The Smile on the Forest Hill and the Lesson on Happiness

The late afternoon sun rests gently upon deep green forests, where the murmuring of streams blends with the ringing laughter of a group of young people. They are not wearing expensive suits or sitting in air-conditioned cafés amid the glamour of the city. Instead, they wear work clothes faded pale by dust and soil, their hands rough with calluses, yet the smiles on their faces shine with a remarkable radiance.

This image is recalled through the lyrics of the song "Stories of Old, Stories of Today," which the Venerable Thích Chân Quang mentioned in a dharma talk. The story begins with a princess in a spring garden, who possessed material abundance in plenty yet felt endless sorrow in her heart. A prince came with countless treasures to ask for her hand in marriage, but her heart remained empty. She longed for something deeper, yet no matter how hard the prince searched, he could not find it.

Then times changed. Young people today choose a different path. They leave the city behind and go into the wild mountains to build hydroelectric dams that bring peace and stability to the land. The work is toilsome and arduous, with few comforts, and even faces danger. Yet when they look back, they smile with deep contentment. Why? Because they understand that happiness does not lie in personal enjoyment, but in how much benefit they have brought to others.

The Venerable recounted an unforgettable memory from a funeral in the countryside. Inside the house, incense smoke swirled thick, family members grieved, and the flickering light of oil lamps created a somber atmosphere. But out in the courtyard, a group of young people had gathered, playing guitars and singing loudly. The cheerful, lively music surprised everyone. The Venerable sat inside with his fellow monks, at first paying no attention, but then suddenly listening more closely. The lyrics touched the very depths of the heart:

"Life is happiness; no one lives alone. Life is happiness; live for everyone."

The Venerable realized that these young people, though not professional monastics, had truly absorbed this teaching. They understood that if one lives only for oneself, enjoying life alone, one will end up in loneliness and emptiness, just like the princess of long ago. Only by devoting oneself to service, by sacrificing one's strength for the community, can a person find joy that is genuine and lasting.

This lesson is not meant only for laypeople. For those who have left home to practice, it becomes even more profound. Many mistakenly believe that becoming a monastic is a way to seek ease, to escape the burdens of daily livelihood. In reality, the path of practice demands "devoted dedication" — a higher level of diligent effort. If diligence means working hard for oneself (like a farmer who plows deeply and hoes carefully to feed his family), then devoted dedication means working hard for others, quietly and reverently.

Imagine a monk or a sincere Buddhist. They do not merely fulfill their own duties; they actively take on additional work that is not directly their responsibility. Seeing a stretch of road in disrepair, they invite one another to repair it. Seeing a neighbor's house leaking and poor, they ask for leaves and materials to help re-roof it. These small acts, arising from a heart that wishes to ease the suffering (dukkha) of others, are the clearest expression of devoted dedication.

The Meaning of the Story

True happiness does not come from material enjoyment or a selfish way of life, but from sacrifice and service to others. Devoted dedication is the pinnacle of virtue, where a person transcends the personal ego to work quietly and persistently for the benefit of the community. A virtuous person is never lazy; on the contrary, they always seek to do more than what is asked, turning their life into a chain of meaningful acts of selflessness.

Compiled from a dharma talk by the Venerable Thích Chân Quang.