Food For Thought

No man can reach the state of perfect happiness unless he brings his coveting heart and mind under complete or proper control. So long as he seeks his happiness in the satisfaction of his desires for material gains, he will never find it. In the first place he cannot obtain everything he wishes for. This is quite clear from our daily experience. What we can obtain is limited by certain conditions, which may be different according to different individuals and societies and under different circumstances. Some of us have more, others less, and a few may have a lot; still there is a certain limit to what we can obtain; and none of us can expect to obtain everything we wish for. We can never be satisfied with things which we secure; for our covetousness constantly increases. Whenever we secure one thing which we desired, we tend to crave for yet the bigger and greater things in life. This goes on without end, for there is, indeed, no end to this desire. So long as we do not do away with covetousness, which is the root of the evil in this case, we shall find no rest. A contented man will never complain of his poor conditions. Instead he adjusts his budget to conform with his condition. A dissatisfied man will find dissatisfaction even in heaps of riches. -  K. Sri Dhammananda