How To Smile?

There's a smile in our heart. But most of us can hardly find time to smile, can we?

We can only manage to smile when things go our way. Most people's happiness depends on having things go to their liking. They have to have everybody in the world say only pleasant things.

Is that how you find happiness? Is it possible to have everybody in the world say only pleasant things? If that's how it is when will you ever find happiness?

We must use Dhamma to find happiness. Whatever it may be, whether right or wrong, don't blindly cling to it. Just notice it then lay it down.

When the mind is at ease then you can smile. The minute you become averse to something the mind goes bad. Then nothing is good at all.


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So in order to give up evil and cultivate the good you don't have to go looking anywhere else. If your mind has gone bad, don't go looking over at this person and that person. Just look at your own mind and find out where these thoughts come from.

Why does the mind think such things? Understand that all things are transient. Love is transient, hate is transient.

Have you ever loved your children? Of course you have.

Have you ever hated them? I'll answer that for you, too... Sometimes you do, don't you?

Can you throw them away? No, you can't throw them away. Why not? Children aren't like bullets, are they? Bullets are fired outwards, but children are fired right back to the parents. If they're bad it comes back to the parents.

Your children are your kamma, they are appropriate to their owners. They are your kamma, so you must take responsibility for them. If they really give you suffering, just remind yourself, "It's my kamma." If they please you, just remind yourself, "It's my kamma."

Sometimes it gets so frustrating at home you must just want to run away. It gets so bad some people even contemplate hanging themselves! It's kamma. We have to accept the fact.

Avoid bad actions, then you will be able to see yourself more clearly.


Extract from: Making the Heart Good, by Venerable Ajahn Chah