Dr. Min Tin Mon - Myat Thila

The people of the world fear suffering and desire happiness. Therefore, they seek the Dharma of happiness.

When the Buddha arrived at the village of Veludvara, the villagers asked him to instruct them on how they could live happily with the wealth and companions they had acquired and, after death, reach the abode of bliss.

They know that the lower realms are poor and the higher realms are rich.

The Buddha, who knows all good and bad, shows us the right way to live a happy and peaceful life by constantly adhering to the Three Jewels, avoiding the three bodily and four verbal sins. In other words, he shows us the way to live a sinless life by establishing the five precepts along with the saranagama.

When the Buddha arrived at Thalassa again, the villagers of Thalassa asked him, “Why do some people go to the heavens when they die, while others go to the village of Apalae?”

The Buddha, the All-Knowing One, said that when those who have committed the ten evils, or injustices, die, they come to the four villages, and those who have committed the ten good deeds, or justice, which are the avoidance of the ten evils,

He replied, "When they die, they will reach a good state of happiness." In order to avoid injustice and practice justice, he instructed them to believe in the consequences of karma and to observe the five precepts with respect.

"As with wealth, so with possessions," as the saying goes, "those who desire happiness should live so that all beings may be happy, and those who desire justice should live justly." This is the principle of the law of action that brings precise benefits.

When I went to the United States in 1996 and preached extensively on the Abhidhamma and the teachings of the Buddha, some Americans said, “We don’t understand the Abhidhamma, we’re not interested in abstract, profound concepts, and we don’t want Nibbana. We just want instant prosperity. Please preach a dharma that will help us achieve instant prosperity.”

They do not know or believe in the consequences of karma. Therefore, they cannot understand that they have lived many lives in the past and will continue to live many lives in the future. They are only interested in living happily in the present life.

Wealth laws

“Buddhist Abhidhamma is a teaching that analyzes in detail the mind, the various mental states, and the forms that manipulate the mind. Only by understanding the cause-and-effect relationship between mind, mental states, and forms can we attain the “right view of life.” Only by having the right view of life can we learn to live happily.

“Buddhist Abhidhamma is very scientific. Science has advanced rapidly because it has come to understand the structure of atoms and the various energies. Similarly, only by understanding the mind, body, and matter that are truly within each person and that dominate the world can we understand the causes of suffering. Only by eliminating these causes of suffering can we attain true happiness.”

"The causes of suffering are the mental defilements associated with the mind. These are: desire, greed, anger, delusion, pride , arrogance, false view that there is no benefit from kamma, and delusion that there is a person , a being , or a self. These are the negative dhammas.

“These evils not only make the mind miserable but also make it wicked and evil. These evils manipulate the mind and the mind dominates and directs people’s thoughts, words and actions, so people kill each other, steal and plunder the property of others, destroy the children and wives of others, speak lies, curses, and use useless words. They drink alcohol and drugs, and they become violent and violent, even to the point of starting gangs and waging war.

"Therefore, murder, theft, rape, lying, drug addiction, and war are not caused by Satan or his demons, nor by the sinful nature of man, but by the evil desires of the flesh."

“As long as these evils are rampant, you cannot be happy, the cities and villages cannot be peaceful, the world cannot be peaceful. If your mind is controlled by greed, beautiful women, new cars, delicious food, and wine will tempt you. No matter how much material wealth you have, you will not be satisfied. If your mind is controlled by anger, as soon as your mind is not in order, you will be angry, disappointed, and miserable. Worrying, grieving, crying, fearing, and burning with anger are all caused by anger.

"Americans are very wealthy, but they are not happy because of the evil desires such as greed and anger. As long as these evil desires cannot be eradicated, they cannot claim to be happy, even for a moment."

Sensual pleasures are not true pleasures; sensual objects increase greed and anger, so the more you pursue sensual pleasures, the more miserable you will be.

“Only in Buddhism is there a way to eradicate the defilements, because only the Buddha correctly understood the causes of suffering and demonstrated the way to eradicate the defilements.

“All the teachings that the Buddha preached are teachings for the reduction and elimination of defilements, and therefore are teachings for happiness. If you listen to this Dhamma, read it, study it, and understand it, you will immediately feel happy. If you put it into practice, you will become even more happy and calm. If you can practice it until you can eradicate all defilements, you will be able to enjoy the incomparable happiness of Nibbana in this life.

“The Dhamma is very broad, but what is essential is charity, virtue, and meditation. In meditation, concentration and wisdom. So in other words, what is essential is virtue and wisdom. In this way, charity is included in virtue. Virtue is the foundation of the Dhamma.

“The basic precepts are the Five Noble Truths (or the Fifth Precepts). When the Five Noble Truths are put into practice, one should not take one’s own life, one should not steal, one should not violate the rights of others, one should not lie, one should not drink alcohol or drugs,

"These five moral precepts are very important social rules, so they are enshrined in all religions. These five simple rules should be respected by all human beings."