Mistakes Generated by Emotions

Source: The Internet

Mistakes can be generalized into several types; one of them is ‘mistakes generated by emotions’.

If one is fortunate enough, one can ever experience in one’s life a certain time that one’s mind is as settled as still water.

The so-called ‘one’s mind is as settled as still water’ means that a person’s mind is represented by a lake of ‘still’ water which can reflect sharp images of the bright sky and clouds. Without any wind, there are no ripples in the water; when there is not anyone throwing stones or toppling mud waste into the water, there will be no great waves either. This kind of tranquil beauty is certainly impossible to last for a long time; when wind blows, streamers fly and similarly, the lake water is also in motion. If the movement is slight, it may bring about joy and happiness, however, with a big movement; it may lose control and even threaten lives. Overcoming by emotions, one’s mind is like the sudden turbulence of the lake, one’s ‘heart lake’; the cause of the turbulence can be that there is someone throwing stones into your ‘heart lake’. In fact, for the emergence of emotions, such a particular condition is rather seldom. In general, the trigger of emotions is relatively more circuitous, indirect, abstract and concealed. For example, a man met an exceedingly beautiful woman and was ravished with joy to an uncontrollable extent. He ate aphrodisiac that almost resulted in having a stroke; this was the first mistake he made. The beautiful woman laughed at his incompetent. He was so furious that he beat and kicked her until she was nearly killed; this was the second mistake he made. The beautiful woman could not bear any more, so she shifted her love to another man. The man was so jealous and angry that he almost killed the two adulterer and adulteress; this was his third mistake. After that, his love affair with the woman was irreparable. He was frustrated, lonesome and had an inferiority complex. A lot of dirty deals and conspiracies that were harmful to the people, but not benefiting himself were done, piling up one after the other; this was his fourth mistake. All these were all chained mistakes that were generated by emotions.

One’s mind is as settled as still water can also be phrased as one’s mind is like ‘dead’ water. To a certain extent, it is good for the mind to be ‘dead’ because in that case, the chance of making mistakes will be very low. It is when one is overcome by emotions, including the emotions mentioned above (ravished with joy, fury, jealousy, frustrated, lonesome and inferiority complex etc.), that one would make mistakes.

Apart from being influenced by external temptations and strikes, the existence of desires and emotions can also be affected by some other internal reasons. It may be caused by one’s heredity or because of the excretion of one’s cerebrum. In the point of view of Buddhism, it is known as karma. Mistakes generated by emotions are the most difficult to avoid, the most difficult to control and the hardest not to transgress either. The only way to be free from them is to live a simple and disciplined life so as to stave off from the ‘tinder’ as far as possible.

Many people are suffering from autism, melancholia etc. owing to the pressure from work or home. Some are even worse that they have illusions, schizophrenia and mental disorder. This is caused by the underestimation of the destructive powers of emotions to other people and oneself.