Realisation: Our
(Mis)Adventures in Wonderland
In "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland",
Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which way she ought to go. The cat
replies, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get
to." The frustrated Alice exclaims, "I don't much care
where--" The Cat grins on, "Then it doesn't matter which way you
go," said the Cat. Alice tries to finish her sentence "--so long as
I get somewhere". "Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if
you only walk long enough." In the song "Any Road" by George
Harrison, the related chorus reminds us - "And if you don't know
where you're going, any road will take you there." Is this not
poignant wit and wisdom?
Ridiculously common-sensical as it might
seem, the above reflects the human condition for many, who yearn to
get somewhere, but are unsure of where. .They thus go
"randomly" wandering in the rounds of life and death. It doesn't
matter who you are, but at the end of the day, even if you are
unaware of it, all you really want is True Happiness - that which
is truly lasting. Even masochism is the "inverted" seeking of True
Happiness. The problem with worldly sources of happiness is its
fleeting nature. As such, True Happiness must be non-material and
even non-mental, transcending impermanent mind and matter.
The Buddha realised that True Happiness
can only be attained with complete compassion and wisdom. Not
knowing why we are unhappy is the lack of wisdom, and the
self-sabotaging attitude and actions we have is the lack of
compassion. The ultimate "adventure" in the "wonderland" of
Samsara is the quest for True Happiness (aka Nirvana). Not any road
will take you there - only the Noble Eightfold Path will - if you
walk it all the way with all your heart. Alice later remarks,
"...
I don't want to go among mad people." The Cat says, "We're all mad
here. I'm mad. You're mad.... or you wouldn't have come here." Now,
aren't we all "mad" to keep returning to Samsara, while missing the
path to True Happiness? - Shen Shi'an
