Chapter 7 The true meaning of bitterness, mountain bitter gourd knows (05)

I am afraid of eating bitter melon.I heard that balsam pear is not bitter. Once, I took a bite in doubt, wow!It's really hard.With the experience of being "deceived" this time, whenever I pass the mountain road, even though the bright green and yellow bitter gourds are beckoning to me in the grass, I still pass quickly, and I don't care about my fellow travelers who "eat raw bitter gourds" " proposal. However, there are exceptions, and that is when the bitter melon is not bitter -- it's just that when it's cooked to make it less bitter, the bitterness seems to be acceptable.Bitter melon is of course still bitter, even if it is soaked in the holy water of the Ganges, its essence remains unchanged.

The same is true of life. The Buddha said that everything in the world is "suffering, empty, and impermanent."Why bother?This is because people have forgotten the essence of "life is suffering" in the "joy of suffering". But if we think about it and think back to our own life experience, we have to admit that life is indeed "bitter".In life, who doesn't have troubles and pains?As long as there is a little restlessness in the heart, it is a kind of suffering! And no matter what kind of "happiness", as impermanence changes, we are destined to endure the pain of "the things we like go bad" and "separate from the people we like".Including your own body, you must also watch it grow from young and beautiful to gradually aging; from being very healthy and strong to being sick.Suffering inevitably occurs in it.

Suffering is ubiquitous and never stops, but one has not been clearly aware of it.The Buddha revealed the true meaning of "life is suffering", telling us that "suffering" is the reality of life, not to let us indulge in the pain and be depressed, or "to enjoy ourselves in time"; The root, outlines the ultimate cool and open state of life, and follows the correct method to practice. Saying "bitterness" is to get rid of suffering!Didn't the Buddha say that a "bittersweet" life is just for practice. Climbing up the steps from the mountain path, I saw the bitter gourd in the grass at a glance.This time, I bent down and picked a few. "Bitterness" is really a good teacher in life, which can enable people to "know suffering and enter the Tao", and can also inspire people to "leave suffering and gain happiness".I put the bitter gourd in my pocket and felt the weight of "bitterness" along the way. I was going to go back and dry it so that I could contemplate "bitterness".

Unexpectedly, when I returned to the temple, the mountain bitter gourd disappeared.what!Suffering is also impermanent, we observe it, but don’t be obsessed with it! The most important thing is, for "suffering", such as this observation, stay away from the heart, keep the heart calm and in the middle, and live a balanced life with neither suffering nor happiness!