Week 5 Notes: Choices in Life
Delayed Gratification
Means giving up short term desires for a long term happiness. One of the central ideas for the group is to practice meditation in order to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves for long lasting happiness.
In a dharma talk, 'The Three Characteristics', by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, the teacher tells this story to show a clear example of delayed gratification:
"...When a little girl's mother died, her father promised not to take another wife. The little girl was very happy with her father's decision. But when her father brought with him a new wife after his business travels, the little girl was very sad. The new stepmother understood this, and wanted to help the little girl.
So she asked to play a game of chess with the little girl. During the game, the stepmother explained to her, 'In order to get what you want in life, you look for the important thing and give up the other.' The little girl wasn't paying attention to what her new stepmother was saying, but she did notice that her stepmother was losing her game pieces, and thought to herself that her stepmother was not a very good chess player. It wasn't until the little girl was eventually checkmated by her stepmother that she realized that this wise lady was showing her how to win by losing."
(To hear the complete dharma talk, click here: )
Means giving up short term desires for a long term happiness. One of the central ideas for the group is to practice meditation in order to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves for long lasting happiness.
In a dharma talk, 'The Three Characteristics', by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, the teacher tells this story to show a clear example of delayed gratification:
"...When a little girl's mother died, her father promised not to take another wife. The little girl was very happy with her father's decision. But when her father brought with him a new wife after his business travels, the little girl was very sad. The new stepmother understood this, and wanted to help the little girl.
So she asked to play a game of chess with the little girl. During the game, the stepmother explained to her, 'In order to get what you want in life, you look for the important thing and give up the other.' The little girl wasn't paying attention to what her new stepmother was saying, but she did notice that her stepmother was losing her game pieces, and thought to herself that her stepmother was not a very good chess player. It wasn't until the little girl was eventually checkmated by her stepmother that she realized that this wise lady was showing her how to win by losing."
(To hear the complete dharma talk, click here: )
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