Gem of Wisdom for Daily Reflection: 

Living a Meaningful Life

Thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha

When we spend our life obsessed with an endless cycle of attachments and aversions, focussed on our own happiness and on what we want, rather than what we need; the true potential of our life is wasted and leads us away from the path of real happiness. As a follower of Buddhadharma, we should endeavour to bring meaning to our life by keeping the presence of Buddha in our mind, by maintaining the discipline of regular practice, and by following our teacher’s instruction and sharing the benefit of our practice with others.

Within our mind are many aspects. There is the Buddha nature which is our true nature; that of the hungry ghosts, which represent grasping, greediness and stinginess; that of the hell realms, the source of anger, hatred, and negativity. There are also the aspect same as that of the animals, which are ignorance and stupidity; that of the demi-gods which represent competitiveness; that of the gods whose mind are pre-occupied with enjoying the fruition of the merit they generate that they are unaware of the true nature of suffering in the world.

When the focus of our mind is on Buddha, we can in time awake the qualities of the Buddha nature from within, and in those around us. Practising in this way will bring meaning to our life and give rise to benefits for both ourselves and others.

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