October 4, 2017
Venerable Wuling in Happiness

Why seek transitory happiness 

in phenomena,

when joy without end is within our reach?

Myriad pleasurable things available to people with a bit of good fortune—people like us—are sought for the happiness they can bring. Seeking such enjoyment seems so much more reasonable than trying to attain something referred to as “joy” or “bliss.” After all, we have already experienced happiness to various degrees, so we know what it’s like. We don’t know what joy, much less bliss, feels like. So giving up the known to seek the unknown seems risky. And yet, this giving up is precisely what the Buddha encouraged us to do. He knew if we persevered, we would realize that happiness cannot compare to the joy to be found in our Buddha-name chanting when for a sudden, unexpected moment, we transport ourselves to a state of joy. This moment—incredibly serene while at the same time gloriously joyful—is all too brief. But it holds the promise of unending joy.

Article originally appeared on a buddhist perspective (http://www.abuddhistperspective.org/).
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