The Life of the Buddha: - A true and readable guide by a Zen Master -

For sure, everyone wishes to live freely, full of confidence without anxiety. Pitiful are people who live in the midst of war or are affected by terrorism, panting for their unbearable suffering. There are countless children who are born in such a world unintentionally and are in extreme difficulties.On the other hand, there are disrespectful people who indulge in extreme lavishness, who cleverly commit evil and monopolize wealth.In reality, there is such a huge disparity and such an excessive gap in the level of personality that they worry us gravely. The human destiny is really unpredictable. There is a hope as well as an outcry in our life. Maybe this is true for everyone.We must avoid a catastrophe of the entire mankind, without arguing about it. Our world should not be one where a man kills another. For human dignity, we have to strive to eradicate such misery and reduce the ugly disparity. That is so straightforward! Everyone knows it. Then why is it that we are unable to do what is absolutely necessary? How can a person murder someone who is a good citizen and is totally unrelated to himself? How can a person in an important position openly deceive the whole society? An honest person cannot do it. Human beings are so strange.The point is that we do not know the true cause, and, therefore, we do not know how to solve it. That is why we are unable to develop fundamental countermeasures. Many geniuses have studied and contemplated on this problem, but the world is getting ever more dangerous. This suggests that mere thought or the latest science and technology cannot solve it. If this is a problem that could be solved by our efforts, the world should have become peaceful long time ago. The fact that it has not means that external conditions do not work for a solution. This is because our focus has been fundamentally off the mark.The problem of today’s world is the problem of ‘mind.’ All the problems originate from the ‘mind’ of individuals. The ‘mind’ is where everything begins.Then, what is the ‘mind’? What is the true nature of the ‘mind’? This is where things get somewhat complicated, and interesting.You have lost your wallet while traveling. You remain peaceful when you do not realize that you have lost it, because you are not aware of it. Once you realize that you have lost it, however, a problem arises. This is the point. To be aware of ‘knowing’ it is very important, but who is it who ‘knows’ it? When you clarify this point, your ‘mind’ becomes clear and you no longer get confused by your ‘mind.’