Be Happy! Do Your Duty Happily without Attachment to its Results
The whole of humanity, from the very day of its birth to this very day, has been engaged in doing one and the same thing: running. Everyone is running after something that he does not possess. Indeed, everyone is trying to get happiness by means of other people's happiness and thus runs in a never-ending cycle.
One must know that in this world nobody can ever be happy by taking someone else's happiness away from him. In other words, no one can be happy by bankrupting someone else's wealth; no one can be happy by stealing away someone else's honour or reputation; and no one can be happy by committing any kind of crime whatsoever.
Therefore all of us have to learn how to be happy by taking the happiness of others, but just as our duty is to acquire happiness by taking the happiness of others, so too our duty is to acquire the happiness of others without any sort of attachment.
When we try and do this, then all our worries or attachments disappear. We fear nothing. Our minds are at peace; we trust everyone; and we are happy whenever we encounter some joyful event. Then we shall find that whatever it is that makes us unhappy—be it "I" or "mine"—has also ceased to exist. This I shall now explain:
Every living creature consists not merely of a body but also of a mind. The body, being the material form, has only those feelings which correspond to its own nature. The feelings of a stone are no different from those of a tree, and the feelings of a man's body are likewise no different from those of an animal's body.
The mind is different from the body in that it has various kinds of thoughts or mental states. These mental states arise from sense-impressions. The sense-impressions which come from outside through the eye, ear, nose or tongue cause thought or mental states which we call sensations; and these same sense impressions will also cause other kinds of thoughts in internal organs such as the heart.
Sensations are the feelings which are associated with sensory impressions. These sensations, too, can be of two kinds: pleasant and unpleasant. Pleasant sensations lead to attachment; unpleasant sensations lead to anger (or hatred). Now we know that there are two kinds of objects in the world: one is the "I" which resides in our own bodies; and the other is "mine"; that is, whatever belongs to others. When our own body is suffering some undesirable sensation, then we regard it as unpleasant, but when others' bodies are suffering it we regard it as pleasant.
The reason for this is that we have a mind which consists not only of one thought or state of mind but many different thoughts or states of mind.
One of these thoughts is "I", which represents our existence, and the other is "mine", which represents our possessions. Therefore, when we are confronted with an undesirable state of mind in our own body, then because it belongs to our own existence or "I" we call it unpleasant; yet when we find someone else's body experiencing the same sensation, then because it is not related to our own existence we call it pleasant.
By practising detachment in this way, we can gradually train our minds to become free of attachment, and to learn how not to get involved with other people's situations or affairs. When this happens, then all the duties we have to perform—such as our duty to serve others—become perfectly pleasant.
This same principle, when applied in daily life will lead us easily and spontaneously towards the highest goal which is Supreme Enlightenment.
(Incidentally there are two kinds of detachment: firstly detaching from attachment (which is done through self-observation); and secondly detaching from other people's attachments (which is done by helping others). The principle itself applies equally well to both kinds of detachment.
Both kinds of detachment are essential for a tranquil mind and for the correct comprehension of reality. Therefore, if we see that in our own minds we suffer from anger or attachment and yet fail to apply this same principle in our attitude towards other people's attachments, then we shall only be carrying out our duty half-heartedly, and will have failed to accomplish the true purpose of our existence.
Therefore, no matter how much someone advises us to be detached from other people's possessions or attachments, if there is one of us who still fails to practice detachment in both these limbs, then he will never attain Enlightenment.)
(The following four paragraphs contain a number of quotations from various Buddhist scriptures. Although they do not in themselves constitute a logical argument, they nevertheless serve as important supporting evidence. Therefore I have decided to include them in this article.
The first quotation is from the Lalitavistara Sutra which says that those who are detached are spared the suffering of hell:
"Bodhisattva," said the Buddha, "those who possess the eye of Dharma see that in this vast universe there is no hell and no realm of hungry spirits or animality, but all living beings experience only happiness. Those who possess the eye of Dharma see that in this world there is no hell, no desire realm, no animal realm and no realms of hungry spirits or animality; but all living beings experience only happiness."
The second quotation is from the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra which says that those who have attained detachment are able to totally eliminate their attachment:
"The Bodhisattva said: "Shravakas, you should understand that the karmic connection of those who have practised detachment and realize the characteristics of the self-nature are like an empty space—unobstructed and free from obstruction. But when people are stingy and greedy, they lack in shame and fear. The Bodhisattva said: "Shravakas, you should understand that the karmic connection of those who have practised detachment and realize the characteristics of the self-nature are like a void—constantly and freely pervading. But when people are stingy and greedy, they lack in shame and fear. And you should understand that attachment is the cause for rebirth in hell; why then should one be attached to this world? The Bodhisattva said: "Shravakas, you should understand that the karmic connection of those who have practised detachment and realize the characteristics of the self-nature is like an empty space—unobstructed and free from obstruction. But when people are stingy and greedy, they lack in shame and fear. You should understand that attachment is the cause for rebirth in hell; why then should one be attached to this world?
The third quotation is from the Saddharmapundarika Sutra which says that those who have practised detachment are able to purify their minds completely:
"Those Bodhisattvas who have subdued themselves through detachment, whose minds have been purified by detachment, Whose bodies and possessions have been purified by detachment Are able to obtain perfection and purity.
Conclusion
Today most of us still fail to understand how we can become detached from other people's attachments, but in reality it is not difficult at all. All we need to do is to examine our own mind and see whether or not we are able to be detached from our "I" in the same way as we are detached from things which belong to others, and then only shall we realize that we cannot be detached. Only when this detachment is achieved will there be no suffering as a result of our relationship with others.
The final part of this article will explain how detachment may be achieved.