Samtusta

 Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Lao Tzu

The cause of suffering

I am still pondering the idea of craving and resistance to what is as the source of all our suffering. I am thinking about how we, as a collective, are conditioned to seek "out there"  for that which will bring the pleasant within us and that which will keep the unpleasant out of what we believe are our personal lives. All this grasping, clinging or pushing away will not solve our so called problems or give us what we are seeking.  With each thing we get, we are happy for a moment, relieved from pain for a moment, but it doesn't last. We get that, right? Yet, the craving and resistance will not stop until we do.  

We believe that the "not having" the things that we assume will  bring relief from pain, or that will bring us closer to pleasure in the form of fulfillment, happiness and contentment is the "problem".  If we do not have enough money...that's a problem.  If we don't have enough success...that's a problem.  If we do not have enough recognition or social status...that is a problem.  If we do not live in the right house, or drive the right car...that is a problem.  If we do not have a loving partner...that is a problem.  If we don't have the same experiences everyone seems to be having on our social media pages...that is a problem.  If life isn't unfolding in front of us the way we think it "should" be...that is a problem.   If we don't feel good all the time...that is a  problem.  I can assure you...these things are not the problem.  

Nothing Out There Is the Problem; Craving Is

Nothing out there is the problem and nothing out there is the solution.  It is an internal game.  Our minds are the problem. Our thoughts, beliefs and mixed up emotions create, in many of us, a very stormy internal environment. We often feel, as separate little selves,  like we are not enough.  That we must defend and attack our way to achieving that which will make us feel okay.   That is why the Buddha said 

...I do not envision one other fetter-fettered by which beings conjoined go wandering and transmigrating for a long, long time-like the fetter of craving

Hmm! 

Samtusta

The thing is we already have all the conditions we need to be happy and free from suffering within us. We just do not  realize that because we are too busy chasing after all the so called remedies out there for our misconception of problem. We fail to feel that sense of contentment which is termed Samtusta in Sanskrit.

Contentment with what we have right here and right now is the ultimate experience really where we no longer feel the need to push away or seek and grasp. We just are. 

Samtusta at Christmas?

Of course, I am not there yet. lol.  I realize how much I still grasp and avert when Christmas comes.  Every year I say to myself : Christmas is about presence not presents. I try to steer away from the cultural conditioning in me and around me.  And every year I still give into it.  I gave into it this year and found myself online shopping .  Getting one thing for one person...than realizing it was not enough...adding another gift to that...and that meant adding another to another person's. It just kept building and building until  much money,(money...I do not have) was spent to create an appearance of thoughtful giving.  Now, I did make it a point to cut back on how much I bought and who I gave to this year. ...which hopefully will help.  I focused on making and creating...which takes time and yeah...maybe a bit of stress.  I have to start and finish my second baby blanket in 14 days.  Yikes! There are so many things I want to make and do for others but they do not have to be done before Christmas.  I will complete them one  project at a time...and hand them out throughout the new year to avoid at least some of this stress and suffering that can come with a commercialized version of Christmas. So it is better...my approach to dealing with this time of year...but I am definitely still caught up in the collective seasonal craving.

I wish that this year I could put a big parcel under the tree for everyone and when opened what they would find is just empty space and a tiny little card at the bottom that said "Samtusta". Upon reading that card, everyone would just experience absolute contentment with all they have right now. They would suddenly realize that they already have everything they need for  their own happiness within them.  Wouldn't that be the perfect gift?   

All is well.

Brother Freedom/Deer Park Monastery (Sept, 2021) Samtusta: Happy Enoughhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT00yZXCKfU