Q: Let me ask you a question, MARTH. I think it good to pursue happiness for myself since I am given a life. What do you say about it?
MARTH:
Does happiness for yourself mean happiness for the ego? If happiness continues for the ego, in fact, it will never continue, you may lose a chance to return to the no-self, to the true self. If it is true, I don’t think it good. To desperately seek for something beneficial for the ego is to boost the ego for its protection, for safety of the ego.
That is, you may not forgive everything dangerous for the ego. Even more, unless you forgive, love and embrace your surroundings in your childhood, which you deliberately have chosen as you cannot forgive it, you will not be able to return to the true self. You will lose your eternal being and suffer from pains unless you return to the true self.
I could say it is the worst treatment for yourself. We have deliberately chosen to be born to certain surrounding which we fear most, which we hate most. The most important thing for us is to love it with a generous heart, forgive it as part of God, of love, embrace it, and understand it deeply. Then, you will return to the true essence, which is the no-self, oneness. It is the shortest way to return to love. And you will regain your Buddha nature. You will regain love. Is there anything more wonderful than that? There is a great gap between something wonderful for the ego and something wonderful for the true self.
It will be a great gift for your eternal self, for your true self. You will not lose your eternal being. If you live in favor of the ego, however, you will lose your eternity and even your eternal life. I feel living a life in favor of the ego is the worst thing to do, and it will give us a great damage. Don’t you agree?
Now that you know secrets of the ego and the selflessness and the true essence in this world, you should understand it well. People engage themselves in boosting the ego and protecting it everyday without such knowledge. And that is the worst thing for the true essence. The true self, the higher-self, the existence of a person will bring him every possible trouble to awaken him desperately. I feel that is the worst thing we can think of on the earth.
What is the reason why people deliberately choose to be born to the most unforgivable and wonderful (unpleasant) surroundings? Isn’t it because they will be enlightened as a Buddha, if only they embrace and forgive the worst in their lives?
If it is so, nothing is more foolish than to reject such chance. I could even say we should look forward to such problem. We may be able to awaken ourselves when we see everything as connected as one through eyes of the no-self and of love. We may be able to transform ourselves when we see people who seem others but ourselves, as suffering fellows, whether they are our parents or friends. Is it beneficial for us to lose such chance?
We will be egoistical and boost the ego if we continue escaping, lying, attacking to protect the ego, fight, kill. I feel that will ruin ourselves.
You don’t have to listen to my opinion. Nor you have to live by following what I say. What it matters is how you feel, and whether you need to awaken. And if you want to awaken, all you need to do is just work at it. Otherwise, you will just do whatever you want to do.
MARTH