<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 22px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Five Precepts On Happiness </span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">1</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Though your friends and family</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">will likely try</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to save you from it,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">yours is nobody else’s</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">business or responsibility.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You cannot cause,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">manufacture or manipulate it.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It comes, if at all,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">as gift to be received</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">with gratitude.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">3</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope to receive it</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and prepare by giving away</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">what you least want to lose.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On this point</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus and Buddha dance.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">4</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Refuse to carry the burden</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of maintaining it.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s unnecessary baggage,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">will betroth you</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to a boulder and a hill.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">5</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you receive some,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">scatter it like seed.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharing assures preservation.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As with manna,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">held tight, it rots.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">- Bonnie Thurston </span></body></html>