by Venerable Bodhicitta of the International Centre for Inner Peace & Happiness
We live in a very complex world today and most of us have our own mental struggles because we are pushed beyond our capacities to meet the expectations imposed on us by our families, careers, and various other aspects of life.
Mental struggle is not limited to any particular group or class but these struggles transcend the societal hierarchies.
The burdens of addiction, depression and other mental health issues permeate all levels of society and this shows us that mental health issues today are a shared human experience.
What lies beneath this surface is our discontentment.
Recognising the truth behind this suffering is central to Buddhism.
At the secular level, Buddhism can provide valuable guidance towards freedom from our everyday suffering through understanding the nature of our discontentment and feeling to start happy with what we have.
Therefore, everyday suffering is not difficult to overcome with a bit of mindful effort from an empowered individual mind.
Empowering your mind includes a reflective understanding that dissatisfaction arises from our desires and attachments.
Our desires and attachments lead to clinging, which in turn creates suffering when things inevitably change or we are unable to fulfill our desires.
Understanding these origins of suffering helps us address the underlying causes and reduce their impact on our lives.
The Buddha encouraged us to develop and gradually perfect ten qualities which are essential to leading a peaceful life through achieving contentment:
1. developing generosity and giving up miserliness.
2. developing morality and giving up immorality.
3. developing renunciation of greed.
4. developing wisdom.
5. developing effort to give up evil and cultivate goodness.
6. developing patience.
7. developing honesty and giving up dishonesty.
8. developing determination to be good in the face of adversity.
9. developing loving kindness to all beings impartially and giving up hatred and violence.
10. developing equanimity in the midst of the vicissitudes of life.
As long as we uphold goodness, and we believe in the fact that only goodness will bring the best solutions to our problems, then we can have hope that we will find peace within ourselves, society and the world at large.
For enquiries on the City of Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network, executive@interfaithnetwork.org.au or 8774 7662.
