【Introduction】
Learn how to brave the wind and waves and become successful in life.
【Description】
Does your social status, physical appearance and pride really matter in life? The story of Goujian, the King of Yue, during the Spring and Autumn Period, gives us an answer: Real success or failure does not depend on appearances but on the heart. A heart that never gives up is the most powerful weapon.
How can we activate this heart of wisdom? Listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teaching “Success or Failure Is Born in One Thought” and learn how to brave the wind and waves and become successful in life.
【You will learn】
- Understand the biggest difference between those who succeed and those who fail.
- Cultivate a heart of strength and face various challenges bravely.
【Featured aphorisms】
- True loss is when you lose heart.
- Keep thinking “I’m successful and a winner”, and you will be wiser and be more creative.
【Content】
During the Spring and Autumn Period in Chinese history (770-476 BC), King Goujian was captured after his country was defeated. He did all kinds of hard manual labor. The victor gave him a decent house, thinking he’d always be a captive. But he didn’t take it; he lived in a straw hut to inspire himself to change his situation. He lived in squalor and ate garbage, so as to inspire himself not to fail. In that circumstance, he didn’t lose heart, fail or give up. His eventual victory was just a natural result.
Those who truly fail are those who lose heart. Those who agonize over their unemployment are fools. I would think of being unemployed as a good thing. There must be a better job waiting for me. A strong person thinks that way. The Heavenly Way applies to everyone. The key is whether you’ve lost heart or not. So, we can appear to have any identity and any image. Don’t care much about your image. If you do, it does great harm.
Let me tell you a story about “saving face”.
A girl didn’t do well in the national university entrance exam; her parents used their hard-earned money to send her to study in Canada. Previously, she lived with her grandma and had never left her before. During those years, she had always slept with her grandma in the same bed. When she was abroad alone, she spoke little English; the cost of living was very high; her studies made her stressed; she didn’t know how to make friends or unwind.
After 2 years, she couldn’t bear it and had to fly back to see her mom. You can’t always get a flight right away. There were no daily flights, only one flight a week. She bought her ticket 5 days in advance, but couldn’t bear it anymore and hanged herself the day before the flight. She missed her mom so much that she hanged herself.
She felt her road had been cut off. Her language barrier left her with no money, no friends; she was embarrassed to tell her family and felt depressed. She felt she had failed in everything. Don’t all international students experience the same difficulties? If you survive the challenges, you’ve won. But she didn’t make it.
Facing the same problems, different people create different results. Many girls take a suitcase and go abroad, eventually becoming very rich. It’s not uncommon. It’s all about your willpower. Think only about living; don’t think about death. “Failure has no connection with me at all; I was born a strong person and a winner.” The more you think this way, the wiser and more creative you are. Creativity just emerges naturally.
If you believe in Buddhism, wherever you go, the Buddha will protect and take care of you.