This world and this life are proceeding and changing paradoxically. We seek comfort; comfort produces ease; ease produces weakness; weakness produces poverty; and poverty produces difficulties. Our seeking of comfort ends by producing difficulty. When we end with difficulty, we start to seek comfort again. Therefore, comfort weakens us, and difficulties strengthen us. Poverty and cold, sickness and misery, hunger and war are all strengthening physically, mentally spiritually. Whenever there is no difficulty, there is no development. If we avoid such difficulties, we eventually become weaker and decline after development. If we avoid such difficulties, we eventually become weaker and decline after momentary comfort. Let us welcome at any time, any sort of difficulties. Let us appreciate them as our teachers. When we climb a mountain, the more we experience hardship, the greater joy we have when we reach the top. When we are involved in war, the more miseries we experience around us, the larger appreciation we would have when peace comes. When we suffer with sickness, the more serous the sickness is, the greater spirit of appreciation we would have when we restore our health. Difficulties are truly the cause of our happiness, and avoiding them is really the cause of our unhappiness. In order to be happy continuously, we should continue to put ourselves in endless difficulties.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari