Great Treatise: The Present Moment and Self-Reliance — Happiness Is Not Found in a Distant Realm

 A GREAT TREATISE: THE PRESENT MOMENT AND SELF-RELIANCE — HAPPINESS IS NOT IN A DISTANT REALM

Part 1: Shattering the Illusion of Salvation and Returning to Reality

Dear friends,

We often live like thirsty travelers, endlessly chasing a river on the distant horizon, forgetting that beneath our very feet, if we are willing to dig deeply enough, an underground spring has always been flowing.

Humanity's greatest ignorance is not a lack of knowledge about the world, but a misunderstanding of the time and place where true happiness is found.

1. The Illusion of a "Pure Land" While the Mind Remains Defiled

There is a very common yet deeply risky belief that many people hold today: living carelessly, allowing the mind to remain filled with greed, hatred, and delusion in the present, while hoping that through faith alone or by reciting prayers, after the final breath they will be welcomed into a perfectly pure realm—a Pure Land.

Allow me to speak plainly:

That is a losing gamble.

The mind functions according to the law of kamma (action and its results), not according to divine favor.

If, throughout your life, you repeatedly train your mind in anger, anxiety, attachment, and craving, where will that accumulated momentum—the force of your kamma—carry you when the body breaks apart?

A tree that has leaned toward the east throughout its life will certainly fall toward the east when it is cut down. In the same way, a mind that has spent a lifetime inclining toward sensual craving cannot suddenly turn toward purity at the moment of death.

"Mind precedes all phenomena; mind is their chief; they are made by mind."
— Dhammapada, Verse 1

If your mind is a hell of restlessness and suffering right now, then even if you were placed in a heavenly paradise, you would still recreate that same hell within it.

Conversely, if your mind is peaceful, steady, and free from agitation here and now, then even while sitting amid the noise and bustle of the marketplace, that very place becomes your Pure Land.

2. Self-Reliance: Be a Lamp Unto Yourself

Many people approach the Dhamma like children searching for a caretaker. They offer flowers and fruits, praying that the Buddha or the devas will carry their suffering for them or grant them good fortune.

But dear friends, in the Pāli Canon, the Buddha never claimed to be a god who bestows blessings or punishment. He is a Teacher who points out the path. He provides the map, but whether or not you walk the path depends entirely on your own feet.

In the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, the Blessed One's final exhortation resounds like a wake-up call:

"Attadīpā viharatha, attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā."
"Dwell with yourselves as an island, with yourselves as your refuge, with no other refuge."

This principle of self-reliance demands extraordinary courage. It means:

Stop blaming. Stop blaming circumstances, other people, or fate for your suffering.
Accept responsibility. Understand that every mental affliction arises from the way your own mind reacts to conditions, not from the conditions themselves.
Purify yourself. No one can cleanse your mind except you. Holy water and religious rituals cannot wash away greed, hatred, or jealousy. Only the training that you personally cultivate through Virtue (Sīla), Concentration (Samādhi), and Wisdom (Paññā) can accomplish that.

3. "Sandiṭṭhiko" — Here and Now, or Never

Why do we fear the present and constantly flee into the future?

Because the present is often not the way we want it to be.

Yet running away from what is unsatisfactory is itself the very origin of dukkha—suffering.

Throughout the Pāli Canon, the Buddha describes the Dhamma as Sandiṭṭhiko, meaning "visible here and now," "directly verifiable," or "to be experienced in this very life."

True happiness is not a ticket promised for after death.

If your practice is genuine, peace should arise the very moment you let go of a thought rooted in greed or hatred.

When you breathe in and clearly know, "I am breathing in," that peace is real—immediate and directly experienced.

When you sincerely forgive someone, the burden falls away at that very moment.

That is the Pure Land.

The Pure Land is the absence of mental defilements in the present moment.

Do not search for a flesh-and-blood Buddha to save you.

Instead, discover the "Buddha" within your own mind—the clear knowing, the awakened awareness, the inner serenity that remains unmoved amid changing conditions.

When your mind is no longer shaken by the Eight Worldly Conditions—gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, pleasure and pain—you have already begun to establish a Pure Land here in this very world.

Part 2: The Mechanism of the Mind and the Art of Remaining Steady Amid the World

Dear friends,

To cultivate self-reliance, we do not necessarily need to retreat into deep forests or mountain caves (although such places can be beneficial during the early stages of practice). What we truly need is to understand the way our own mind functions.

The Buddha taught that, in essence, the entire world is found within this very body—together with its mind and feelings.

1. The Mind Is Like Water; Conditions Are Like the Wind

Imagine that your original mind is like a clear, still lake filled with pure rainwater.

The natural quality of water is calmness.

So why does the lake become disturbed? Why does the water become muddy?

Because of the wind.

In the Dhamma, the "wind" represents the external sense objects—praise and blame, sounds, sights, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects. When the wind blows, the surface of the water ripples.

A favorable wind (praise, gain, success) gives rise to the waves of greed (Lobha).
An unfavorable wind (criticism, loss, disappointment) gives rise to the waves of hatred (Dosa).

Our greatest mistake is trying to stop the wind from blowing.

We exhaust ourselves trying to silence those who criticize us, or endlessly accumulate wealth and possessions in the hope of satisfying ourselves.

But dear friends, the wind belongs to nature, and worldly conditions belong to the world. How could we possibly prevent them from arising?

Self-reliance means this:

Instead of praying for the wind to stop blowing, train the water not to be disturbed by the wind.

Or, more profoundly, recognize that the waves are only movements on the surface—the true nature of the water remains unchanged.

2. The Six Sense Doors—Where the Battle Begins

The Pure Land and hell are not distant places.

They are determined at the Six Sense Bases—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—when they come into contact with their corresponding objects.

In the Pāli Canon, the Buddha compares the six sense faculties to the six gates of a fortified city.

The enemy—mental defilements—is always waiting for an opportunity to enter through these gates.

The eye sees an attractive form → the mind delights in it → craving to possess it arises → suffering follows through attachment.
The ear hears harsh or insulting words → displeasure arises → the urge to resist or retaliate appears → suffering follows through hatred.

A person without training—without self-reliance—is like a house whose doors are left wide open. Anyone may enter. Garbage and fragrant flowers alike are carried inside by the wind, leaving the owner in constant confusion.

A practitioner, however, places a gatekeeper at every entrance.

That gatekeeper is called Mindfulness (Sati).

"One who truly guards virtue is not merely someone who keeps robes neat and orderly. One who truly guards virtue is one who watches over the six sense faculties, preventing greed and hatred from entering whenever they come into contact with the world."

3. The Secret of Unshakable Equanimity

Drawing upon the essential spirit of the Dhamma on inner stability, I would like to share with you the most important key:

See everything as "just as it is."

We suffer because we place labels upon experience.

Take illness as an example.

An untrained person: "Why me? This hurts so much! I want it to stop immediately! This is unfair!"
This is the second arrow striking an already wounded body.
A person who has cultivated self-reliance: "This body is experiencing pain. This is the natural law of impermanence. This pain has arisen, and in time it will pass away."

Unshakable equanimity does not mean becoming numb or emotionless.

You still recognize beauty, appreciate pleasant sounds, and feel physical pain.

But you no longer add craving or aversion to those experiences.

You see a beautiful flower. You know it is beautiful, yet no desire arises to pick it and make it your own.
You see delicious food. You know it is delicious, yet you do not consume it greedily out of attachment.

At this point, the mind becomes like a mirror.

A mirror reflects a dog, a tree, a pile of dirt, or a precious jewel with perfect honesty.

Yet once the object has passed, the mirror retains none of those images. Nor does it complain that the dirt is less beautiful than the jewel.

That is freedom.

That is the Pure Land present here and now.

4. Do Not Seek Peace—Seek the Truth

Many people practice the Dhamma with the mentality of making a bargain.

They invest a little effort in chanting or religious practice in the hope of receiving peace and happiness in return.

But if you practice merely to obtain pleasant feelings, then when unpleasant experiences inevitably arise—and they certainly will—you will collapse.

Remember this well:

Worldly happiness and worldly suffering are simply two ends of the same snake.

One end is suffering.
The other end is worldly happiness.

If you grasp the tail—worldly happiness—the snake will eventually turn around and bite you.

Why?

Because every worldly pleasure is impermanent. When it inevitably fades away, suffering follows.

True liberation is found in letting go of the entire snake.

Do not chase pleasure.

Do not flee from pain.

Simply know.

That knowing is wisdom (Paññā)—the lamp of self-reliance that illuminates the darkness of ignorance.

Part 3: Turning Mud into Lotus Blossoms — Practicing the Dhamma in Everyday Life

Dear friends,

The Dhamma is not found merely in books. It is revealed in the way you respond when you are stuck in traffic, when your supervisor criticizes you, or when someone close to you turns away.

Self-reliance is the ability to remain firmly on your own feet in the midst of the storm—not to pray for the storm to disappear.

1. Adversity Is the Fertilizer for the Tree of Wisdom

We naturally prefer sweetness and reject bitterness.

When happiness comes, we cling to it.

When suffering appears, we push it away.

Yet in the heart of genuine insight meditation, dukkha (suffering) is the raw material from which awakening is cultivated.

A lotus cannot grow from diamonds or precious jewels.

A lotus grows only from mud.

The mud is your defilements, your unwholesome habits, criticism from others, disappointments, and failures.
The lotus is the serenity and wisdom that clearly sees the true nature of these experiences.

If you wish for a life without adversity, you are wishing for a pond without mud—a place where the lotus of wisdom can never bloom.

Instead of praying,

"May I never encounter misfortune,"

the wise person who cultivates self-reliance reflects:

"Let events unfold as they do. If they are favorable, I will learn humility. If they are difficult, I will cultivate patience and endurance."

That is the true spirit of unshakable stability.

2. Do Not Become a Guest in Your Own House

Drawing upon a timeless analogy often used by accomplished meditation masters:

Your mind is like a house.

The homeowner is knowing awareness—the clear and mindful awareness that observes experience.
The guests are emotions—joy, sadness, anger, fear, and anxiety—which come and go.

The problem for most of us is this:

When a guest named Sadness knocks on the door, we—the homeowner—immediately run outside, embrace the guest, invite him to sit in the master's chair, and begin weeping together with him.

We forget that we are the owner and allow the guest to take control of the house.

When anger arrives, we identify with it and say,

"I am angry."

But this is a misunderstanding.

You are not the anger.

You are the one who is aware of anger.

Practice of Self-Reliance

When a powerful emotion suddenly arises, take one step back in your mind and greet it:

"Ah, anger has come to visit again. You are welcome to sit for a while, but I will not serve you tea. When you are ready to leave, you may leave."

Do not push it away.

Do not cling to it.

Simply observe.

When the guest finds that the homeowner neither indulges nor rejects it, the guest eventually loses interest and departs on its own.

Such is the natural law of arising and passing away.

3. Breaking the Shell of Outward Appearances (The Robe Does Not Make the Monk)

In connection with common misunderstandings about discipline and outward appearance, let me emphasize a simple yet profound truth:

Liberation does not depend on the clothes you wear or the title you carry.

A person may shave the head and wear monastic robes, yet if the mind remains filled with greed, craving, and hatred, that person is still an ordinary worldling with a shaved head.

Conversely, someone dressed in ordinary clothing, living amid the dust of worldly life, yet maintaining pure virtue and a mind free from attachment, is practicing the Dhamma in the true spirit.

Do not be misled by promises of an easily attained Pure Land through chanting or making offerings alone while leaving the mind unchanged.

If the mouth recites the Buddha's name while the mind continues to harbor ill will, harmful intentions, sensual craving, greed, hatred, and delusion, then the distance to genuine purity remains immeasurable.
But if the mind is pure, content, and filled with loving-kindness, then the Pure Land is present right here—at the tip of your nose, within this very breath.

The precepts are not chains meant to imprison you.

They are protective guardrails that keep you from falling into the abyss.

One who keeps the precepts is practicing the highest form of self-reliance, for such a person overcomes the ordinary temptations of the untrained mind.

4. Your Work Is Your Practice

Many people complain,

"I'm too busy. I don't have time to practice the Dhamma."

Dear friends,

If you separate daily life from practice, you will never truly discover the Dhamma.

Throughout the Pāli Canon, mindfulness is to be maintained in every posture and every movement—walking, standing, sitting, lying down, bending, stretching, and carrying out daily activities.

When washing dishes: Do not wash them merely so you can finish and move on to drinking tea. Wash the dishes simply to wash the dishes. Feel the water, the bowl, and the process of cleaning. That is meditation.
When working: Give your full effort. Fulfill your responsibilities wholeheartedly, yet do not cling to success or failure, praise or blame. When the work is done, let it go and allow the mind to remain light and unburdened.

If you search for the Pure Land somewhere in the future, you are losing the only life you truly possess.

Life exists only in this present moment.

Do not become an empty shell—physically present here while the mind wanders anxiously toward tomorrow or remains trapped in yesterday.

Dear friends,

We have now explored how to relate wisely to both our inner world and the world around us.

Yet the highest expression of self-reliance and the culmination of liberation rests upon a single principle that the Buddha repeatedly emphasized.

If you truly understand this principle, you grasp the very heart of the entire Tipiṭaka.

That principle is Renunciation (Nekkhamma) and the realization of Non-self (Anattā).

Part 4: The Ultimate Path—Letting Go of the Very "Self" That Is Practicing

1. The Subtle Humor of Refined Craving

As we begin to cultivate self-reliance, we sincerely strive to practice well—to keep the precepts carefully, develop deep concentration, and serve others wholeheartedly.

Yet if, deep within the mind, there remains the thought,

"I am a better practitioner than others," or

"I deserve Nibbāna because of everything I have accomplished,"

then we have fallen into one of the most subtle forms of craving: conceit (Māna).

Most people are able to let go of wealth and status.

Yet they cling tightly to the very idea that they have let go.

True letting go means letting go even of the hand that is letting go.

If you become attached to the peace experienced during meditation, that very peace becomes another burden.

When it disappears—as it inevitably will, because it too is impermanent—you suffer all the more.

That is precisely why the Buddha taught Non-self (Anattā).

2. Non-self (Anattā)—The Truth That Liberates

Self-reliance is not merely the personal determination to practice.

Its highest expression is the wisdom that clearly sees there is ultimately no permanent "person" who is practicing.

Observe this body.

It is merely a combination of earth, water, fire, and air—subject to impermanence.

Observe this mind.

It is nothing more than a continuously changing stream of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

It too is impermanent.

Then ask yourself:

Where is the "I"?

What we call "I" is only a conventional designation—a temporary label placed upon the ever-changing process of the Five Aggregates (Khandhas).

When you truly see that every phenomenon—whether joy or sorrow, purity or defilement—is non-self, with nothing worthy of clinging to, attachment naturally fades away.

Even attachment to spiritual practice itself comes to an end.

In the Pheṇapiṇḍūpama Sutta (The Discourse on the Lump of Foam), the Buddha compares conditioned phenomena to a lump of foam, a water bubble, a mirage, the trunk of a banana tree, and a magical illusion.

Within them, no enduring self can be found.

3. Nibbāna Is to Be Realized Here and Now

We began this treatise by saying that true happiness is not found in a distant Pure Land.

We now conclude with an even deeper truth:

Nibbāna is the highest happiness, and it can be directly realized here and now.

Nibbāna is not a heavenly paradise where one possesses an immortal body and dwells beside Amitābha Buddha.

That would still be another form of existence (bhava), still subject to the cycle of birth and death.

Nibbāna is the extinguishing of greed (Lobha), hatred (Dosa), and delusion (Moha).

"The ending of greed, the ending of hatred, the ending of delusion—this, bhikkhus, is called Nibbāna."
— Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya

If, in this very moment, the mind is completely free from greed, hatred, and delusion, then Nibbāna is present.

This is where the Present Moment and Self-Reliance become one.

Self-reliance: You use your own wisdom (Paññā) to recognize the danger of greed, hatred, and delusion.
The Present Moment: You extinguish those fires within this very moment.

Unshakable equanimity is the living expression of Nibbāna in everyday life—a mind that remains unmoved by gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, pleasure and pain.

It does not wait for salvation through any external power, because there is no permanent "self" left that needs to be saved.

(If you would like to study Nibbāna in greater depth, you may refer to my earlier articles on this subject.)

Dear friends,

This path rests entirely upon your own mindfulness in the present moment, upon the strength of self-reliance, and upon the light of wisdom that sees the truth of Non-self (Anattā).

May this Great Treatise help you realize one simple yet profound truth:

You do not need to go anywhere.

You have already arrived home.

— True Dhamma —