Everyone has the right to be happy. The source of happiness, fortunately, is not away from
oneself. It is within you. The causation between the source of happiness and the resultant
happiness operates on the basis of the law of interdependency. Just as happiness is what your
mind experiences, the sources are there within your mind itself. With cheer and wisdom extract
the causes of happiness from within.
Imagine that you are in a large, beautiful garden, but in pitch darkness. Even though you are in
the most exquisite garden you cannot enjoy it. The reason is obvious. There is no light. Just as
not enjoying the garden is due to the absence of light, all our miseries are due to the darkness of
ignorance. Only through introducing the light of wisdom can the darkness of ignorance be
eliminated. All the writings of the great saint-scholars of all religious traditions are meant to
ignite the light of wisdom which sees everything as dream-like, empty of objective existence as
indicated in the following stanza:
Just as in the dream of a youthful girl,
She met with a boy and saw his death,
Joyous was she at the meeting and despair at his death,
View all phenomena as thus.
Furthermore, although the light is introduced, if it is small like that of a tiny candle, you can only
enjoy seeing one or two flowers, not the entire beautiful garden. Only a pervasive light as that of
the sun will allow you to enjoy the whole exquisite garden. Likewise, the light that you introduce
should be pervasive. What makes the light of wisdom pervasive is universal love which reaches
out to all beings. Jainism’s emphasis on ahimsa and Buddhism’s emphasis on compassion are
magnificent inspirations in this pursuit. Other religions are no less.
In short the legacy of these great beings from the various religious traditions boils down to the
cultivation of wisdom to see everything as dream-like in the context of the interdependency of all
phenomena and unconditional love which simply erases all ill thoughts by embracing all other
sentient beings, leaving none aside. This keeps you, your family of sentient beings and your
environment in peace and calmness at all times.
Ven. Geshe Dorji Damdul
