Q. Although I have everything that a normal person could desire, I am still not happy. I always have the feeling that all this is very transient and as a result I’m in perpetual anxiety. What can I do?

A. In fact, the historical Buddha had the same challenge about 2,500 years ago as you do now. Although he, as a prince, had everything that a normal person could enjoy, he couldn’t be free from the question ‘How can I escape from birth, ageing, illness and death?’. The truth that he realised as a result of practising hard for six years was that all the suffering we undergo results from our failing to see things as they are.

The reason why you feel that all you have is transient and are in perpetual anxiety is that you can see nothing but transient things. This means that you are deluded by illusions. You can surmount the anxiety that you say you are in by seeing beyond what is transient when seeing things. Seeing beyond what is transient is no other than seeing everything as it is. 

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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