My dear Jim,
How are you? I understand that there has been a lot of change in your life. However, you must know that you are not the only one who is experiencing this problem of failure in business. There are many people in the world who have lost millions of dollars, and I know there are other students in Hong Kong, other businesspeople, who were unbelievably wealthy before, and now are having problems. And I also know that in the world there are people for whom nothing is working at the moment. Everything is blocked, and they don’t know what to do, or how to solve the problem.

Generally, this shows the nature of samsara, its ups and downs. Even if someone is wealthy through all this life, in the next life they can be poor. That is besides the changes within one life. Things can’t always stay the same. What is always the same is suffering, that everything is suffering in nature, until we are free of samsara. Its nature is for nothing to be definite, and for nothing to give satisfaction except Dharma, practicing the gradual path to enlightenment with determination. The nature of samsara is like fire; it’s hot. One has to accept that. There is no reason to be upset that the nature of fire is hot. The only thing to do is get out of the fire. It’s the same with this: the only method is to get out of samsara.

It is said that even an enlightened being like the Buddha experienced difficulties, although he had purified the two obscurations and completed the two realizations. At one time, Buddha had a thorn go six inches into his foot, as a result of an action he committed in a past life. The conclusion to draw from this is: If even the Buddha demonstrates this pain due to past karma, why not us? Why not me, an ordinary sentient being? Of course, I have to experience past karma. The ultimate solution is nothing other than spiritual practice: Dharma, which means purifying past negative karma and creating as little negative karma as possible. This is the fundamental solution for success, for this life’s work for oneself and for others.

We are unbelievably happy. We have incredible freedom compared to hell beings. What we think is a problem is nothing; it is only great pleasure. We are in a pure realm where there is no suffering, compared to hell beings. Even in the human realm, there are many others who have a hundred times worse problems than you. And the worst thing is that they haven’t found a valid spiritual path, and have no solutions to their suffering. They have no idea of future rebirths, and what can happen then. They are so deluded, completely crazy, and don’t know where they are going.

Therefore, you are an unbelievably fortunate being, with unbelievable freedom. So, you must use the freedom to practice Dharma. Of course, what happened to you is ending past negative karma.

Enjoy life by recognizing all the incredible freedoms you have, a precious human rebirth, and Buddha nature, which you can use to achieve all happiness, including enlightenment, and cause it for all sentient beings.

With much love and prayer...