We actually teach methods on how to develop more energy and one of the main methods that we teach is something every one of you can do the minute you wake up in the morning, and that is to reflect on how fortunate you are. For a lot of people when they wake up in the morning, they kind of feel down, they don't look forward to the day, especially if they have to work Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday may be a little easier, but many don't look forward to the work day. They don't wake up with energy in the morning, they have to go and do things, and they often use coffee to get their energy to work and do things.
So, here is a method we encourage you to try if you wish to get more energy: when you're still laying in bed, as soon as you wake up, we encourage you to reflect on how fortunate you are. What's going to happen? You're going to actually feel happy. It's like the glass is half empty or the glass is half full. You wake up, you think of what you have. Every one of you either walked or rolled into here. You know how fortunate you are, don't you? Because when I talked about Christopher Reeve earlier and the challenges he had, there is reason enough to feel fortunate; to feel fortunate that you don't have those same challenges. Every one of you knows how fortunate you are - when and if you think of someone who has less than you have.
Rosemary mentioned the current situation of the Burmese people, the country was just hit by a hurricane, what's going on right now? If you are not aware of the news, the death toll is up to sixty thousand; it might hit a hundred thousand dead from just one storm.
So, to reflect on how fortunate you are, this gives you joy, this gives you contentment. With joy and contentment comes energy. You can't not get energy when you're joyful and content. When you're joyful and content, you have energy. You really don't have to think about wanting anything. So many people get energy through their desires; they make an achievement, a goal, they want to get something, and they push the energy to get something. I'm teaching you to get your energy by knowing what you already have, and then, there's an extra boost in there. What are you going to do with the good opportunity that you have? You are so fortunate. All of you here have had the opportunity to learn about Buddhism; most of the world is not Buddhist. You're so fortunate.
What are going to do with your good fortune?
I talked about having a purpose in your life, about having a good direction. This is where your energy comes through. How did Christopher Reeve do what he did? Because he had a direction, he had a motivation, he wanted to help more people. He not only wanted to help himself; he wanted to help millions if he could. That wish, that understanding of how fortunate you are, and then using it to have a good direction in your life, that will give you heaps of energy.