Dear Y.E.S.S.,
I feel lost, my life has no direction and things keep puling up and going wrong for me. I wish I had a belief system that gave me strengthen or at least relaxation and purpose to my life. Do you think Buddhism is a good religion to help me with my problem? Can you tell me how I should get started?Dear Looking For Happiness,
We will experience many sufferings throughout our lives. Those sufferings come upon us one after another to distress us. Sufferings are like a wheel. There are two kinds of wheels. One is a poorly-made wheel and the other is a well-made wheel. A well-made wheel has it=s an axle right in the center of the wheel. So, it moves smoothly like bicycles or cars. On the other hand, a poorly-made wheel does not have an axle in the center. So it does not move smoothly.
Our life is like a poorly-made wheel. Although we try to satisfy our desires, we are always suffering. Our lives do not go as we wish all the time. Buddhism teaches us to face our sufferings or problems. Buddhism teaches us how to end suffering.
The Buddhist religion helps us in many ways. It helps us to solve everyday problems in a calm and more peaceful manner. Through the Buddha=s teachings such as Eightfold Path, we practice that by our choice of words, deeds, and thoughts we are responsible for our happiness or unhappiness. If you really are interested in learning more about how Buddhism can help you in your daily life, please come to temple every Sunday and listen to the teachings.