Let’s study together thru the conversation of the students who really need to know about “Buddhism”

https://cms.dmpcdn.com/women/2016/05/22/9a83347b-848d-4abb-9210-45369679d63b.jpg

Pim : Hello,Tom, how was your

          weekend?

Tom : It was awful.

Pim :  Why was that ?

Tom : For most people nowadays,

           lying is a way of life.

           An honest person is

           increasingly hard to find.

Pim :  Who caused you the

           distress ?

Tom : My friend promised to

           repay a loan to me

           last Saturday but he didn’t.

Pim :  What was his excuse ?

Tom : He said he didn’t yet have

          enough money.

Pim : There are financial problems

          allover the country these days.

          Maybe he’s really facing a

           financial crisis himself.

Tom : But he just bought a brand

           new car last week.  He has

           broken his promise three times

           now.  Is lying a way of his life ?

           I often lend him a hand when

           he has a hard time.  When he

           needs to borrow money from

           me, I always lend him some.

           Last week he could afford a

           new car, but he didn’t repay

           money tome even though he

           had promised to do so.

Pim :  Did you sign an agreement

           on this loan ?

Tom : No, he is my close friend.

           If I hadn’t trusted him, I

           wouldn’t have lent him the

           money.  I’m very much

           disappointed in him.

Pim :  Any borrower who doesn’t

           pay the lender back or

           procrastinate about paying

           back his debt is undoubtedly

           doing evil.  However, if you

           realize the Three Common

           Characteristics of Existence,

           you won’t feel let down.

           Do you remember the Three

           Characteristics of Existence

           I explained to you ? 

Tom : Sure.  Nothing will last

           forever.

Pim :  All right.  In the Buddhist

           Scriptures it is said :

           All compounded things are

           impermanent.  All

           compounded things are

           unsatisfactory.  All dhammas

           (things) are not-self.  Once

           we accept that  our bodies

           are impermanent, that our

           minds are subject to constant

           change,we will understand

           why our relations with other

           individuals are subject to the

           characteristic of impermanent

           and change: friends become

           enemies, enemies become

           friends,cousins become

           enemies,enemies become

           cousins;our spouses even

           become our cruel enemies

           when our marriage fails.

           Once we ponder the

           characteristic of

           impermanence,we won’t

           attach tightly to our

           possessions.  Thus we won’t

           feel let down and

           unsatisfactory.

Tom : I earn money to support my

           family, not as charity for a

           debtor.

Pim :  Let’s concentrate on what’s

           to be done next and let

           bygones be bygones.

           It’s true that the neutral

           mind is full of wisdom and

           compassion.

Tom : What do you mean ?

Pim :  The mind is neutral when it

           exists at its permanent place

           - the center of the body.

Tom : Are you telling me to

          meditate?

Pim : That’s right.  Meditation

          will be able to lead you to

          become neutral.  Hence  

          you will be free from

          disappointment or suffering

          when you lose some of your

          possessions which are

          impermanent.  Moreover,

          your sense of compassion

          will increasingly develop.

          And now do you see that

          whatever is impermanent

          is suffering ?

Tom : Yes, that’s true. 

          Thank you very much for

          your suggestions. 

          I rejoice in your merit.

Pim : Sadhu!

Thanks & regards : AJ S. Srisopa (Cr. All Dhammateachers)  &  suffering