1 LIFE’S PROBLEMS… A Story To Reflect On

2 As I jumped off from the 11 th Floor of the building … I saw the known loving couple in the 10 th Floor hitting each other. “In life, there will be times of happiness and pleasure and times of sorrow and pain.”

3 In the 9 th Floor, I saw the usually tough and strong Peter crying… “No unenlightened being is free from the suffering that comes with existence …realizing this Truth is one step to spiritual wisdom.”

4 In the 8 th Floor, Ah Mei just found out her fiancee is sleeping with her best friend… “In life, sometimes things that you do not expect or want, happen and things that you wish for or want, do not happen …a realization of this helps one to cope and be more at peace with oneself.”

5 In the 7 th Floor, Dan is taking her daily anti- depression medicine… “The greater our ignorance and delusion, the more we will suffer mentally or psychologically.”

6 In the 6 th Floor, jobless Heng still buys 7 newspapers to search for a job every day. “Do we realize that there are more unfortunate ones in the world compared to us? When will we see things more clearly and count our Blessings?”

7 In the 5 th Floor, much respected Mr. Wong is trying his wife’s undergarment. “We may not know, but so many are tormented by psychological problems and aberrations.”

8 In the 4 th Floor, Rose is again fighting with the boyfriend. “When Compassion and Wisdom grow in us, we will suffer less from arguments, conflicts, quarrels and fights”.

9 In the 3 rd Floor, every day the old man is hoping someone would come by and pay him a visit. “So many in the world are suffering from the ‘Mental Dis-Ease’ of restlessness, boredom, remorse, guilt, worry, and loneliness.”

10 In the 2 nd Floor, Lily is still staring at the picture of her lost husband since half a year ago. “There is Suffering in old age, sickness and death … when there is realization of the inevitability of this, one can cope with life better and one can attain greater mental peace.”

11 Before I jumped off from the building, I thought I was the most unlucky person. “In life, Right View and Attitude, Right Thought, Right Effort and the cultivation of Compassion and Wisdom will lessen our Suffering.”

12 Now I just realized that everyone has their own problems and worries. “Every human being is subjected to the dualistic conditions of * Pleasure and Pain * Gain and Loss * Praise and Blame * Honor and Dishonor”

13 After I had seen all these, I found out, in fact, I wasn’t that bad at all. “The Right Attitude and being able to see the way things really are in life, will lead us to more and more mental peace and freedom.”

14 The people that I saw just now are looking at me now. “When there is Right Understanding of the Nature of Life and the mind is calm, mindful and clear, insight and wisdom arise and we would not resort to foolish actions.”

15 I think after they see me now, they might feel they are not that bad after all. DUKKHA ( Suffering, Conflict, Problems, Unsatisfactoriness ) is inherent in Existence. There is a Spiritual Path out of this. Seek and Realize it.

16 “LIFE’S PROBLEMS” … The End May we walk the Spiritual Path and attain Bliss, Peace and Freedom of the Mind. With Metta, Bro. Oh Teik Bin