Success, happiness and well-being

With metta Noble Friends of Toronto

Success! Happiness! Well-being! without a doubt these words are what every human being, both you and I would like to use to describe our life, to describe our future. We all want to be successful in our careers. We want to lead happy lives. But the question is what really makes us happy? What makes YOU happy?

Is it Money? Clothes? Vehicles? A luxury house? Good food? Good Friends? Doesn’t that sound like a perfect life? A successful life? A happy life? At a glance, without deeper reflection one may think that it is these material things that lead to a happy life. But do we really know what makes us happy?

To figure out what makes us happy, or what made us happy, let’s go back in time. Let’s go back to 10, 20, 30 or more years in our lives, to the day we were conceived.

Now imagine that after you were conceived, your mother and father felt that they no longer wanted a child and decided to do an abortion. Was this not possible? Today thousands of babies are killed through abortions.

So what makes you think that YOU could not have been one of those babies? Because of your accumulated merits, your parents carefully protected you and brought you into this world. Your parents gave you the chance to be born and experience this world. As a result, today you are a human being maybe 20, 30 or 40 years of age. You had a longer life span than some babies. Isn’t that a happy factor? If you died as a baby, could money, clothes or vehicles bring you happiness?

Life span

Do you know why some human beings have long life spans while others die so young? Our Great Teacher, The Supreme Buddha, taught us that those who did not take another’s life gain long life spans in their prospective lives as a result of their wholesome actions. Hence, our Great Teacher compassionately taught us not to kill any living beings.

Now that we are born and have been blessed with a long life span, imagine this. Imagine that from the day you were born, you are constantly sick.

If it’s not one illness, it is another. Do you think you will be happy? You may be the richest person in town, but if you are always sick, can you enjoy the luxuries you have? Can you buy a healthy life with money?

Do you know the secret to having a healthy life? Our Great Teacher revealed that secret. The Blessed One taught us that those who do not harm other beings, in turn receive healthy lives in their prospective lives. Hence, our Great Teacher taught us to spread loving kindness towards all beings and restraint from harming others.

Now imagine that you have a long and healthy life. But what if you are poor? What if you have no facilities around you? Have you noticed how some children do, everything they would ever need and want is met. But for others, poverty is all that they experience. Why is it that some children have every luxury, while others have nothing at all? Only a Supreme Being, the Knower of the World would have the answer. Our Great Teacher, the Supreme Buddha taught us that those who gave alms to others experience the results of their actions by having wealth.

And those who did not steal from others, never loses the wealth they have gained. Their property, their money is not damaged or taken by others. This is the results of wholesome actions. Hence, our Great Teacher taught us to practice generosity.

Wealthy life

A long life, a healthy life, a wealthy life! Now isn’t that a happy life? It will not be a happy life if this one factor is missing. Which factor? Love! Have you seen how some people lead sorrowful lives because they cannot have the love that they desire? No matter how much they try, they are not able to find that True Love in their lives. Even within a family, we can see how this lack of love causes sorrow and grief. Take a moment and look around you.

Some families live happily, with love and compassion towards each other. Yet, others live, with tears always filled in their eyes, not a moment goes by without a disagreement or a fight. Now imagine you were born into such a family. You may have a long life, a healthy life and wealthy life, but would you be happy knowing that your parents are always fighting?

There’s not a moment of peace and calmness in your home. Why is it so that some parents truly love each other, while others fight, yell and deceive one another? A key factor in a marriage is love between parents. If that love is missing, then not only the parents, but also the children suffer. Our Great Teacher the Supreme Buddha taught us that one finds a faithful, loving and committed spouse as a result of their past actions.

Those who did not engage in sexual misconduct, and those who stayed faithful to their husbands and wives in their past lives, in turn receive loving and faithful spouses in their prospective lives. But those who engaged in sexual misconduct in their past lives face results of their unwholesome actions in their present or future lives. Hence, our Great Teacher compassionately advised us to restraint from engaging in sexual misconduct and to cultivate love and faithfulness to one’s partner.

But have you seen, no matter how faithful a person maybe, how trustworthy a person maybe, no one listens and obey that person’s words. He may be speaking, but others treat him as if he’s not. They do not respect or believe his words. Do you know of such people? And do you think that those who are like this are happy? Our Great Teacher, the Supreme Buddha taught us that, this is a result of one’s kamma. Those who lied to others, those who deceived others using their words have to face this as a result of their unwholesome actions.

If you would like for others to respect your words, to listen and obey your words, then you must try to restraint yourself from lying to others.

Are those the only key factors to a successful life? Isn’t Beauty and Wisdom important factors to a happy life? If we look into our own lives, we see that some are truly beautiful and handsome, but others are not. Some encompass such wisdom, but some do not. Our Great Teacher taught us the secret to gaining these factors.

Loving kindness

Those who did not get angry, those who spread loving kindness towards others are born as beautiful beings in their prospective lives as a result of their wholesome actions. But those who were always angry, hateful, holding onto the smallest conflict are born as unattractive beings in their prospective lives. So, now do you know the secret to beauty? It is not the most expensive cosmetics that result in true beauty; the secret is as simple as cultivating loving kindness towards others which costs us zero dollars.

And finally, our Great Teacher taught us that wisdom is also a result of one’s actions. Those who restrained from taking intoxicating substances such as alcohol and drugs, those who maintained mental awareness during their lives are born as people with wisdom. Those who engaged in wise consideration, contemplating and reflecting on one’s life are born as wise people in their prospective lives.

But those who take intoxicating substances, hoping to forget their problems or hoping to move away from reality to an altered state get exactly what they wanted in their prospective lives also. These people are born as people who lack wisdom, people who have mental disabilities.

It is for these reasons, that our Supreme Teacher compassionately taught us to practise virtue. Being virtuous can help us gain a happy and successful life in this ordinary world. If one develops one’s virtue, without breaking a single precept, then it becomes a factor that not only helps to gain a happy life, but it also becomes a factor that helps us reach our ultimate goal. The goal to reach the ultimate happiness, the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana!

May you always be well and happy!

May the Noble Triple Gem bless you!