—is that really possible? Or does it suggest that we do not truly possess agency at all, and that genuine agency still resides entirely with God? This brings to mindof AI robots. On the surface, it apprises that we can grant
intelligent robots a certain degree of autonomy, but in reality everything about them is driven by programs, so they never possess true agency. The agency of sentient beings—was it really created by God? And by what means was it created? This, too, cannot be proven—yet we still choose to believe it.
These illogicallworldviews have nonetheless become mainstream in our society. This is precisely the root cause of the disasters we see today. Once the worldview is wrong, our behavior and values will inevitably go wrong as well, and then all kinds of suffering will follow one after another.
For example, if we believes that we have only this single lifetime, then most people will choose to indulge themselves completely and pursue pleasure to the fullest. As long as no one catches me, I’ll enjoy myself as much as I want! Even if I die—so what? Death is death. While I’m alive, I must enjoy myself!
People like me would think this way because I belong to the aggressive type. Running others is preferable to being humiliated or living a miserable, cowardly life. And so, I would end up committing many evil acts—after all, once you die, there’s nothing left, and there’s no belief in karmic cause and effect anyway.
Another type of person is relatively weak. For them, right and wrong do not matter at all—survival is the only goal. As a result, they abandon moral discernment and live in a timid, cringing way. Under such circumstances, the justice we hope for simply cannot be realized—and will never be realized. Concepts such as justice, fairness, kindness, and goodness all become severely constrained, and it becomes extremely difficult for them to truly take root in our hearts. The very foundational conditions needed to realize a better and more beautiful world are completely destroyed by these mistaken worldviews.
So, Christianity is referred to as “objective idealism.” Can it, to some extent, bring us happiness? Yes, it can. It is far better than materialism, because it teaches that if you obey God’s words, you can go to heaven after death—believers are saved; if you do not obey God’s words, you will fall into hell.
However, if one is to obey God’s words, yet there is no real God, then whose “words” are these supposed to be? They end up being the words of priests—and priests are also human beings. Once contradictions arise here, the system no longer works. As it continues to develop, it will ultimately give rise to suffering. Moreover, thisway of thinking is limited. For instance, it regards human life as precious, but sees no problem with killing animals, remaining completely indifferent to their deaths. Because kindness is limited in this way, it is also unable to truly establish happiness in society.
The Mechanism of “Reaching Outward” will Inevitably Lead to Suffering
From an individual perspective, the way materialism is constructed is entirely outward-oriented. As ordinary beings, we are taughtfrom a young age to study hard, then go out and find a good job, make a lot of money, and buy lots of cars and houses. Some people are still not satisfied even after owning several houses. It’s as if they could chop off their head and let it live in one house, cut off their right arm and put it in another, hack themselves into seven or eight pieces—and still not have enough houses to live in. They believe that possessing more things equals happiness.
Of course, what one seek to possesses can also be intangible, such as power. Some people regard possessing such things as happiness. But in the process of possessing them, one must first grasp them—and this immediately gives rise to two problems. First, you can only call it possession if you manage to seize it. Second, after seizing it, you must be able to preserve it; if it gets damaged, that won’t do, and if someone takes it away, that won’t do either—both will lead to extreme suffering. This way of reaching outward to take things, or forcibly trying to maintain such happiness and such external conditions, is in itself extremely painful—profoundly painful.
The Buddha taught that when you cannot obtain what you seek, that is the suffering of unfulfilled desire. When you do obtain it, it will eventually change and you will be unable to hold onto it, giving rise to the suffering of separation from what one loves. In the process of grasping, you want to take it and so do others.. Most conflicts today arise precisely from this act of grabbing.
For example, countries go to war over oil; sometimes even within a family, brothers and sisters abandon their sibling bond in order to fight over an inheritance. Such cases are everywhere. There are also spouses turning against each other, and conflicts between parents and children—all because of grasping at things. This is called the suffering of encountering what one hates. And because one fails to recognize that the root of suffering lies within the individual itself, there also arises the suffering of the five aggregates blazing intensely
All these forms of happiness that come from reaching outward and taking things are, philosophically speaking, fundamentally untenable. No matter how much you possess, the final outcome is still suffering. What is truly ironic is that in today’s society, the more one possesses, the more violently suffering strikes. Many people who suffer from depression are actually those who lack nothing in terms of food and clothing. By contrast, when we were students , just eating four buns in the morning made us feel incredibly happy! At that time, I thought that realizing communism meant having four buns every morning. (Laughter from the audience!)
Back then, my father gave me twenty cents a day, and each bun cost five cents. Those buns were so oily—after eating one, you’d think, “Wow, this is so good! I’m completely satisfied!” At that time, I simply couldn’t understand depression. I used to think, “How could human beings possibly have depression?” We were desperately poor. I remember when I first came to Guangzhou to look for a job, I slept on a balcony, with rain pouring down onto me. In those days, how could I possibly afford to be depressed? What am I can afford to eat tomorrow? That was a very pracital question. And the moment I started thinking about what afford to eat tomorrow, the depression disappeared immediately.
But look at how prevalent depression is today—even in our company, there are many people suffering from depression. This is really quite strange! They have food to eat, clothes to wear, good family backgrounds, and are surrounded by kind and decent people. They lack nothing at all—yet they are still depressed. It is countless that people who come to me hoping to resolve their depression through studying Buddhism.
Some cases of depression are really quite baffling. A few years ago, there was a student who went to study in the UK and developed severe bipolar disorder. He even drove his own parents out of the house and exhibited all kinds of suicidal behaviors. Why does this happen? What it actually tells us is this: if happiness is obtained solely through grasping, then even when you do obtainit, it does not necessarily make you truly happy. The happiness , when stimulated only by external things, has its limits. Once a certain point is reached, and the inner capacity to feel pleasure from material things is lost, there is simply nothing more that can be done.
For example, when I was a child, eating four buns would make me incredibly happy. But if you gave me four hundred buns now, aside from stuffing me to death, they would give me absolutely no happiness at all. That’s really how it is. In the past, when I went to Yunmen Monastery for seven-day Chan retreats, every afternoon when the buns were served, the sense of happiness was indescribable—I truly felt that this life was already complete. Now, when we hold internal Chan retreats in our company, as soon as the buns are brought out, everyone asks, “What filling is it?” The attitude has completely changed.
Relying on stimulation from external objects to obtain happiness gradually stops working. Take romantic relationships as an example. When people first fall in love, the man sees the woman as a celestial maiden, and the woman sees the man as a heavenly god. “Wow, I want to be with you for lifetimes upon lifetimes! I love you! ” You can go on like this for quite a while—but try it after seven years!
When I say “seven years,” I’m already taking into account your moral standards and the fact that your mind has at least some degree of stability and endurance. If the mind’s capacity for sustained engagement is weak, it might last only seven months—or even seven days…
Very quickly, you become bored, and the stimulationproduced happiness disappears. Even when couples no longer feel excitement or emotional spark, they may stay married for the sake of moral obligation or for the children. Then the man may secretly do certain things—I won’t go into that. And the woman starts liking those young, handsome guys on TV. Do you know why they like those “young pretty boys”? Because she harbors buried dissatisfaction with her current husband. (Audience laughter!)
Isn’t that how it is? Let me tell you—when she had just fallen in love, she definitely wouldn’t have liked those young pretty boys, because her husband was the young pretty boy.
All of this actually tells us something very important: there is a problem with the way we seek happiness. It has nothing to do with morality; it has to do with the inherent capacity of human consciousness. Consciousness is simply like this—it gets bored, it experiences fatigue. And because of that, suffering is inevitable.
You’ll notice that many people who come to study Buddhism are often those who have already “made it.” They are highly accomplished, wealthy, powerful, famous—successful by every worldly standard. Someone once asked Dzongsar Rinpoche, “Why do so many successful people come to you to study Buddhism?” Dzongsar Rinpoche replied, “Because they discover that what they have obtained does not meet their expectations.” In reality, it simply means that they are not happy—so they come to study Buddhism.
What is the reason? This way of grasping and taking is fundamentally wrong. In the end, it will inevitably lead to suffering. Therefore the Buddha called this approach the “Truth of Suffering” (duḥkha-satya)—suffering is the truth!
So what is the solution? Where does the brilliance of the Dharma lie? Buddhism does not oppose taking from the outside; what it opposes is always taking from the outside, forever taking from the outside. While you are taking outwardly, you must also turn back and look for another source of happiness. Think about it—what is it that actually experiences happiness? —The mind.
—Excerpted and compiled from Essential Gateways to Sudden Awakening and Entry into the Path, Lesson 8
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
