[One Thousand Characters a Day] Diamond Sutra for Humanities Readers <5>

Editor's NoteWe live in a world edited around the 'self.' The way we see the world changes depending on our environment, conditions, and experiences. Even the same scenery looks different depending on our state of mind, but can we say that this world truly exists as it appears to our eyes? We are all merely seeing the image reflected in our own minds. And that mind is nothing more than a momentary event that shines and disappears according to causes and conditions. "All conditioned phenomena / Are like a dream, an illusion, a shadow, / Like dew or a flash of lightning? / Thus should they be observed." The mind is not eternal; it inevitably vanishes like a dream or dew. The Diamond Sutra teaches us not to cling to this and suffer from desire and attachment. Text length: 842 characters.

We have only been taught to find ourselves, but never to empty ourselves. While others are busy creating impressive images, I feel like I might be in big trouble if I empty myself alone. With new information and videos flooding in every moment, I cannot take my eyes off my smartphone even for a second. There is no time to look into my own mind. This is not just a problem for students. For a long time now, smartphones and earphones have become essentials for all office workers, including myself, during commutes. We cannot rest even for a moment, afraid of falling behind in the flood of information.

Rather, it is when we let go of the desire to find ourselves and look around that we can discover our true selves and happiness. Although it does not exactly correspond to the commonly used term 'happiness,' among Buddhist terms, 'joy (樂, sukha),' which refers to satisfaction or delight, seems relatively close to happiness. In the Dhammapada, one of the early scriptures, happiness is described as having a body free of disease, a mind free of desire and hatred, and no hunger. A wise person is one who knows how to govern oneself, does not compare oneself to others, and whose mind is not shaken by others' praise or criticism. There is no sense of superiority from being better than others, nor self-deprecation from being worse. Even the mind that lowers oneself can be seen as another expression of the desire to be superior through comparison with others.

In fact, human happiness does not require much. The well-known 'Easterlin Paradox' shows that happiness does not increase proportionally with income. Happiness lies in the heart that knows contentment with little, the mind of so-yok-ji-jok (少欲知足). We should not seek happiness by chasing the colors of a happy world outward.

- Kim Sung-ok, The Diamond Sutra for Humanities Readers, Bulgwang Publishing, 16,000 KRW