in a project, he could have his wealth doubled within a year. Impressed, he mortgaged all his restaurants and put the money into the project. Unfortunately, the investment failed and he lost several million yuan. He was so depressed he attempted suicide. His wife, who often came to the Temple to offer incense, asked me to give her husband some guidance.
“Let me tell you a story,” I said to Mr. Wang. “Long, long ago, there was an old fisherman, who lived with his wife in a shabby hut on the seaside. Every day, he cast the net into the sea to catch fish while his wife wove yarn. But his luck was bad, and he did not catch any fish for several months. One day, he finally caught a small goldfish. Unexpectedly, the fish begged him to set it free and promised to grant him whatever wish he might imagine. The old fisherman said that he wanted nothing, and he freed the fish into the sea.”
“Master,” interrupted Mr. Wang, “I heard this story.”
I smiled. This was normal, since many people knew this story. But I asked him to finish it.
Mr. Wang continued, “Back at home, when the old fisherman told this to his wife, she started cursing and forced him to ask the fish for a new wooden basin, and it was granted. Then she asked for a wooden house and a noblewoman’s title, which also came true. Finally, the insatiable woman even wanted to be queen, waited on by the goldfish. Running out of patience, the fish ordered everything to return to what it had been. In the end, the old woman still lived on the seaside with her broken wooden basin in her shabby wooden hut.”
“Are you the old woman in the story?” I asked him when he finished the story. He seemed to be inspired by the story.
“I know everything about you.” I continued, “You were smart as a child. You saw through many worldly things, but not into your own heart. You couldn’t control your heart and, like a balloon, it grew bigger and bigger, until it finally burst. This is like climbing a mountain. Though you’re good enough to conquer the mountain, when you finally stand at its top, you don’t know to stop and appreciate the infinite views below, the sunrise the next morning, and the flowers and grass that cover the mountain. Instead, you walk ahead one more step, but unfortunately, that means you’re beginning to go down the mountain.”
Intelligent people know how to control their desire. After their normal desire is met, they are no longer affected by greed. When you are well-fed and well-clothed, you might as well consider how many beautiful things in this world have you missed while you kept yourself busy every day. Why not put down the things you are doing, calm down, and enjoy the beauty of this moment?
12. Cherishing What You Have
Many people, some of whom are successful in most people’s eyes, complain to me that they are not happy and that life is meaningless. Some young people even consider suicide.
Once, a man in his thirties came to me, saying that he was under great pressure and was unhappy. He said he came from the countryside and lived in the city after graduating from the university. I asked whether he had more money now than in his childhood. He answered that when he was young, his family was very poor. Then I pursued, “Do you think you had a happy childhood?”
He thought for a while and answered, “We were poor at that time, but when I recall those days, there are still many happy memories, such as catching fish in the river and climbing trees to catch cicadas.”
“You’re right,” I said. “When do people feel happy? It is today, this moment. However, many people do not know how to live their present lives well. When they are young, they think their childhood was happier, and when they are middle aged, they think they were happier in their youth. When they are old and riddled with disease, they think their middle-aged life was happier. Never wait until tomorrow to recall the happiness of today.”
“Master, this is very convincing,” the man said, relieved. Many people believe that “the poor have their worries, and so do the rich.” However, I often tell them that “the poor have their happiness, and so do the rich.” Happiness knows no class or border. It is deeply rooted in each of us, but we simply lack the eyes to see it.
According to a Buddhist scripture, there was once a wealthy person who was depressed every day and did not know what happiness was. One day, he decided to set out and look for happiness, carrying a bag of golden coins on his back. He said he would give the bag of coins to anyone who could tell him how to find happiness, but he could not find anything to make him happy.
Later, he was told to seek an eminent monk in a temple at the top of a mountain. He went to the temple and poured out his troubles to the monk, but the monk continued in his meditation and gave the man no regard. The man talked and talked until he finally fell asleep. When he awoke, he found both the monk and his bag of coins were gone. Greatly saddened, the man wept, thinking it was unfortunate to have lost the bag of golden coins before he had found happiness. Unwilling to give it up, he searched everywhere for the monk. Totally exhausted, he finally returned to temple, only to find that the monk and his bag were still there. Immediately, he was beside himself with joy.
Only then did the monk opened his eyes. “You already have happiness in yourself,” said he. “Why do you take such pains to find it?”
The reason many people do not experience happiness is that they do not know how to cherish what they already have. Aren’t our partners, friends, and children the source of our happiness? But too often, we choose to turn a blind eye to them, giving up the happiness we already have, and in this way, we are abandoned to groundless moaning and groaning. The Buddha says that what is lost is lost. Therefore, only when we learn to cherish what we already have now can we understand the meaning of life and the needs of the human nature, and then our lives can be filled with happiness and sunshine.
Chapter II
Curing Mental Anxiety through Zen Medicine
The biggest reason for my success in fighting against cancer is that I experienced true happiness. In those days, though tortured by the disease, I was extremely happy when I cultivated myself, basking in the brightness and warmth of the sun. Each night, when the moon shed its soothing light on my hut, I felt very happy as well, because the Goddess of the Moon was pacifying my mind. Every time I felt I could no longer continue, I was encouraged by Bodhidharma, who had once meditated in that cave for nine years. When I was recovering, I tilled the land to grow crops, cooked, exercised, and meditated, and the disease left my body.
I know another cancer patient who was cured spontaneously. He had a job, but he stopped working after falling ill. Refusing to stay idle, he came up with an idea to keep himself busy—he swept the grounds of the whole residential area every day. At first, his family did not want him to do this, but after reconsidering, they decided to leave him to himself. Unexpectedly, this work led the old man to become increasingly vigorous, and his cancer was finally cured.
Therefore, just as smiling is recognized universally, happiness is the panacea to all diseases. It’s true everybody is busy today, but when you have free moments, you might as well recall those happy times in your life. This simple activity will cure many underlying health problems that trouble you, including insomnia, anxiety, depression, and even some more serious diseases.
1. Managing Your Life with Industry and Frugality
Many people ask why, after living a frugal life, they can’t accumulate any wealth. In fact, being frugal and being industrious are both complementary and indispensable. We are bound to be poor if we practice frugality alone, and we will have nothing to our names if we focus solely on industry.
Let me begin with a story.
In
