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The Sutra on the Essential Recitations for a Wonderful Place of Refuge 4
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths—suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path—emphasizing that suffering (dukkha) always exists alongside happiness (sukha): there can be no happiness without suffering, just as there can be no right hand without the left hand. Seeking a place where there is only happiness and no suffering is a wrong view. Suffering is not an enemy but the very material from which “the lotus blooms”—from the mud of suffering arises peace and joy, helping us to understand and love, to nourish compassion and true happiness.
Mindfulness is likened to the fairy’s magic wand; when it touches neutral feeling (upekkha vedana), it can transform it into pleasant feeling (sukha vedana). In the five aggregates, the aggregate of feelings consists of three types:
- unpleasant feeling
- pleasant feeling
- neutral feeling
And the proportion of feelings observed on the riverbank is about 10% unpleasant, 5% pleasant, and 85% neutral. With mindfulness, the 85% neutral feelings can become pleasant feelings, bringing gentle joy and ease. Practicing mindfulness again and again with each step, with each breath, and when inviting the bell helps us to recognize and cherish the present moment, nourishing joy and happiness right here and now.