We know that desire is the devil within everyone's heart. Many people end up in prison because they couldn't resist the devil within and committed crimes! To resist the devil within, we should learn to be content!
Contentment is a state of mind, a carefree attitude, facing life's ups and downs with equanimity, a state of mind as smooth as flowing water. Contentment brings happiness, which is also a kind of wisdom, an understanding of life. Content people don't have unreasonable pursuits.
Most of us are ordinary people, unable to transcend to become saints, and thus, we are driven by desires, constantly striving. Some hope to have more money, some hope to have a bigger career, some hope to have a higher official position… In short, everyone has great desires. However, desire is a bottomless abyss. Once controlled by desire, one inevitably becomes burdened by power, burdened by fame, and entangled in all things unpleasant. As a philosopher said: For the insatiable, no chair is comfortable. Furthermore, if desires are not satisfied, one can become cynical, irritable, full of complaints, and resentful, living a life of frustration, annoyance, and bitterness.
This shows that excessive desires and a lack of contentment can not only affect one's physical and mental health but may even ruin one's life.
In a small country lived a wealthy landowner. Although he owned vast fields, he was still not satisfied, always believing that no matter how rich he was, he could never compare to the king. Eventually, he fell ill because of this. His wife, seeing her husband so ill, unable to eat or sleep, was extremely worried. She searched the entire country for renowned doctors, but none could cure him.
One day, a psychologist came and claimed he could cure the man's illness, but he said, "It's useless, you can't cure me!" The doctor, full of confidence, said, "I can definitely cure you. Do you have many worries? Tell me everything in your heart! Whatever you want, I can definitely give you." The wealthy man, hearing this, asked with some doubt, "Can you really grant my wish? I hope to have more land and be richer than the king." The doctor said, "That's easy! XX land is vast and sparsely populated. A monk claims that as long as someone is willing to go to the Western Pure Land, they can get as much land as they want, without spending a penny." Upon hearing this news, the wealthy man immediately jumped out of bed, and his illness was cured.
He then instructed his wife to prepare a change of clothes and set off for XX land. He arrived in XX land, met the monk, and successfully made his request. The monk kindly agreed and asked, "How much land do you want?" He thought to himself: If I ask for too much, I'll be embarrassed to ask; if I ask for too little, it'll be a waste of this long journey. I really don't know how to ask.
Seeing his silence, the monk understood his intention and said, "Begin your journey at dawn tomorrow, and return before sunset. All the land you traverse will be yours." He was overjoyed and immediately set off eastward at daybreak. By noon, he had crossed a mountain in one breath. Looking ahead, he saw a mountain even flatter and more beautiful than the one before him. Without even having time to drink water, he continued running. By the time he reached another mountain, the sun was already setting. He kept telling himself that he only needed to cross one more mountain, constantly urging himself onward. When he looked up at the sky, the sun was almost setting. He was extremely anxious, thinking of all the beautiful land ahead, but he couldn't afford not to return before sunset. He had no choice but to turn back immediately. When he returned to the
monk, he was completely out of breath, his legs gave way, and he knelt down. The monk asked him, "How much land have you traversed?" He replied, "Not... much!" With that, his head drooped, he couldn't catch his breath, and died.
Seeing this man's greed, still unsatisfied even in death, the monk shook his head and said to his disciple, "Bury him properly! No matter how rich he was, once he dies, he's nothing more than a handful of earth!"
A person's happiness has little to do with material possessions; the key lies in their heart. The ancients said, "Contentment brings happiness." Whether a person can have a positive attitude depends on whether they can break free from the shackles of desire and resist the demons within.
Contentment brings happiness, so maintain an optimistic and contented mindset, and you will be closer to happiness, and you will be happy for a lifetime.
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