English

Those who wish happiness in this life, the next life and the most happiness, have to develop themselves by following these steps to happiness to extinguish all thedefilements to reach Nirvana:

A blissful mind refers to safety, escaping from dangers, extinction of defilements, and Nirvana.

The mind which is free from subtle defilements is indeed free from all defilements, whether they are

A mind of sorrow is not a good state nor is suitable for responsibilities. The one whose mind is sorrowful cannot perform work efficiently - metaphorically, his state of mind is like a terminally ill patient whose health condition is not good for any kind of work at all.

A mind invulnerable to worldly vicissitudes means the quality of the mind that is not affected by the fluctuations, desirable or undesirable consequences. Themind establishes equanimity and mindfulness properly. In brief, one knows the ways of the world or norms of the world.

Nirvana (Nibbāna) has a variety of meanings. It can be translated as 'extinguishing', like extinguishing evil and suffering; or escaping', like escaping from suffering and escaping from the Three Cycles of Existence. There are so many more definitions of Nirvana.

The Lord Buddha discovered the key to the nature of reality of human beings. It can be said that everyone in the world is ill with the disease of suffering, but it is as if no one really knows it. As a metaphor, all human beings have defects or imperfection as their norm. Thus, they do not know what a perfect person or a great man is like.

once we have burned up the defilements in our mind by practicing austerity, (keeping the Five or Eight Precepts, studying the Lord Buddha's Words, controlling the internal sense-fields, diligently practicing meditation, or the use of patience) we can find that our mind starts to become detached of sensual indulgence and laziness. Then, we may be able to ascend towards that attainment we seek. However, if we are slow or too lazy, our old bad habits can come back, and can be worse than before.

After having passed the 30 steps of life, we find that there are still many bad habits, such as improper manners, that we display and are much in need of improvement. Some of them were already adjusted, better improved, and have been eliminated. These include hatred, selfishness, envy, arrogance, etc.

It means the discussion and questioning of Dhamma between at least two people. It is constructive to helping one to recognize what is good, so as to do more, and what is evil so that one can cease doing it. As a result, he will be reminded of accumulating good deeds and abstaining from the bad ones. Moreover, he will recognize what is indeterminate (Abyākata-Dhamma); a fact of nature that is neither good nor bad. However, he must be able to ascertain how it works in order to protect his right view from misunderstanding which leads to suffering. Instead, he must be a recipient of joyfulness, happiness, and prosperity as fruitful merit in return for opening his mind. Knowing when to choose and manage time is a key factor in accumulating merit.

Upon seeing a monk, one will be inspired by the Dhamma, the Buddha's teaching. A metaphor for this definition is that a bomb when lit will explode and show Its colossal power. In the same way, one's inherent intellect and ability would be stimulated and put into application by his association with a monk. For instance, even Prince Siddhartha who possessed outstanding wisdom had to initially see a monk before he was inspired to search for Dhamma. Eventually, he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.

1) Patience in the face of physical hardship: working on as if everything is normal despite any weather conditions. 2) Patience in the face of physical suffering: working on as if everything is normal despite illness or pain. 3) Patience in the face of conflict: working on as if everything is normal despite having to endure caustic remarks. 4) Patience in the face of temptation: working on as if everything is normal despite the ever-present temptation of defilements, no matter how strong they may be.

Khanti means patience or maintaining one's normalstate of mind. Whether or not he is shaken by temptation or an unpleasant stimulus, he remains steadfast.

Listening regularly to Dhamma teaching means to seek out opportunities to hear Buddhist teachings on an appropriate basis. This requires finding time to listen to Dhamma teachings as often as possible to uplift one's mind and increase one's intellect to be in the right view [Sammaditthi].

Patikara, which means to give back to our benefactor's kindness. For instance, a son expresses his gratitude to his parents in their old age, or a student who pays respect to his teacher. Thus, gratefulness makes the world survives. Returning a benefactor's kindness by gratefully doing favors is known as "Katavedi" which is conducive to "katannu" or honoring the person who has done the favor by being grateful.

Therefore, we should cultivate contentment with whatever we have, in other words, knowing enough or knowing moderation.

For one who truly realizes and respects on other's virtue a nd goodness, he is considered to be an extraordinary person. His uplifting mind sees this truth. He extensively opens to accept the other's virtue into his mind. With his positive mental attributes and pure mind, he has respect for others and is morally abiding.

When we recognize the characteristics of each substance, it becomes easier for us to properly select and apply them. It is difficult for us to entirely understand all of the characteristics of all substances. This excludes the wise, who are the ones qualified to assess them.

The nature of the mind is to constantly remain in a state of thinking and wandering. Normally, one's mind is often unfocused and indulgent in the five forms of sensual desire, namely: visual images, melodious sounds,tasty food, perfumes, and things that are soft to the touch. These sensual pleasures always tempt one to perform dishonest acts, words, and thoughts.

Though one does not smoke, drink, or is addicted to drugs, he is still drunk on life. One can be heavily drunk with the infatuation of youth, good health, and life. Attachment with such infatuations cannot attain genuine bliss. The more one intoxicates himself with alcohol or addiction to drugs, the more likely one is to perform evil deeds. Therefore, one should refrain from using alcohol and intoxicants in order to have a better health and virtuous living.

Even though we all know that one day we will die, we are still careless and continue to conduct evil deeds. We are the ones who should ask ourselves: how much more of this insanity will we continue to carry out? People fight each other for power and selfish gain. They behave the same as quarrelling chickens in a coop. Such unmeritorious acts should cease.