In this life, we all come in contact with obstacles and face challenges daily. We must do this in order to survive, that is just how it is.
While we will attempt to avoid these obstacles sometimes confronting them is important when it comes to living our lives to the fullest. According to Buddhist philosophy happiness is something that calls us to embrace and accept all the different aspects of our lives. This includes the negative aspects as well. You see if we deny the negative, we are refusing to see reality or what it is and turning our backs on the Universe itself.
Below you will find the seven truths we will all be better of accepting:
1. Meditation is important.
Meditation is a means of working to understand the mind. It is something that teaches us to appreciate the present and gives us time to reflect on things we are dealing with. We must meditate in order to reduce suffering. Clearing our minds and recharging our souls is important.
“This is the aim of Buddhist meditation practices. In meditation, you are supposed to closely observe your mind and body, witness the ceaseless arising and passing of all your feelings, and realize how pointless it is to pursue them. When the pursuit stops, the mind becomes very relaxed, clear and satisfied. All kinds of feelings go on arising and passing – joy, anger, boredom, lust – but once you stop craving particular feelings, you can just accept them for what they are. You live in the present moment instead of fantasizing about what might have been. The resulting serenity is so profound that those who spend their lives in the frenzied pursuit of pleasant feelings can hardly imagine it.”
-Yuval Noah Harari
2. Change is going to happen.
Each day is a new day and should be greeted as such. We cannot avoid change, it is inevitable. We are born, we live, and we die. We experience something different every single day whether it is something big or something small. We must embrace change otherwise we will not be able to create the lives we want for ourselves.
“Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or whether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.”
3. Worrying does nothing.
Worrying does not get you anywhere and it definitely does not change things. Worrying is only making the problem worse. It does not offer any value to our lives and is a waste of time. No matter how much we worry the condition of what we are worrying about is not going to change.
“Worrying does not accomplish anything. Even if you worry twenty times more, it will not change the situation of the world. In fact, your anxiety will only make things worse. Even though things are not as we would like, we can still be content, knowing we are trying our best and will continue to do so. If we don’t know how to breathe, smile, and live every moment of our life deeply, we will never be able to help anyone. I am happy in the present moment. I do not ask for anything else. I do not expect any additional happiness or conditions that will bring about more happiness. The most important practice is aimlessness, not running after things, not grasping.”
4. We must accept reality for what it is.
If we want to be truly free we need to see things as they are not the ideas or images we want them to be. We must stay open and take into consideration any truth that comes our way.
“We have two alternatives: either we question our beliefs – or we don’t. Either we accept our fixed versions of reality- or we begin to challenge them. In Buddha’s opinion, to train in staying open and curious – to train in dissolving our assumptions and beliefs – is the best use of our human lives.”
5. We should not be pursuing temporary feelings.
Temporary feelings do nothing but cause us pain. This causes tension and restlessness within our souls. We crave what we think is happiness without stopping to think if it really is happiness or not. True happiness only comes from inner peace.
“According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. Rather, the real root of suffering is this never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension, restlessness, and dissatisfaction. Due to this pursuit, the mind is never satisfied. Even when experiencing pleasure, it is not content, because it fears this feeling might soon disappear and craves that this feeling should stay and intensify. People are liberated from suffering not when they experience this or that fleeting pleasure, but rather when they understand the impermanent nature of all their feelings and stop craving them.”
6. Death is not something we should fear.
Death is something we cannot change and with it, something amazing comes. Death is not an ending, but a new beginning. We should not fear this new beginning, we should accept it and embrace it when the time comes.
“Planning for the future is like going fishing in a dry gulch; Nothing ever works out as you wanted, so give up all your schemes and ambitions. If you have got to think about something— Make it the uncertainty of the hour of your death . .”
7. We cannot control everything.
There are some things that are out of our control and there is nothing wrong with that. We don’t need to get worked up over the things we have no say in. We are better than that.