The Art of Discernment in Life’s Choices

The entire world is ceaselessly arising, ceasing, and changing, ultimately dissolving into emptiness. How much more so our insignificant physical bodies, which cannot exist independently, change even more rapidly, and are even less capable of enduring. Our daily fixation on ourselves and everything around us is truly unnecessary.

Sooner or later, every individual will vanish and perish. While life still exists, focus on the great matter of life and death. Do not haggle over trivial, unimportant matters. Matters like eating, drinking, excretion—these are not important. Matters like fame and material gain—these are not important. Whether life is affluent or smooth, satisfying or not—these are not important. What truly matters is what happens after death, what happens in the next life. Once life ends, all experiences and encounters of this world become fleeting clouds, devoid of meaning. All intense conflicts, disputes, judgments of right and wrong about others and oneself—all vanish like smoke and disperse like mist, becoming insignificant. It is better to spend more time diligently focusing on what one can carry into future lives, to accumulate more provisions for the afterlife. That which cannot be taken along, cease wasting mental effort on it.

When you feel life is smooth and carefree, your family harmonious and blissful, your career successful, your reputation and influence growing, and you feel satisfied because of this—this is when greed and attachment have succeeded, when you have become lost. Your pursuit is misdirected, and you have lost your center of gravity. When one day all this vanishes, you will experience pain and a sense of loss, becoming dejected and disheartened. Instead, seize the opportunity while in your prime to pursue the path of enlightenment. Attain everything without striving for it; possess everything yet remain unattached. Achieve inner liberation and ease, yet without a sense of having attained liberation or ease. This is Sukhavati—the Land of Ultimate Bliss.