Wisdom’s Way, Suffering’s End

Wisdom is men’s precious gem. Without wisdom, the mind can easily fall into concepts and experiences. The mind will not be aware, and the mind will not understand how the laws of nature work. Our minds are inundated with wrong views. Every piece of information learned since birth – from reading, family conversations, society, the news, movies, and entertainment – gives rise to wrong views. If we do not encounter this path, we will definitely target the externals, project our blame – the externals are not good, these are wrong, others are unfair to me – and experience pain and suffering. All troubled minds are due to wrong views about people, events, and situations. With right view and awareness, the mind will turn and reflect inwards, seeing how the mind projects various wrong views towards people, events, and situations.

When we comprehend the laws of nature and understand how it works, wisdom arises. The mind will be at ease, stable, and joyful in the present moment. This wisdom will enable us to manage issues in life, such as family issues and social conflicts, to name a few. The mind is also no longer affected by defilements because suffering and defilements are now seen as laws of nature too. As the mind sees more and more truth, it will gradually become wiser and learn to live life with wisdom. The world becomes as simple as it is because our hearts are now as simple as it is.

Therefore, the retreat village means a lot to me. The learning of the mind and the cultivation of wisdom is a marathon, not a day, an hour, a week, or a one-month development. Wisdom requires a conducive, suitable environment to grow. An environment of a retreat village thus allows us to cultivate the mind’s wholesome qualities for an extended period of time, promoting learning and understanding of the mind-bodily processes, enabling us to realise "meditation is life, and life is meditation". Being able to give, dedicate and support the construction of the retreat village is a rare opportunity, a cause and condition for spreading the seeds of wisdom, a journey of wisdom, and a journey of suffering’s end.

May all be supported by wisdom，
Leong Hing Seong