Life Won't Look So Bad if You Know The Buddha’s “The 84th Problem”!

Here is a famous Zen story about the Buddha’s “The 84th Problem”:

A farmer came to Buddha and complained that he had a lot of problems: his crops didn’t yield, his wife didn’t respect him, and sons didn’t listen to him, etc.

Buddha answered that he cannot help the farmer. The farmer got wild: “What good are you if you cannot solve my problems?”. Buddha didn’t get perturbed. Instead, he said, “Every person in this world has 83 problems. I cannot help them with the problems. There is an 84th problem which I can help you out with. This problem will help you solve the other 83 problems.”

The farmer regained composure and got a bit curious. He asked the Buddha what the 84th problem was which could solve the others. Buddha slowly said, “The 84th problem is the thought that you want to get rid of the first 83 problems. If you understand that life is never without problems, it won’t look so bad.”

Also, never get discouraged by having a problem.

When you have a problem, a solution already exists somewhere. You just have to look for it.

When you fall into a negative mental state, a positive mental state is just around the corner. You just have to look for it. 

To never get stuck in life, you just have to remember that a way out is already there.

J. Krishnamurti said: “The solution of a problem lies in the understanding of the problem.”

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh wrote: “No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding.”