Simple Truth: A teaching by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Every thought, every action – i.e. every step we take is for happiness. Even eating bittergaut* for example is for some kind of satisfaction. Yes, everything is for happiness.

Happiness is the end. And the Buddhist term for happiness – the ultimate happiness that is, is nirvana. But how do we get there? There are many different ways. Many thinkers thought that we can reach it through materialism. But if you want to have happiness, you have to know the truth. This truth isn’t any divine, god-made, beyond-ordinary truth. It is a very simple truth.

We’re all born; we all die – and this is the incorruptible truth. We know many people have died before us – but we forget this after a while.

And yes, everything in this world is designed to take us away from the truth. We call people who plan ahead a visionary person, a person with good management, but we don’t even know if we are going to live until that time. And when we say ‘long’ we mean forever. We have to plan, but we have to keep reminding ourselves of the truth. If we have this alarm set on all the time, it will help us economically, as well as environmentally. This will bring a balance in everything.

View, the truth, such as death is important but to live with it is difficult. To achieve this, we need to meditate. Truth of impermanence of death is only one aspect of the truth. Then, what is the whole truth? Everything by nature is perfect – and this is the truth. The primordial perfection is the truth. This truth is too simple to believe, too close to see. We can achieve it only by doing nothing – by not touching it, or trying to alter or distort it.

The quintessence of Buddhist teaching is to keep things as they are – undisturbed – without fabrication and manipulation. You don’t have to leave behind the life you lead now to be enlightened. You feel you should leave your job and lead an ascetic life of a monk because you hold Milarepa and the like as your model. But there are many like Ashoka for example, who led a worldly life and still was enlightened. What is important is perseverance and consistency.

We are always trying to secure ourselves from problem that may or may not come. But then, how do we solve the problem? The problem that the ‘I’ creates? The answer is to just watch. Don’t try to find solution, simply let it be and watch. Mind can be destructed and the destruction of mind is enlightenment. Don’t judge – just watch. Break the habit of finding solutions to problems and just watch. This is Buddhism.

* Curious about what is Bittergout? What I've found out in an asian mum's center advice list: " Put a little bit of bitter gaut on his thumb.. He will suck and slowly lose the habit of thumb sucking.. Hehe it works for my nephew! :)", just like that, I guess must be something bitter or weird to taste, LOL:)