Here are six Buddhist principles that when
practiced regularly will change your life!
01. CONSUME MINDFULLY.
Be aware of what you put into your body, be
thankful for the nourishment good food provides.
Consider carefully before purchasing material
objects. Ask yourself if it’s really something you need, or just a transient
desire. Take a deep breath, and see if breathing is enough.
Pay attention to the effects of media you
consume. Is it helping you grow or learn? Or is it a distraction or form of
escapism? Does it destroy your mindfulness of the moment?
02. PAUSE. BREATHE. LISTEN.
Consider your words carefully. When you feel
compelled to speak in a meeting or conversation, pause. Will your words bring harm
or foster love?
Breathe before entering your home, place of
work, or school. We must first choose to notice what is present before we can
become comfortable with its existence.
Much counterproductive coping comes from “checking out” or trying to
avoid places or situations that leave us feeling uncomfortable, or stressed.
Listen to the people you encounter. If we
talk to others and listen when they talk, we create the possibility of mutual
sympathy, understanding and tolerance.
03. PRACTICE GRATITUDE.
Notice what you have. Practicing mindfulness
of gratitude consistently leads to a direct experience of being connected to
life and the realization that there is a larger context in which your personal
story is unfolding.
Be equally grateful for opportunities and
challenges. The practice of gratitude is not in any way a denial of life’s
difficulties. We live in troubling times, and no doubt you’ve experienced many
challenges, uncertainties, and disappointments. The understanding you gain from
practicing gratitude frees you from being lost or identified with either the
negative or the positive aspects of life, letting you simply meet life in each
moment as it rises.
Share joy, not negativity. Learn to rejoice
in the good fortune of others and your own happiness multiplies – it’s the best
cure for envy.
04. CULTIVATE COMPASSION AND LOVING KINDNESS.
Notice where help is needed and be quick to
help. Selflessly act to alleviate suffering wherever it appears.
Consider others’ perspectives deeply. Observe
your reactions with genuine interest and non-attachment. If we find it
difficult to listen compassionately and patiently to the woes of others, we can
almost be certain this is because we haven’t been able to sit still and listen
to our own heart’s cries.
Work for peace at many levels. Whatever you
experience internally is valid, it is there for a reason, whether you
understand it or not. It is not always
necessary to understand the origins of an experience or a reaction in order to
come to peace with it.
05. DISCOVER WISDOM.
Cultivate “don’t know” mind (= curiosity).
With wisdom we become better at solving the problems in our own lives and are
able to offer insightful guidance to others. Thus, the knowledge converted into
wisdom brings happiness as a result.
Be open to what arises in every moment. The
mind can focus in so many directions:
past, present, future, abstract notions or analytical problem solving,
to name a few. All forms of thought have a useful role. Try to prioritize
awareness of the present moment. Cultivate the ability to tune into sights,
sounds, physical sensations, thoughts and emotions that are occurring in the
present moment.
06. ACCEPT CONSTANT CHANGE.
Impermanence and change is the undeniable truth of our existence. What
is real is the existing moment, the present that is a product of the past, or a
result of the previous causes and actions. Because of ignorance, an ordinary
mind conceives them all to be part of one continuous reality. But in truth they
are not.
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