Optimism versus Realism

Yesterday, we started our Pali and Abhidhamma class after lunch, so I did have a few hours free in the morning. I met some young sayalays, some are half-orphans, and some without parents. I followed them wandering around the Thabarwa centre.

We did chanting together and circling around the pagoda. Then they showed me their favourite places and trees. Their favourite stick was stuck among the branches, so we tried to hit it with a stone or another branch to make it fall down.

On the way to a monastery, the young nuns saw flowers on the ground, and they were happy. They plucked the flowers, and I suggested them to offer them to the Buddha.
After paying respect to the Buddha statues in a nearby pagoda, they pointed to me a tree that had many fruits (the name is Ji thi), and then they were busy collecting the fruits. Then they saw a statue of ascetic that is sitting on the ground, and they hug it like old friends. (You can see in the photos attached.)

Normally, the children in Myanmar grow among the nature, and live together with friends. They play with neighbours and classmates, and have many friends. They look at people with fearless eyes, because they are not afraid of strangers. That is why Myanmar children have big and open eyes.

I was thinking, these young nuns are young, yet they are happy with nature, Their minds are not burdened with burdens of life, i.e. aging, sickness, death, sorrow and lamentation.

How can we, still maintain some innocence like them, looking at the world with optimism, with hope, at the same time, having a matured mind knowing the sufferings in life? How to balance optimism with the reality of life?                                    

I think, the answer is one has to see the outer world with optimism, but see the inner world that is composed of five aggregates that are arising and falling away, with wisdom.

         (17th Feb 2016, by Sayalay Cala Theri)