How to transform suffering and happiness into wisdom and compassion
by Monk Yongsu
When you allow sadness to come up, it passes and you realize its insubstantial nature. Transform your sorrow into wisdom. Learn impermanence and emptiness from your own sorrow.
When you recognize sadness when it comes up, knowing that many people are just as sad as you is what transforms sadness into compassion. You learn compassion with your own sadness.
When you are angry, noticing your anger allows you to be angry. You realize that anger is just energy, neither good nor bad. You transform your anger into wisdom. Your anger becomes a resource for wisdom.
When I’m angry, I can empathize with people who are struggling with the same anger I am. I can transform my anger into compassion. I can recognize the pain of others through my own pain.
When you’re in pain, it’s a great opportunity to look at the airport nature of pain. Pain is only a feeling, and all feelings are insubstantial. With an examining and analyzing mind, we can transform pain into wisdom.
When I’m in pain, I can understand the pain of others. It’s not hard to be compassionate with my own pain.
When I notice joy, I experience it vividly, but I don’t get attached to it. I realize that it’s just a feeling, so I transform it into wisdom.
When I have joy, I transform it into compassion because I want all sentient beings to be equally joyful as I am.
The path is wisdom and compassion. The mind that arises here and now is wisdom and compassion. Don’t look for practice elsewhere; suffering is wisdom, and suffering is healing.
By. 용수스님
