04 กันยายน 2569

Title: Buddhadhamma Bringing Happiness

At Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom Province, on December 10, 1992:

 

If we follow the Buddha's teachings, they will certainly bring happiness. We should all be determined, even if it means going against our own feelings. For instance, when lust, greed, anger, or other defilements arise, we should try to make those feelings the focus of our attention and maintain mindfulness with stability in the present moment. The Buddha taught that all unwholesome desires arise solely from thoughts and mental fabrications. If the mind does not engage in thinking or fabricating, these defilements will not arise.

 

However, we must acknowledge that instinctual feelings, such as those related to sexuality, love, anger, hatred, fear, and the instinct of suspicion and fear of danger and death, are shared with animals. The difference lies in the fact that humans possess higher moral principles, enabling us to develop virtues and goodness to a greater extent. Without moral principles and the development of such virtues, we are not much different from animals.