Thought 105: There is sorrow in Samsaara (world)

There is sorrow in Samsaara (world) – a lot of it. We are willing to experience any amount of happiness – and we never complain about it. We always welcome it enthusiastically. We always want happiness. Unfortunately in Samsaara, we are not served unmixed happiness. If we want happiness, we must also be willing to accept some measure of sorrow also. Happiness and sorrow together are known as Dualities (called Dvandvas in Sanskrit). Dualities like heat and cold, happiness and sorrow do not occur singly. They always occur in pairs; if one occurs, the other is not far behind. However, no one wants sorrow; not even a tiny amount. They welcome, however, any amount of happiness.

In life, we cannot say that we accept only the assets but not the liabilities. You have to accept both assets and liabilities together or none at all. It is the same thing with happiness and sorrow too. The irony of life in Samsaara is that we get a lot more of sorrow and a lot less of happiness than desired. Unfortunately this is the nature of all life on this planet.

The next thought is about “Sorrow is illegitimate”