The Heart Changes Like the Sky

Everyone carries both 'good and evil' within their hearts.

There are days when we can be kind, and days when we envy others, get angry, and think only of our own interests.
There are days when we think only of our own benefit.

However, that is nothing unusual.

Rather, I believe it is natural as a human being.

What is important is not the fact that you have had bad feelings but rather, after that, which heart you choose to nurture.

That is what I believe.

The Buddha did not deny the human heart.

Anger, desire, confusion, and worldly passions

He looked at everything as things that arise precisely because we are human.

That is why there is a certain warmth in the Buddha's teachings.

He does not tell us to be perfect or to be pure.

He simply continued to say, Observe your heart.

Modern society is an era where the heart is easily tainted.

If you open social media, someone's success flows by.

If you watch the news, it is full of information that makes you anxious.

If you go to work, you get tired of human relationships.

In love, we hope, get hurt, and then doubt again.

We have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

In other words, we receive many stimuli every day through the six senses.

And because of those stimuli, the heart is easily shaken.

A person who was positive until yesterday may be in despair today.

Conversely, a person who thought all was lost may be saved by a single word.

The human heart is that delicate and that unstable.

That is why I believe that centering the mind is life itself.

Life's problems may seem to be on the outside, but in reality, they are within the heart.

Even with the same event, there are those who suffer and those who overcome it.

The difference may not be the event itself, but rather the state of mind.

The Buddha taught, See things as they are.

However, humans are not good at seeing things as they are.

Past experiences, preconceptions, self-interest, and emotions

We end up seeing the world through these filters of the mind.

That is precisely why I believe meditation is necessary.

Meditation is not a special ability.

It is a time to breathe quietly and observe your own mind.

It is a time to give your overthinking mind a little rest.

Modern people are far too busy.

We are always thinking about something, always comparing ourselves to something, and always being chased by something.

That is why we need time to look at the sky.

I sometimes look up at the sky before dawn.

A time when the world is still quiet and no one's voice can be heard.

Little by little, the morning glow spreads, and light begins to shine into the dark sky.

Watching that scenery, I feel that no matter how dark the night, morning will surely come.

The sunset is the same.

The setting sun looks somewhat lonely.

But that final light is surprisingly beautiful.

Perhaps humans are the same.

Those who have lived through suffering know kindness.

Those who have known loneliness can cherish others.

Those who have known tears possess words that can save others.

That is why I believe there is no wasted suffering in life.

Of course, pain is still painful.

There are days when you want to run away.

There are nights when you think, "I'm so tired."

However, those who still try to live possess truly great strength.

You don't have to be impressive.

You don't have to be successful.

Just by surviving today, you have sufficient value.

That is what I think.

In the end, the Buddha left the words, "He who is without fear and free from craving has cut off the arrow of existence.".

That also means "to be free from attachment".

The more people cling to things, the more they suffer.

The opinions of others, money, the past, regrets, vanity.

When you are too bound by these, your heart becomes clouded.

That is why I believe it is necessary to stop sometimes, breathe quietly, and look up at the sky.

The sky does not judge anyone.

The morning sun, the sunset, and the moon are simply there.

Nature teaches us about being as you are.

I have lived for 64 years.

I have failed many times, been lost many times, and there were periods when I only thought about my own self-interest.

However, people can change.

The heart can be polished.

So, if there is anyone suffering right now, please do not hate yourself.

Your heart, too, may just be in the time before dawn.

Just because it is dark does not mean it is the end.

It is darkest just before the dawn.

And beyond that, there is always light.

That is the light of courage and true hope.

Part 2: Introduction to Creator Articles (in no particular order)

From here on, these are the articles by the creators.

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