Life as a very junior monk in Thailand seemed so unfair. The senior monks
received the best food, sat on the softest cushions and never had to push
wheelbarrows. Whereas my one meal of the day was disgusting; I had to sit for
long hours in ceremonies on the hard concrete floor (which was lumpy as well,
because the villagers were hopeless at laying concrete); and sometimes I had to
labor very hard. Poor me, lucky them.
I spent long, unpleasant hours
justifying my complaints to myself. The senior monks were probably so
enlightened that delicious food would be wasted on them, therefore I should get
the best food. The senior monks had been sitting cross-legged on hard floors for
years and were used to it, therefore I should get the big soft cushions.
Moreover, the senior monks were all fat anyway, from eating the best food, so
had "natural upholstery" to their butts. The senior monks just told us junior
monks to do the work, never laboring themselves, so how could they appreciate
how hot and tiring pushing wheelbarrows was? The projects were all their ideas
anyway, so they should do the work! Poor me, lucky them.
When I became a
senior monk, then I ate the best food, sat on a soft cushion and did little
physical work. However, I caught myself envying the junior monks. They didn't
have to give all the public talks, didn't listen to people's problems all day,
and didn't spend hours on administration. They had no responsibilities and so
much time for themselves. I heard myself saying, "Poor me, lucky them!"
I
soon figured out what was going on. Junior monks have "junior-monk
suffering."Senior monks have "senior-monk suffering." When I became a senior
monk, I was just exchanging one form of suffering for another form of
suffering.
It is precisely the same for single people who envy those who
are married, and the married people who envy those who are single. As we all
should know by now, when we get married, we are only exchanging "single-person's
suffering" for "married-person's suffering."Then when we get divorced, we are
only exchanging "married-person's suffering" for "single-person's suffering."
Poor me, lucky them.
When we are poor, we envy those who are rich.
However, may who are rich envy the sincere friendships and freedom from
responsibilities of those who are poor. Becoming rich is only exchanging
"poor-person's suffering" for "rich-person's suffering." Retiring and taking a
cut in your income is only exchanging "rich-person's suffering" for
"poor-person's suffering." And so it goes on. Poor me, lucky them.
To
think that you will be happy by becoming something else is delusion. Becoming
something else just exchanges one form of suffering for another form of
suffering. But when you are content with who you are now, junior or senior,
married or single, rich or poor, then you are free of suffering. Lucky me, poor
them!"
-- Ajahn Brahm
The story above is just to remind ourselves to be content
with what we have, who we are, what we do, and so on. Being
content is the key to happiness. So, which one are you? Poor me, lucky them? Or
Lucky me, poor them? You decide!
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