Hello everyone 👋
This week is my youngest son's school holiday. When I got up this morning, I felt especially relaxed and especially happy. So I lazily sat on the sofa at home and happened to flip through an old Buddhist book. As I read a few pages, I came across a passage that struck me as very meaningful. I’d like to borrow these words as an offering — and share them with all of you.

"In this lifetime, are you trying to win over others, or to cultivate yourself?"

Many people live their whole lives as if they are participating in an endless competition: competing in grades, competing in work, competing in wealth, competing in family, even competing over who is happier.
 We often think that surpassing others means success, and being envied by others means happiness. But have you ever calmed down and thought — constantly comparing outwardly only makes you feel more and more empty; only by cultivating inwardly will your life become more and more stable.

In Buddhism, there is a saying: “All phenomena arise from the mind.” What your world looks like does not essentially depend on how others are, but on how you view yourself and how you settle your own heart.
 Always thinking about winning over others, is actually living in ignorance.
 You think you're in a race, but this path has no finish line; You think you're in a competition, but this contest has no judge. That's why you feel tired — because you've handed your energy and joy over to others.

Cultivating yourself, however, is completely different.
 Cultivating yourself means returning to your inner self, observing your intentions and thoughts, and living with clarity.
 Cultivating yourself means acknowledging your own shortcomings, yet still being willing to grow continuously.
 Cultivating yourself means letting go of jealousy and genuinely rejoicing in others’ happiness.
 Cultivating yourself means upholding precepts and proper conduct, even in places where no one is watching.

As the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch teaches: “True Dharma exists within the world; enlightenment is not separate from worldly life.” True cultivation does not lie deep in the mountains, but among people. It is not about escaping, but about facing. Work, family, interpersonal relationships — everywhere is a place of practice; Setbacks, grievances, confusion, low points — everything is cultivation.

When you start to cultivate yourself, you will no longer use a magnifying glass to examine others’ lives; You will slowly pull your focus back, pay attention to your own causes and effects, and improve your own state. You will understand, in this world, there are actually no "others" — only your own repeatedly appearing emotions, choices, and reactions.

When you change, your world changes.
In this lifetime, the one we truly need to win over is never others — but our own arrogance, greed, emotions, and attachments.

True victory is having a heart free of obstacles; True strength is compassion and softness.

May you, starting from today — Compare less with others, take more responsibility for yourself; Focus less on the outcomes of winning or losing, and more on the clarity of your heart; And on this road of life, walk your own rhythm and cultivate your own completeness. 🌿

( Translated from the original Chinese text )

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