SuttaCentral
Sorry for being flippant. I am having a lovely happy joyful day.
The main problem with being born, of course, is that it means that you’re going to die. Many people are always happy when someone is born, but that’s the problem with looking at the start of things without considering their inevitable endings.
ach, birth is seen as a chance. A chance to have a good wordly life or maybe a chance to purify mind and get enlightend. Some tradition talk about the precious human birth. Anyway, i do not like to see life as a problem. My heart cannot deal with that.
To develop such faith is one of the things we need to develop along the path.
Sometimes you need a comfy sofa to rest your feet from all the blisters.
Yes, i also think so. Being in samsara means we are always so focused on becoming. Becoming this or that. We constanty have a sense of lack…and that motivates us, drives us. We lack this, we lack that. So we must accumulate and develop this and that. I think this mentallity hinders us to see that we have many great qualities allready. Those that are our birthright.
Yes. But they are not our qualities at all, are they? They are just “empty processes rolling on” as they say. Any qualities for example - ‘love’, ‘learning’, ‘wisdom’ are not mine at all. If I were to suggest that they belonged to anyone, I would say they belong to the Buddha. I have known a heart completely devoid of love and I’ve known a heart brimming over with love. The difference is that the later was conditioned by the Buddha and his ariya disciples. If others (or myself) perceive any love in me at all, that is all down to the Buddha arising in the world.
Eventually, but don’t skip steps!
how is a bhikkhu skilled in the ways of his own mind? It is just as if a woman or a man—young, youthful, and fond of ornaments—would look at her or his own facial reflection in a clean bright mirror or in a bowl of clear water. If they see any dust or blemish there, they will make an effort to remove it. But if they do not see any dust or blemish there, they will be glad about it; and their wish fulfilled, they will think, ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’
~ AN 10.51
While I certainly won’t argue against gratitude to the Triple Gem 
, I’ll also say that the love you’ve generated was something you did through your own efforts 
And the rest of the path, too, will only unfold with effort. No one can walk the path for us. There are sofas, but no palanquins!
Taking ownership of our actions, and responsibility for our state of mind, is a crucial foundation for the path. Like in Kindergarten: you’re only free to go after you’ve tidied up!
Yes, of course Bhante. But it’s good to keep in mind that without the ‘intelligent Magadhan cowherd’ we wouldn’t even have a clue where to start. - from my favourite MN sutta, MN34
You know Bhante. At the time it didn’t seem like that at all. I had completely given up on love. I was just incredibly fortunate to come across a fine Bhikkhu who held my hand and guided me back from the brink of disaster. I think that maybe I’m just easily led! 
I guess different people have different experiences that guide their approach?
We took it in turns
You’re right! I use my sofa to watch a good film occasionally.
As a lay person on the Buddha’s Path, adhering to the 5 precepts and changing my way of thinking about attachments and clinging, has helped me sit on my sofa/settee comfortably 
Like the higher the doubt the higher the awakening. 
That’s very encouraging, actually
There are no boundaries between me and my sofa, and I’m going to be the first enlightened slob 
