Happiness Grows When We Know We Cannot Do Everything
Someone once asked the monk a question: Since monks cannot do many of the things they want and also have precepts, are they happy?
Before that question, there is something to consider. It is not only monks who cannot do everything they want. Laypeople also cannot do every single thing they want.
Everyone lives within limits. Whether we have much or little, whatever position we are in, we cannot make everything go exactly our way.
When we notice and acknowledge that fact, the mind changes. When we know things as they are and learn contentment in that place, wisdom can arise and happiness can grow.
Study must also continue. Just as the light of a small lamp looks faint beneath the sun, before greater wisdom we must keep learning and cultivating. Today, notice your limits and cultivate contentment together with wisdom.
Happiness does not come only from doing everything we want. Everyone has limits and cannot do it all. When we notice those limits and learn contentment and wisdom where we are now, we can be happy. That is why study and practice must continue.
