Wisdom over Justice (short extract)

"The good news here is that we don’t have to wait for a perfect society to find true happiness. It’s possible to put an end to our own sufferings — to stop “saṁsāra-ing” — no matter how bad the world is outside. And this should not be seen as a selfish pursuit. It would actually be more selfish to make people ashamed of their desire to be free so that they will come back to help you and your friends establish your ideas of justice, but with no true end in sight. A final, established state of justice is an impossibility. An unconditioned happiness, available to all regardless of their karmic background, is not.

And the road to that happiness is far from selfish. It requires the activities of merit — generosity, virtue, and universal goodwill — which always spread long-term happiness in the world: a happiness that heals old divisions and creates no new ones in their place. In this way, those who attain this happiness are like the stars that are sucked out of space and time to enter black holes that are actually dense with brightness: As they leave, they unleash waves of dazzling light."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Wisdom over Justice"

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