We live in an age where opportunities for profound life-to-life inspiration are all but nonexistent. Idle amusements bring only fleeting pleasure. They produce neither profound inspiration nor growth for one's life. By contrast, Buddhism exists to enable people to realize personal growth and to improve their lives. Buddhism is always rooted in the reality of life. It is the wellspring of wisdom for bringing harmony and happiness to our families, local communities and society at large.
Daisaku Ikeda
There are several things that spring out here .. the main one being that 'idle amusements bring only fleeting pleasure' .. I think this is true but nonetheless is a reality of moden life. Life can be busy and stresful so it's only natural that we look for ways to relax or escape for a short time and I don't see any problem with this. However, when these fleeting moments become our raison d'etre, then we are in trouble.
It isn't possible to sustain a life built around these fleeting pleasures and this kind of came up at a discussion meeting last night where 'happiness' was discussed .. of course we can be 'happy' when drinking, eating, watching a film or whatever but when that finishes, often so does our happiness. Happiness in Buddhism, and therefore daily life, is when we have a solid basis to our life and apply this in our daily life.
