The cause of happiness is rare,
And many are the seeds of suffering!
But if I have no pain, I’ll never long for freedom;
Therefore my mind, be steadfast!— Shantideva
So come what may, I’ll not upset
My cheerful happiness of mind.
Dejection never brings me what I want;
My virtue will be warped and marred by it.
If there’s a remedy when trouble strikes,
What reason is there for dejection?
And if there is no help for it,
What use is there in being glum?
Comments: … What irritates us in the first place is that our wishes are not fulfilled. But remaining upset does nothing to help fulfill those wishes. So we neither fulfill our wishes nor regain our cheerfulness! This disconcerted state, from which anger can grow, is most dangerous. We should try never to let our happy frame of mind be disturbed. Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there’s no reason to be unhappy. If we can remedy it, why be unhappy? And if we cannot, what use is there in being depressed about it? That just adds more unhappiness and does no good at all…
For the Benefit of All Beings: A Commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva
by H. H the Dalai Lama
