Beware the Advice Boomerang

A few nights ago, my very dear friend Mark and I had an hour long chat on the phone. During this hour I gave him this particular piece of advice:

"Dude, you cannot make anyone else happy. Nothing you do will make someone else truly, fundamentally happy. You can only do that for yourself. It comes from within."

I am in a bit of a grump today because I have been attacked by insomnia... again... Two nights running. I am reacting to everything. Every person I have spoken to on the phone has in some way pissed me off: they have answered my questions too slowly, they mumbled, they didn't sound cheerful enough....

And then it hit me. I am not exactly being a bright little ray of sunshine, am I? So what I am getting is a reflection of my life state. And then, I had a flashback to my conversation with Mark. (Cue an image of my floating head hovering over me now, uttering: "Nothing you do will make someone else truly, fundamentally happy. You can only do that for yourself. It comes from within.")

SO! Nichiren Buddhism teaches that 3,000 realms exist in a single moment. I am also now aware that I am the only one in control of my state and happiness. Only I can change it because, "Dude, you cannot make anyone else happy. " There's that floating head again.

I've had my lunch and I am sitting at my desk typing away at this little blog and I am determined that for the rest of today, I am going to let go of the grump, exercise compassion and really make an effort to see the Buddhahood in myself and in others.

Sweet.