In this world there are more people with problems with drugs, alcohol and smoking. We all know these things can cost your health, but lots people still need to depend on them. Why? Because we feel suffering, frustrated, and anxious some times. As we have a body and the five senses, so we will fill suffering, frustrated, and anxious.
Through watching, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching our minds bring about feelings then these feelings make desire. Desire will cause suffering. But if we attentively observe all feelings, we will find they are all fleeting and not eternity. So this causes people’s problems. When we have good feelings we want to keep them forever. When we feel bad, we just want to run away as soon as possible. This keeps our life in samsara.
What we can do about this? We can try to face and observe everything and not be attached to them. When we feel good, we can enjoy it at that moment. When we feel suffering, we can still face and observe it.
Besides feelings, we can realize everything in this world is fleeting — not eternal.
So what did you own? Maybe some people are wealthy and they think they can own what they want: a big house, fancy car…etc. But people are just custodians in this life. If they die tomorrow, who owns all the things?
The one thing in this Universe that doesn’t change is Change.
From the Diamond Sutra:
“All things in this fleeting world
Are like dreams, phantoms, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning.
Thus meditate upon them, Thus observe them.”
Danny Lai