The Pitfalls of Ambition

If ambition has caused us to lose our lives in the first place, then whether we achieve or do not achieve our ambitions, we cannot find the true value of life.

Because we think that favorable external conditions will create lasting happiness, we always want more of what we have. Although we know that these desires are far away, out of reach, even at great cost, we are determined to have them. That's ambition. Ambition stems from desire – one of the greatest human afflictions. Call it disturbing emotions because it always makes us miserable, grasping the same suffering without being also suffering. Because when we satisfy our desires, our minds become addicted and immediately expand the level of enjoyment, and then push us to constantly recharge an amount commensurate with the level of expansion. And when our desires are unsuccessful, we will resist the results that we are reluctant to accept. So greed is also the other side of anger, both of which come from delusion. Not knowing what true happiness is is man's most terrifying delusion.

Through many ups and downs in history, people gradually realized that all material satisfaction, power, fame, and lust exist only temporarily. If we define it as happiness, then indeed there is no true happiness in this life. It is true that the essence of everything in this world is impermanent—yes and lose, success and defeat, merge and dissolve. The more we chase it, the more we waste our energy and never master it for long. Therefore, in order to break free from the control of impermanence, instead of looking outward to chase after the object, we turn inward to explore and take refuge. As long as we are able to clear the energy that desires everything as we please, all other disturbing emotions have no basis for existence. That state of absence of all disturbing emotions is true happiness, which is always present in every person.

In fact, our minds are also often changing, up and down. It is a consequence of the process by which it wanders to find and rely on attractive external objects. However, it only takes long enough to cut the external emotional addiction and it will stop and accept turning inward. Slowly it will transform, leaving only peace and clarity. In fact, only the habitual energy of demand is eroded, and the seed of greed can never be eliminated. As with all disturbing emotions, craving is only the result of a malfunctioning of psychological mechanisms. Therefore, if the underlying possibility of a deviation of psychological mechanisms remains, the chance of a return of desire remains. We call the "seed of desire" to understand that it is the result of what has been created before, but it has not yet functioned and manifested its inner vitality when it has not yet qualified. We see that everyone's energy of desire is different, but once it acquires the latent form of the seed, it is all the same. Just like everyone has hidden cancer cells, just because of the lack of suitable conditions, it has not developed into that cancer.

Even after becoming a saint, the seeds of affliction are still latent. However, the saint has already transformed its energy and taken the mind beyond the higher levels. Once it reaches its most harmonious position with the cosmic being, it is no longer relegated to the old level of consciousness. This means that the saint's chance of returning to delusion or desire is 0%. That's why anyone can become a saint.

It is often assumed that people without ambition are people who do not have big will, cannot make a big career. And it is believed that if everyone lives in a secure attitude, society will not be able to develop. But development is development about what? It would be right to assume that without ambition we would not be able to develop materially, but it would be completely wrong in terms of building soul value. Looking deeply at the reality of society, everyone probably realizes that the more modern people are, the more bewildered they are about the fate of their lives. They don't know how to position themselves to feel peaceful and happy. And just like that, they jostled to run into the field of vision by relying on their talent and bravery. They believe they have found a well-deserved place for their ever-aspiring ego. We have also seen many people who are willing to lose their conscience, dismiss their love and even cause hatred or kill each other just to infringe on each other's rights. Lies, betrayals, jealousy, corruption and then crisis, mental illness or imprisonment are all caused by ambition.

Another fact that everyone has to admit is that the more modern a society is, the busier people are, to the point where there is no time to rest. Why is that? No one keeps me busy. Just because we want to accompany others to ecstatic enjoyment, we have to spend a lot of time thinking, competing, grasping and preserving. When we no longer have time to take care of and renew ourselves, how can we understand and help our loved ones who live next door effectively? Therefore, the more open society is to attractive amenities, the more human ambitions are awakened and expanded. Sometimes we dare to spend decades working hard not to increase the level of material enjoyment, but for the inconvenient reason to say it is to want to be recognized and admired. Even when we're tired and tired of admiration, we're constantly chasing our ambitions. Because it is through this that we see our value, and it is easier to chase it than to live peacefully or return to living with ourselves.

For those who return to develop their spiritual life, greed is the biggest obstacle. While it lets go of familiar objects of greed such as money, power, fame, and lust, it continues to look for other, more sophisticated and deeper objects to cling to. Because there is no object of attachment, the mind is easy to play with, get lost and see that our life is meaningless. The first object is nobility – always wanting to be a character far from everyone's mediocrity. The next object is transformation—always wanting to progress as soon as we enter the spiritual path, even though the disturbing energies caused in the past are still dense. The final object is attainment – always wanting to become enlightened soon to become a saint. This is considered the highest goal of practice.

Of course, without such desires, we will not have a strong incentive to overcome obstacles and quickly reach our ultimate goal. But actually, in the process of transformation, each step forward gives us an immediate taste of happiness, so we don't need to rush to the end of that path. The desire for absolutes is just that we haven't found true value in those relativities. Therefore, as long as we follow the right path, with a diligent and leisurely attitude like a reality that is in harmony with the universe, then in time and appropriate causes and conditions we will reach the destination. This means that the destination is only the natural result of the right process, not by desire. The more we want it, the more we will be misleading. Practice is not to make the ego something special, but simply to help it function properly again.

Returning to nurture our spiritual life is the right attitude, but without the right guidance, it is easy to fall into the trap of our own ambition. The more we practice, the more entangled we will become and the more we will struggle in disturbing emotions, and we ourselves do not know why. Not to mention that there are many people who always put their faith outside, so they often dream of a distant world with the highest conditions of enjoyment in the world without having to work hard to build. With things that are so real and achievable in reality that many aspiring people live half-dead, with such uncertain grounds for believing, it is easy for people to treat the rest of their lives as an extra life. If ambition has caused us to lose our lives in the first place, then whether we achieve or do not achieve our ambitions, we cannot find the true value of life. Ambition only brings satisfaction, not happiness, because that value belongs to the subtle feeling of the soul. Ironically, we have lost those valuable qualities along the way!

In fact, the nature of ambition is not necessarily evil. Just because I wasn't brave enough to use it, I was turned around and destroyed me. Just like a sharp knife is very useful, but if not careful, it can also cut into our hands. Although not everyone who has ambition is destroyed by ambition, in the past, the number of people who have the ability to turn ambition into a useful tool for themselves in life is very small. Although we see daily newspapers full of images of successful people with great careers, the truth is that only they and the relatives who live next door understand what kind of situation they are living in. Are they still who they are or have they sold out their souls to evil to become dictatorial, arrogant, suspicious, discriminatory, calculating, absent-minded and fearful? Those are too high a price for immature recklessness and overwhelming illusions about one's talent. So ambitions can be set by anyone, but not everyone has the courage to achieve them.

Of course, we have the right to set big ambitions or ideals, but it is important that we make an accurate assessment of our abilities so that we do not build aspirations that are actually illusions. Once we have formally set our ambitions, we must meet at least the following five conditions in order to achieve our ambition without being defeated by it. Firstly, constantly strive to sharpen the talents and learn more from the experiences of those who have gone before. Second, always observe the complex developments of greed throughout the journey; When it is found that it is affected by circumstances that exceed the expected level and control, it must be stopped immediately. Third, we must strike a balance between normal life and ambition, which means being able to live deeply in the present despite our ambitions. Fourth, we are clearly aware that this ambition is not the only reason we see our true worth, so if we do not achieve it, we will not despair and suffer. Fifth, always keep in mind that in order to realize our ambitions we must rely on a multitude of favorable external conditions, so no ego will be proud and arrogant when it comes to success.

Being able to take initiative in our ambitions in such a natural way means that we have reached the level of greed without greed.

But if we "don't greed" even for a little more enjoyment of honor or to see our worth, what is "greed" for? There is a very worthy reason for us to boldly develop ambition, which is to aim to serve others. The dream of contributing to building a society that lives mindfully, understandingly and lovingly can be ambitious. If society loses more and more people with such big hearts and big livers, everyone only cares about living peacefully or taking advantage of their own rights, where will society go and what will be the future of humanity? However, let's not forget, when we enter the path of service, we have already found happiness for ourselves. And that big dream requires many hands, not just our talents, to be able to do. Therefore, the essence of greed is also selflessness. Greed is not in the service of one's own selfish self, it is the act of a macho one—one with great understanding and love.

See the moon and be ashamed
Abandon the vast
ocean Where the boat is lost
Still busy down the stream.

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