Recently, I went back to school and found that men and women have great differences. When the teacher let us off from the lesson earlier, I felt great. It was the same feeling of leaving school earlier when I was younger, although it was not that I do not cherish the learning opportunity. However, the Japanese girl in my class found out that the lessons in other classes were much faster than ours and felt that she must catch up through self-learning. She was very motivated.

When I think about it, it is not difficult to understand why female meditators are generally more hardworking but at the same time easily influenced or motivated by the progress of others.

Whether something is good or bad depends on the final overall result. The key is whether our motivation is mixed with the causes of suffering from attachment.

Let go of the differences between men and women. After we understand the law of kamma which the Buddha preached, we don’t have to have mood fluctuation because of external influence. Kamma belongs to each individual. All we have to do is take good care of our causes. No matter how people treat us, we treat them back with loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), appreciative joy (muditā) and equanimity (upekkhā).

All beings are different, the causes and conditions of previous rebirths are also different. Let us send our good wishes to others, base our motivation on reality, and take good care of our causes. When we can do this, everything around us will be beautiful and our minds can be free and at ease. We can then feel the Dhamma joy at the present moment. If the journey is good, the destination will naturally be good.

It is difficult to imagine how men and women can thoroughly understand one another. It is good enough if they could accept one another and be tolerant.

Accepting the differences of others is far more feasible and humane than forcing others to be or do certain things.

May everyone have a broader and more generous mind and may the place of gathering for mankind be more harmonious and peaceful.