Some Truths of Wise People

1 They try to have a good motivation for whatever they do

-good motivation is anything which helps other people, animals, insects, and so on

-we might be able to give a little happiness or relief from suffering to someone who needs it

2 They try not to give in to the urge for immediate gratification

-we are putting ourselves in a position for better quality pleasure and happiness

-letting go of the urge for immediate gratification , even deliberately making the effort not to indulge, loosens up the addiction or habit trap

3 They realize that life is too short to spend it being miserable, angry, depressed, jealous, and so on

-it’s much better to investigate why we feel these miserable states and do something about them

-we must make sure that our mind or soul is in a good position for a positive life after death

-since we don’t know when we are going to die, it makes sense to be prepared

4 They develop useful, positive habits

-pride, jealousy, anger, and depression happen when we let go of control over our mind and assume that we are more important than anyone else

-one of the most important habits to develop is the thought that all these negative emotions come from our one’s own mind, from our egos

-habits can be good and useful, and when we try to change our destructive behavior into positive behavior, it may seem hard at first

-instead of wanting everyone to love us, we can learn to love everyone else, instead of getting upset with the least bit of discomfort, we can learn to tolerate it for the time being

5 They recognize the ego for what it is, a mere story that they have made up about themselves

-understanding the ego as a story means that I can be open to change, my external circumstances are always changing, I can change my story, nothing is fixed

6 They cherish others as much as, or more than, they cherished themselves

-when we have an addiction to something, and it could be anything, we are totally focused on ourselves and our own needs

-what would happen if, instead, we became as focused on the needs of other people?

-when you change your object of concern to another sentient being, there is suddenly peace in the very depths of your heart

-at the very moment that your mind changes from self-cherishing to cherishing others, there is liberation, freedom from the tight bondage of the selfish mind

7 They understand how difficulties like addictions are opportunities, not overwhelming obstacles

-as we work on the suffering we experience as a result of addiction and habit, then we acquire skills that otherwise we probably would not develop, we become wiser and more considerate of others

-we develop a natural wish to benefit others instead of harming them, and we look for effective ways to do this

-our “enemies” have actually been excellent teachers, even though that is probably not what they intended, we may have benefited from them, we may be able to say thank you, this is the mind behind forgiveness