The little girl ran off in a rage because she cannot accept that she lost paper rock scissors.

It certainly is unpleasant to lose, as it is unpleasant to be ignored, as it is unpleasant to want and not get.

If you walk on a street and look at the faces of people, it is often to be observed, that most of the adults, to say the least, are not cheery. We the adults seem to be in an unstated agreement that: life is not easy, and there is much bitterness in store for all of us.

In Buddhism it’s said there are eight “bitternesses” in life, and among them there are 生苦，老苦，病苦，爱离别苦，怨憎恨苦, 求不得苦。

生苦: the bitterness of being born, mercifully none of us remember the first cry (or many cries following that) as we came into this world. Forgetfulness here as a bliss protects us from it. (Who said the secret to happiness is good health and bad memory? )

老苦: the bitterness of aging, in the very long history of Chinese feudalism, there are, this is said by an amateur of history, numerous emperors’ obsession had been finding a herb, a medicine that could enable them to live forever. Dao, for all its wisdom, has branches that go into alchemy and believe they can, if they tried hard enough to just find the right drug, escape aging and death.

病苦: the bitterness of illness, it’s needless to explain health is happiness and illness misery.

死苦: the bitterness of death.

爱离别苦: the bitterness of separating from the loved.

怨憎恨苦: the bitterness of associating with the unbeloved.

求不得苦: the bitterness of wanting and not getting.

But there are also “sweetness and light”, life would be hardly bearable otherwise. In long patience we learn good humor, sweetness of temper; in struggle and suffering we learn understanding and enlightenment. There are many laughters to even out the first cry; there is an appreciation of health after illness; if aging is bitter, then there must be a certain compensation that at least for some, they can look at an experience with well-earned wisdom; there is the happiness of reunion with the loved; and…..But enough of this, life is a thing that cannot be summed up in a few words. It is sufficient to realize it is good to be living and suffering. It is good to know there is gold in a child’s laughter.

The little girl came back, and we went on with our lesson. Because she has let out her anger, she now can carry on with a clear and bright mind.