Post by Kivawolfspeaker on Jun 4, 2006 15:15:55 GMT -5
Tao Living
Possession and Enjoyment
by Derek Lin
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the temperature was pleasantly cool, so the sage decided to take a walk.
By chance, his walk took him near a luxurious house. It belonged to a wealthy man the sage knew well. In front of it was a beautiful garden filled with exotic flowers imported from distant lands.
As the sage drew closer, he saw that many of these flowers were in full bloom. He could not help but admire their beauty. Their colors were so vivid and vibrant - almost leaping off the petals in their brilliance.
The sage marveled at the human ingenuity that managed to transplant these flowers from so far away - probably some tropical paradise he had never visited.
He stood for a few minutes to savor the sight. He breathed deeply to take in the fragrance. After a while, he let out a contended sigh and continued on his way.
The sage thought about the wealthy man. He had recently become very ill. They were old friends, so the sage was quite concerned.
The doctor said the illness was caused by stress. The man suffered from too much tension in managing his business. This business was the source of his wealth, but he paid for success dearly - with his health.
The problem was that the man insisted on doing everything himself, taking on ever more responsibilities. As the pressure mounted, he lost his appetite and could no longer get a good night's sleep. He was constantly fatigued and lost interest in the simple pleasures of life.
In fact, the gentleman had neglected the garden for many years. He lacked the time, energy and inclination to walk among the beautiful flowers in his own garden.
Suddenly, the irony of it all became apparent. The wealthy man owned the garden, but could not enjoy it. The sage did not own it, and yet was able to enjoy it fully.
One of the most typical misconceptions in life revolves around possession and enjoyment as they relate to happiness. The confusion happens because we usually possess in order to enjoy. We purchase a DVD player in order to watch movies; we acquire a stereo in order to listen to music. Possession and enjoyment seem to go hand-in-hand, so we think of them together.
In reality, the two are independent of one another. Only one of them is linked to happiness, and it is not possession. Not only is possession unnecessary in order to enjoy, it can even get in the way. But many people do not look at it that way. They link possession rather than enjoyment to happiness - the exact opposite of reality.
For instance, I know a lady who associates the acquisition of jewelry to happiness. She loves rings, necklaces, and bracelets. She has a large collection, but she never wears any of it, because she fears possible theft or loss. The collection is much too precious to be exposed to risk!
The only time she is ever happy is shortly before and after a new acquisition. Buying jewelry gives her a fleeting moment of thrill, and then the hunger to acquire more returns, mercilessly driving her toward the next purchase.
You may know someone like her. Perhaps you know a a car buff who has a vintage vehicle in his garage. He has spared no effort in fixing and tuning its components; he never tires of buffing and shining it - but he hardly ever drives it.
Perhaps you know someone who has a vast collection of music, but has listened to only a small fraction of it. Why? Because he's too busy looking for new CDs to complete his collection.
Perhaps you know someone who has just upgraded her living room with brand new, color-coordinated couches and loveseats. She keeps the clear plastic covers on them because she doesn't want the beautiful furniture to get stained or gather dust. When you visit her and sit in her living room, you find yourself literally on plastic. You have to be careful to not move too much, or risk creating rude noises.
Perhaps you know a friend in a relationship who is focusing on possessing, rather than enjoying, the other person. If your friend continues down that path without realizing what's going on, you know the relationship will probably fail.
You can see that the one single thread that runs through all of the above examples is the emphasis on possession over enjoyment. If you look around in an observant frame of mind, you will see many more examples.
When I look at my bookshelves, I see many books by my favorite authors. Each book is a beautiful flower of wisdom, waiting to be savored. What I already possess is a garden full of such flowers, but like the wealthy man, I've been neglecting it. Instead of fully enjoying them, I've been going to the bookstore to get more. Endless acquisition has become a habit.
If we break this habitual pattern, we can be doing ourselves a tremendous favor. The energy and time we wasted before can now be freed up. By directing them toward using and appreciating what we have, we improve the quality of life and seize the key to happiness.
There are many "gardens" in your life. You may own some or many of them, but that is an unimportant detail. The important thing - the only thing - is that you can enjoy them, if you really want to.
Let us direct our attention to the flowers in these gardens. When you breathe in their fragrance and take in their dazzling colors, you cannot help but marvel at the miracle of human existence. It is a miracle that has brought a piece of the heavenly paradise into our mortal plane. It is the Tao.
from www.truetao.org
Possession and Enjoyment
by Derek Lin
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the temperature was pleasantly cool, so the sage decided to take a walk.
By chance, his walk took him near a luxurious house. It belonged to a wealthy man the sage knew well. In front of it was a beautiful garden filled with exotic flowers imported from distant lands.
As the sage drew closer, he saw that many of these flowers were in full bloom. He could not help but admire their beauty. Their colors were so vivid and vibrant - almost leaping off the petals in their brilliance.
The sage marveled at the human ingenuity that managed to transplant these flowers from so far away - probably some tropical paradise he had never visited.
He stood for a few minutes to savor the sight. He breathed deeply to take in the fragrance. After a while, he let out a contended sigh and continued on his way.
The sage thought about the wealthy man. He had recently become very ill. They were old friends, so the sage was quite concerned.
The doctor said the illness was caused by stress. The man suffered from too much tension in managing his business. This business was the source of his wealth, but he paid for success dearly - with his health.
The problem was that the man insisted on doing everything himself, taking on ever more responsibilities. As the pressure mounted, he lost his appetite and could no longer get a good night's sleep. He was constantly fatigued and lost interest in the simple pleasures of life.
In fact, the gentleman had neglected the garden for many years. He lacked the time, energy and inclination to walk among the beautiful flowers in his own garden.
Suddenly, the irony of it all became apparent. The wealthy man owned the garden, but could not enjoy it. The sage did not own it, and yet was able to enjoy it fully.
One of the most typical misconceptions in life revolves around possession and enjoyment as they relate to happiness. The confusion happens because we usually possess in order to enjoy. We purchase a DVD player in order to watch movies; we acquire a stereo in order to listen to music. Possession and enjoyment seem to go hand-in-hand, so we think of them together.
In reality, the two are independent of one another. Only one of them is linked to happiness, and it is not possession. Not only is possession unnecessary in order to enjoy, it can even get in the way. But many people do not look at it that way. They link possession rather than enjoyment to happiness - the exact opposite of reality.
For instance, I know a lady who associates the acquisition of jewelry to happiness. She loves rings, necklaces, and bracelets. She has a large collection, but she never wears any of it, because she fears possible theft or loss. The collection is much too precious to be exposed to risk!
The only time she is ever happy is shortly before and after a new acquisition. Buying jewelry gives her a fleeting moment of thrill, and then the hunger to acquire more returns, mercilessly driving her toward the next purchase.
You may know someone like her. Perhaps you know a a car buff who has a vintage vehicle in his garage. He has spared no effort in fixing and tuning its components; he never tires of buffing and shining it - but he hardly ever drives it.
Perhaps you know someone who has a vast collection of music, but has listened to only a small fraction of it. Why? Because he's too busy looking for new CDs to complete his collection.
Perhaps you know someone who has just upgraded her living room with brand new, color-coordinated couches and loveseats. She keeps the clear plastic covers on them because she doesn't want the beautiful furniture to get stained or gather dust. When you visit her and sit in her living room, you find yourself literally on plastic. You have to be careful to not move too much, or risk creating rude noises.
Perhaps you know a friend in a relationship who is focusing on possessing, rather than enjoying, the other person. If your friend continues down that path without realizing what's going on, you know the relationship will probably fail.
You can see that the one single thread that runs through all of the above examples is the emphasis on possession over enjoyment. If you look around in an observant frame of mind, you will see many more examples.
When I look at my bookshelves, I see many books by my favorite authors. Each book is a beautiful flower of wisdom, waiting to be savored. What I already possess is a garden full of such flowers, but like the wealthy man, I've been neglecting it. Instead of fully enjoying them, I've been going to the bookstore to get more. Endless acquisition has become a habit.
If we break this habitual pattern, we can be doing ourselves a tremendous favor. The energy and time we wasted before can now be freed up. By directing them toward using and appreciating what we have, we improve the quality of life and seize the key to happiness.
There are many "gardens" in your life. You may own some or many of them, but that is an unimportant detail. The important thing - the only thing - is that you can enjoy them, if you really want to.
Let us direct our attention to the flowers in these gardens. When you breathe in their fragrance and take in their dazzling colors, you cannot help but marvel at the miracle of human existence. It is a miracle that has brought a piece of the heavenly paradise into our mortal plane. It is the Tao.
from www.truetao.org