Why can we love dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks, but struggle to love other people? Why do we create distinctions between one person and another, labeling one as right and the other as wrong, and in doing so, create suffering for ourselves?
In life, if we cultivate three virtues: generosity, patience, and wisdom. We will be able to face all situations, whether sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or spicy. These six flavors represent the essence of life. It is through these flavors that we learn the value of experience and growth. For example, when eating a dish, if it only has one flavor, it feels incomplete. A salad, for instance, needs to have sourness, sweetness, saltiness, and crunchiness to be right. Similarly, a sour soup must not only be sour but also have sweetness and saltiness.
Life, like food, needs a balance of virtues and flavors to be full and meaningful.
The most important thing is that we learn to apply these three virtues to experience and perceive life. When we cultivate these virtues, we will no longer criticize any aspect of life.
- Nothing is a coincidence, According to the principles of Buddhism
- The deeper the suffering, the higher the enlightenment
- 3 meanings of “let fate take its own course”
- How should we understand “everything depends on conditions” correctly?
Everything that happens in life has its reason, and we should not blame ourselves or think we are unlucky. What we encounter today is the result of the bonds we have formed in the past. If we face difficulties today, we should not see ourselves as unlucky but recognize that we have connected with these difficulties, and thanks to the teachings of the Buddha, we can overcome them.
Every time suffering arises, we should acknowledge and reflect on it. When we understand that all suffering is temporary and can be overcome, we will find peace in our hearts. In this life, we endure suffering, but with the Buddha’s teachings, we can overcome it peacefully and grow stronger.
This article is compiled based on a sermon by Venerable Thích Pháp Hòa
