The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-08-01

COME LIlo attribute Ol dll llcu dIlu utuCo Ills
also. Thus he strives to fulfill his highest
VOW, and seeks the good of every felOw-be-
ing before his own. The other meditatOns
are upon pity. joy. impurity. and serenity.
wish had the space to describe these med
itations more fully for am sure you would
agree with me in saying that if the reward
is prOpOrtiOnate to the mental labor he
deserves to be happy. The salvation of ev-
cry Buddhist is dependent upon metamOr-
phOSis or, perhaps, growth, of ones inner
nature which can be accomplished only by
the severest mental discipline. He thinks
but little of himself and much of others and
after long and fierce battle with himself
he is supposed to gradually attain serenity
that enables him to behold with indifference
all that other men hold either good or bad,
and look upon all mundane occurrences and
things as liable to change and consequently
as OF little Importance. When one has ar
rived at this high moral plane where he
loses his personality and his individuality
becomes merged into the spirit life of his
fellow men, then it may be said that he is
happy. He has arrived at Nirvana and has
nothing more to desire.
Has not the Christian his Nirvana? Have
we not all an ideal conception of happi-
ness? There are very few of US, if indeed
any, who can ever hope to arrive at that
felicity which would warrant an epitaph of
satisfied" upon our tombstone. And yet
this state OF happiness is what we all long
for, but it is pertinent question If we will
undergo the struggle to attain it that the
Buddhist does to enter his mental realm of
Nirvana In a word, how many of you un
happy ones are making any real effort to be
happy?
CarnOt. the grandfather of the president
/ of Eranop u;y his ana1vCiC nf ha annipaSS
as follows: Health; an independent posi-
ton; taste for work. the esteem OF worthy
people: love of society; talent; knowledge
of business; moderation; tendency to aid
the unfortunate; and the cOmpanOnship of
an amiabe woman. This is rather an eX-
tended list and yet it seems to me that one
may possess all OF these and still not be
perfectly happy. The list given by TOlsto
the Russian itterateur, may be of interest:
Natural life in the open air, with intimate
connection with earth, its plants and ami
mails; physical labor bringing good appetite
and sleep; simple, atfectiOnate family life;
free and familiar intercourse with your fel-
low man: health and a natural painless
DEATH Here again is a ground for queS-
tiOn. Some one says that to be loved is to
be happy and another that man wants but
little here below out wants that little long.
| Solomon said that whose trusteth in the
! Lord, happy is he." and the Psalmist: Il
shall be satisfied when l awake in Thy like
| ness"
| But to define happiness is one thing, to
acquire it is another. After ali our defining
and researches we emerge from the lab
yrinth of opinion in exactly the same place
we entered. My idea of happiness is that
of perfect cOntentment. If we cannot have
| all of the accessories which NJ. CarnOt OF
Count TolstOi have indicated we can at
least strive to acquire some of the mental
force of the Buddhist and endeavor to be
content with our lot wherever it may be
cast. And it OfttimeS will require severe
mental struggle to attain even the SEM
blance of cOntentment but it nevertheless
lies within the power of each one of us.
mean content in that we do not spend one
moment in idly bewailing our sad fate, and
in enviOus murmurings against the appar-
ent happiness of others. But l do not
mean that we should necessarily be satisfied
and not strive to better our condition. both
materially and morally laying special stress
on the latter. II we cannot seem to i'm
prove our material condition, it is the more
important that we bend every energy and
thought to the purifying of our moral nat.
ure and the time will come when the Ordi.
nary ills of life will be borne with equanim,
ity and the severer ones with patience. Lei
US study to be cOntented for this is as neal
as the majority of us will ever approach tt
happiness. REX.
We are more conscious that a person is
in the wrong when the wrong concerns our.
4 selves.