14 Teachings of Buddha for a Happy Life!

 

      Source:BBC

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Not a single day goes by when we don’t read, hear and watch these kind of news on media, which forces us to think which way the world is going.

The blind desire, ambition to rule the world has made our already difficult life even more difficult.

Whenever we are faced with roadblocks, be it in business, sports, life etc, we are advised to go back to basics.

In pursuit of success, excellence, superiority over the universe, we as human beings have disconnected with the fundamentals (basics) of life.

And this is the time to get back to basics to heal our lives and the world at large.

Here I am reminded of the teachings of Buddha, who was one of the noblest souls to incarnate on this earth.  What he taught 2500 years ago are still relevant.

His teachings were simple and practical which can be implement can be used by a lay person in his/her life.

 

I am putting forward a few of the teachings of Buddha, which I feel will transform our lives and the world if we practice them daily.

 

1.         Control Your Mind

 

There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.

 

I strongly believe that we all are responsible for the current situation the world is in.

When millions of people across the world are thinking the thoughts of hatred, pessimism, violence etc how could there be peace, positivity, love around us.

All suffering in our lives and the world is created in our minds.

The world without is the reflection of our thoughts within.

If we want to change our life we must change the thoughts we think.

 

Always remember, our mind is a good slave but a bad master.

 

2.         Right Speech

 

Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.

 

Words have life!

In Hindu mythology, it said that the goddess of wisdom, Maa Saraswati, resides on our tongue once in 24 hrs, and whatever we say comes true.

You should be very careful what words we use, how we use it.

We as a society has become very casual in use of words. Social media is rife with profane language.

Hear the political leaders, heads of countries using unparliamentary language on social media and in their speeches.

 

In fact, the definition of unparliamentary language seems to have changed now.

It is better to keep quite rather than engage in an idle talk. Before you speak ask yourself ask yourself:

If you propose to speak always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.. Buddha

 

3.         Free Yourself from Desire

 

There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.

One of main reasons for suffering in our lives is desires.

We are always running behind something. When we do not get it, we suffer.

We have a desire to become successful, be better than others, be rich, be famous and the list is endless.

The bigger the list of desires we have, more we will suffer.

Even if we all our desires are fulfilled, there is no guarantee that we would be happy. There are many examples of unhappy millionaire/billionaire and happy paupers in our society.

In today’s world a country has a desire to exert its influence on other countries, a group of brainwashed terrorists want to establish their rule on the world, one country wants to grab a piece of other country’s land etc.

This madness has thrown the entire world into a contestant state of flux and chaos.

To have a peaceful life we must curtail our desires and live a contended life.

4.         Equanimity

 

Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all.

A person who is unaffected by dualities of life, who is not disturbed by pain and pleasure, good or bad, praise or criticism is considered to be equanimous.

This virtue is very essential in today’s world when the world is increasingly becoming aggressive and intolerant.

There is so much misinformation floating around us that it can disturb our peace of mind.

 

5.         Learn to Suffer

We have become like snow flakes, we melt under pressure. Our lives have become way too comfortable.

the army soldiers are put through so much of physical and mental stress so that it makes their mind callous, which makes them to perform well under stress in combat situations. They are broken physically and mentally during the training so that they don’t break during the life and death situations.

 

We must learn to suffer physically and mentally so that when we face adversity, we are not overwhelmed by it.

Deliberately expose yourself to challenging, stressful situation.

 

6.         Compassion

 

A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

The compassion is the balm which has the power to heal any wound. The world badly needs it.

A heart with compassion is the true image of the God.

When we think about compassion, we are reminded of Mother Teressa. She was an epitome of compassion who dedicated her life for the betterment of other people.

Compassion is the ability to love unconditionally, expecting nothing in return.

Cultivate the virtue of compassion in you, love other fellow beings, help the needy ones.  

 

Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception…

 

 

7.         Be Focused

 

To achieve success in life you must have an unwavering laser sharp focus.

You ought to be able to keep out all the distractions which may hamper your focus.

Don’t listen to naysayers, just focus on the task at hand.      

What you focus on grows. So put your focus on things that you want rather what you don’t want.

 

8.         Learn Through Experience

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense

Gautam Buddha stressed upon the need to learn through experience. He said don’t believe on anything because it said by a person of authority/expert. Believe only if it works

 

There are so many experts in the field of self- help, motivation etc. Everyone is coming up with new theory or strategy, which he/she claims can change your life.

Don’t blindly accept what is being propagated, test the assumption in the laboratory of life and see for yourself if it works. If it work then adopt it otherwise discard it.

 

9.         All The Power Is Within Us

 

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

 

We human beings contain all the power within ourselves to achieve all our dreams. Yet we endlessly search outside for these powers.

Since, we have neglected these powers, a layer of thick dust has accumulated on it.

We must believe that we are capable and tap into the hidden power deep inside of us.

Stop running around, like a deer which keeps searching for musk all around whereas the musk is hidden inside it.

Uncover your musk.

The Kingdom of God is within you... Luke 17:20-21

10.      Be Happy

There is no path to happiness, Happiness is the path

It is fallacy that we shall be happy once we achieve our goals, or become rich.

Happiness is not contingent upon attainment of our desires.

Happiness is a state of mind. Be in a state of eternal bliss.

 

11.      Shun Laziness

 

Sloth is one of the obstacles in the pursuit of your goals. Do away with laziness.

Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved by idleness. You must be steadfast in the pursuit of your goals without getting attached to its result.

 

12.      Forgive Others

 

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

There are people who are still angry with someone for what he/she did or said 10-20 years back.

They are living a miserable life by reliving that incident everyday.

Forgive others, who you perceive have wronged you.

Holding on to anger, hatred within us is like storing acid in a plastic bottle. Eventually the acid will eat away the plastic bottle.

The same way harboring anger, resentment with in us is like acid which will eat up our soul causing no harm to the other person.

Do  yourself a farour and forgive the other person.

The moment you forgive you set yourself free.

 

13.      Live In Awareness/Mindfulness

Don’t Dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

 

Being present in the moment and focusing your complete attention on the task at hand is called mindfulness.

When we are totally engrossed in the activity without any anxiety about the result or what others will think or say, you persist in the face of adversity.

To cultivate mindfulness consider the task at hand, however small it may be, as the most important task in the world.

 

14.      Practice Letting Go

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

We must learn the ate of letting go.

There are so many things which we do not have control over. There is no point loosing our sleep over them. Holding on to everything will make our life miserable.

Let go of the relationship which is not working.

Let go of hatred, anger…

Let go of ill will, jealousy…

Let go of the desires you have…

Let go of the attachment to fame, riches, possessions…

 

 

Summing Up:

1.         Control Your Mind

2.         Right Speech

3.         Free Yourself from Desire

4.         Equanimity

5.         Learn to Suffer

6.         Compassion

7.         Be Focused 

8.         Learn Through Experience

9.        All The Power Is Within Us

10.      Be Happy

11.      Shun Laziness

12.      Forgive Others

13.      Live In Awarene/ss/Mindfulness

14.      Practice Letting Go

  

What strategy do you use when you are overwhelmed by the challenges of life?