Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv
364 Episoden
7 Minuten
Gifts to my self part 2
Have you heard the first part of my series "Gifts to Me" in one of the last episodes?
Today it continues:
6. health
Without health everything is nothing, no possession can please, no closeness can make happy, no fun can be funny, because an illness brings further, additional suffering. Buddha exhorted us to understand the body as a vehicle for attaining enlightenment, which must be cared for. From this point of view, the Indian prince was the first nutritionist who, incidentally, also considered discipline as the basis of health. He also had the habit of eating only once a day (I for my part do it exactly the same way), eating very little, fasting, meditating, living a vegetarian life per se. He was also a yogi, did his exercises, walked a lot, was a healthy man who passed away in old age tired and surrounded by his disciples.
7. self-confidence
If you are sure of your things, you don't have to raise your voice, you can go your way calmly. Do not waste any more thoughts on doubts, throw your insecurities overboard, if you have decided to do something, then it is good, because according to Buddha it comes anyway as it should come, you bear no direct guilt. Gift yourself with self-confidence, live your life, trust your basic instinct.
8. become your own coach
In the meantime, every newspaper has an advice section, the net is full of coaches, but deep inside you know about the connections, about the law of cause and effect, also about the teachings of Buddha. You know what is good for you and what is not. Listen more to yourself, less to other people.
9. spirituality and faith
You read on a Buddhist blog, you try your spirituality, maybe you are a believer. Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion. Nevertheless, you can follow a religion and also be a Buddhist. Anyway, the worldview of the Indian prince gives values and content that have become a kind of inner compass for many people. Those who are spiritually oriented will one day (hopefully) find the jump from suffering, rise from being "feel-good Buddhists" to becoming followers. Whenever karma will be like that, because it always and basically comes as it has to come. The Buddha has shown us the way, we have to walk it ourselves. But the way is the goal!
Read on in the next few days on the subject of "Gifts to my I".
Free from all desire, hatred and delusion, and purified from his faults, then he is worthy of gifts
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Have you heard the first part of my series "Gifts to Me" in one of the last episodes?
Today it continues:
6. health
Without health everything is nothing, no possession can please, no closeness can make happy, no fun can be funny, because an illness brings further, additional suffering. Buddha exhorted us to understand the body as a vehicle for attaining enlightenment, which must be cared for. From this point of view, the Indian prince was the first nutritionist who, incidentally, also considered discipline as the basis of health. He also had the habit of eating only once a day (I for my part do it exactly the same way), eating very little, fasting, meditating, living a vegetarian life per se. He was also a yogi, did his exercises, walked a lot, was a healthy man who passed away in old age tired and surrounded by his disciples.
7. self-confidence
If you are sure of your things, you don't have to raise your voice, you can go your way calmly. Do not waste any more thoughts on doubts, throw your insecurities overboard, if you have decided to do something, then it is good, because according to Buddha it comes anyway as it should come, you bear no direct guilt. Gift yourself with self-confidence, live your life, trust your basic instinct.
8. become your own coach
In the meantime, every newspaper has an advice section, the net is full of coaches, but deep inside you know about the connections, about the law of cause and effect, also about the teachings of Buddha. You know what is good for you and what is not. Listen more to yourself, less to other people.
9. spirituality and faith
You read on a Buddhist blog, you try your spirituality, maybe you are a believer. Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion. Nevertheless, you can follow a religion and also be a Buddhist. Anyway, the worldview of the Indian prince gives values and content that have become a kind of inner compass for many people. Those who are spiritually oriented will one day (hopefully) find the jump from suffering, rise from being "feel-good Buddhists" to becoming followers. Whenever karma will be like that, because it always and basically comes as it has to come. The Buddha has shown us the way, we have to walk it ourselves. But the way is the goal!
Read on in the next few days on the subject of "Gifts to my I".
Free from all desire, hatred and delusion, and purified from his faults, then he is worthy of gifts
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Are you ready to heal?
Before you start healing someone, ask them if they are willing to give up the things that have made them sick.
- Hippocrates - physician of the antiquity - 460 to 370 before the year zero
A sentence that could also have come from Buddha. For Buddhism, according to the great teacher, is about refraining from the behaviors that make us suffer.
But most people don't want to do that, they cling to people, things and events because they promise themselves security and safety from them, although these feelings can at best be a fallacy.
Because everything is transient, nothing remains, according to Buddha, the only thing that helps here is to deal with the truth, to express the certainty, to perceive, to accept. We suffer because we know that everything will pass away, we, our loved ones, our possessions, our city, our country, our planet, nothing will remain.
But suffering is a pure choice, do I suffer or refrain from suffering? And deep inside we also know why we suffer, not because of spurned love, past youth, expired energy, lost wealth we grieve, no, we grieve because we are impermanent, only because of that our emotions are stricken.
An awakened person will not suffer any more, no matter what may happen, he will accept the situation with stoic calm, go about his work in peace, no matter what hurricane may rage around him.
When a seeker meets a teacher and this teacher speaks of the cessation of all attachments, then not everyone concerned wants to hear this, most people are still stuck in their old structures, the philosophy of Buddha comes from far away, slowly penetrates only through the Western culture, the opinions, the views, the belief systems are too different. But what is the use of holding on to suffering, when we already know the end.
If you philosophize about this clearly and soberly, you will soon find out that there is more than a grain of truth in the teaching of the Indian prince. If you want to be cured of your suffering, you must first make the determination to refrain from suffering.
It is a simple act of will that is at the beginning of your journey, whoever wants to follow the path of Buddha must decide this once, then the rest will follow all by itself. In order to leave suffering behind you must first have experienced a fair amount of it, then your willingness to look at other worldviews increases.
The way is the goal, the true path to the end of the sufferings!
Oh, how we live so happily without sickness among sick people, while people stagger through life sick and infirm.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Before you start healing someone, ask them if they are willing to give up the things that have made them sick.
- Hippocrates - physician of the antiquity - 460 to 370 before the year zero
A sentence that could also have come from Buddha. For Buddhism, according to the great teacher, is about refraining from the behaviors that make us suffer.
But most people don't want to do that, they cling to people, things and events because they promise themselves security and safety from them, although these feelings can at best be a fallacy.
Because everything is transient, nothing remains, according to Buddha, the only thing that helps here is to deal with the truth, to express the certainty, to perceive, to accept. We suffer because we know that everything will pass away, we, our loved ones, our possessions, our city, our country, our planet, nothing will remain.
But suffering is a pure choice, do I suffer or refrain from suffering? And deep inside we also know why we suffer, not because of spurned love, past youth, expired energy, lost wealth we grieve, no, we grieve because we are impermanent, only because of that our emotions are stricken.
An awakened person will not suffer any more, no matter what may happen, he will accept the situation with stoic calm, go about his work in peace, no matter what hurricane may rage around him.
When a seeker meets a teacher and this teacher speaks of the cessation of all attachments, then not everyone concerned wants to hear this, most people are still stuck in their old structures, the philosophy of Buddha comes from far away, slowly penetrates only through the Western culture, the opinions, the views, the belief systems are too different. But what is the use of holding on to suffering, when we already know the end.
If you philosophize about this clearly and soberly, you will soon find out that there is more than a grain of truth in the teaching of the Indian prince. If you want to be cured of your suffering, you must first make the determination to refrain from suffering.
It is a simple act of will that is at the beginning of your journey, whoever wants to follow the path of Buddha must decide this once, then the rest will follow all by itself. In order to leave suffering behind you must first have experienced a fair amount of it, then your willingness to look at other worldviews increases.
The way is the goal, the true path to the end of the sufferings!
Oh, how we live so happily without sickness among sick people, while people stagger through life sick and infirm.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Gifts to my self part 1
In order to lead a mindful and conscious life you should give yourself sufficient "self" gifts. Such gifts to your own self are invaluable for your mood and well-being. Especially the "feel-good Buddhists" among us become aware of the path of the Buddha in this way, then in the course of time find the appropriate mindset to penetrate more deeply into the teachings of the teacher of all teachers in the first place.
1. honesty
Those who can be honest with themselves are on a fantastic path. According to Buddha, the very beginning of his message of the noble eightfold path defines right recognition as the first step. The one who recognizes things as they are is honest, towards himself, but then also subsequently towards the environment.
2. wisdom
From the first step, honesty, then follows as the next consequence from the noble eightfold path right speech and action, because who has recognized how things are connected, he is a wise person, he will not wish and want, will not exalt himself, will take care of health, treat the environment well and with love, put his energy into the welfare of his family and his cultural circle, act wisely and be respected for it.
3. Forgiveness
Because the honest (above 1.) person quickly attains wisdom (above 2.), he can also forgive himself and his fellow human beings, because he no longer carries around the suffering of the whole of humanity, does not wallow in pain, does not cultivate problems either, but uses his knowledge of the context of things, he forgives himself first, then all others as well. Only consolidated people can finally forgive, detach from the deep pain of human evolution.
4. kindness
Whoever has internalized points 1. to 3. knows that the other living beings on their personal journey partly suffer terribly because they have (not yet) chosen the path to knowledge, meanwhile (still) striving after other things that are sorrowful and transient, which is why the knower acts towards such poor souls with kindness and compassion.
5. Time
Every moment is precious, whether we will still be "here" tomorrow is by no means guaranteed, which is why time may be our most precious commodity. When did you (last) consciously take time for yourself, such as going for a walk when you actually had a thousand other things to do, or simply taking a nap on the sofa even though the work was not yet done? Give yourself a gift with a portion of extra time, treat yourself to quality time. In the next few days you will continue to read here about the "gifts to my ego" The way is the special goal here!
Do not think about my last words, they are already in the past
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
In order to lead a mindful and conscious life you should give yourself sufficient "self" gifts. Such gifts to your own self are invaluable for your mood and well-being. Especially the "feel-good Buddhists" among us become aware of the path of the Buddha in this way, then in the course of time find the appropriate mindset to penetrate more deeply into the teachings of the teacher of all teachers in the first place.
1. honesty
Those who can be honest with themselves are on a fantastic path. According to Buddha, the very beginning of his message of the noble eightfold path defines right recognition as the first step. The one who recognizes things as they are is honest, towards himself, but then also subsequently towards the environment.
2. wisdom
From the first step, honesty, then follows as the next consequence from the noble eightfold path right speech and action, because who has recognized how things are connected, he is a wise person, he will not wish and want, will not exalt himself, will take care of health, treat the environment well and with love, put his energy into the welfare of his family and his cultural circle, act wisely and be respected for it.
3. Forgiveness
Because the honest (above 1.) person quickly attains wisdom (above 2.), he can also forgive himself and his fellow human beings, because he no longer carries around the suffering of the whole of humanity, does not wallow in pain, does not cultivate problems either, but uses his knowledge of the context of things, he forgives himself first, then all others as well. Only consolidated people can finally forgive, detach from the deep pain of human evolution.
4. kindness
Whoever has internalized points 1. to 3. knows that the other living beings on their personal journey partly suffer terribly because they have (not yet) chosen the path to knowledge, meanwhile (still) striving after other things that are sorrowful and transient, which is why the knower acts towards such poor souls with kindness and compassion.
5. Time
Every moment is precious, whether we will still be "here" tomorrow is by no means guaranteed, which is why time may be our most precious commodity. When did you (last) consciously take time for yourself, such as going for a walk when you actually had a thousand other things to do, or simply taking a nap on the sofa even though the work was not yet done? Give yourself a gift with a portion of extra time, treat yourself to quality time. In the next few days you will continue to read here about the "gifts to my ego" The way is the special goal here!
Do not think about my last words, they are already in the past
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The subjective point of view
We all always have a reason for our actions, every behavior builds on many causes, according to Buddha I speak here of the law of cause and effect.
We know that every action also brings a reaction, which is why we should have understanding for people (and their many reasons). Instead of reacting in a huff, aggressively or emotionally, we should ask ourselves why the person in question is behaving in this way, whether fears or concerns are perhaps arising, whether there are even constraints so that the person in question cannot act in any other way?
And the subjective perspective on what is happening quickly dissolves when we imagine ourselves standing in the other person's shoes, what would we do now in their place? If you still can't muster any understanding now, what could that be due to?
Are emotions being triggered in you here, perhaps your own fears or needs being addressed? Is the other person's behavior really wrong, or could the fault also lie with me?
And is there even an "objective" right, or a wrong? I would say that there can only be a "subjective", because every person thinks his point of view is right, criticizes the view of the other person. But what do you see the splinter in your brother's eye and do not perceive the beam in your own eye, so the sentence attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, which already leaves hardly any interpretation for real objectivity.
If it were still possible that I have built up prejudices (preconceived judgments), where does my aversion come from right now? Does this situation remind me of past incidents where I may have had bad experiences?
Specifically, are there things or incidents that trigger you? Circumstances that infuriate you? A type of person you just don't like? For example, do you find yourself criticizing young people for things you used to do yourself, but which now bother you because you are no longer young?
Or, as another example, do you get upset about the ostentatious behavior of the wealthy (fancy cars, expensive watches) because you are not "rich"? There are always deeper reasons for our actions, which even we cannot recognize at first glance.
The subjective point of view disturbs the reality, according to Buddha there is by no means only one truth, but infinitely many realities. The subjective point of view takes place from every subject, but the way of Buddha would be the goal!
Higher acts a look of reverence
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama -
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
We all always have a reason for our actions, every behavior builds on many causes, according to Buddha I speak here of the law of cause and effect.
We know that every action also brings a reaction, which is why we should have understanding for people (and their many reasons). Instead of reacting in a huff, aggressively or emotionally, we should ask ourselves why the person in question is behaving in this way, whether fears or concerns are perhaps arising, whether there are even constraints so that the person in question cannot act in any other way?
And the subjective perspective on what is happening quickly dissolves when we imagine ourselves standing in the other person's shoes, what would we do now in their place? If you still can't muster any understanding now, what could that be due to?
Are emotions being triggered in you here, perhaps your own fears or needs being addressed? Is the other person's behavior really wrong, or could the fault also lie with me?
And is there even an "objective" right, or a wrong? I would say that there can only be a "subjective", because every person thinks his point of view is right, criticizes the view of the other person. But what do you see the splinter in your brother's eye and do not perceive the beam in your own eye, so the sentence attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, which already leaves hardly any interpretation for real objectivity.
If it were still possible that I have built up prejudices (preconceived judgments), where does my aversion come from right now? Does this situation remind me of past incidents where I may have had bad experiences?
Specifically, are there things or incidents that trigger you? Circumstances that infuriate you? A type of person you just don't like? For example, do you find yourself criticizing young people for things you used to do yourself, but which now bother you because you are no longer young?
Or, as another example, do you get upset about the ostentatious behavior of the wealthy (fancy cars, expensive watches) because you are not "rich"? There are always deeper reasons for our actions, which even we cannot recognize at first glance.
The subjective point of view disturbs the reality, according to Buddha there is by no means only one truth, but infinitely many realities. The subjective point of view takes place from every subject, but the way of Buddha would be the goal!
Higher acts a look of reverence
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama -
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
Become more relaxed
Especially from the group of "feel-good Buddhists" you hear again and again that you want to become more serene. But that is easy to say and not easy to do. A thousand things happen around us, and one or the other of us quickly loses his or her temper when everything goes wrong again in traffic, traffic jams up, or you get "cut off".
Or the boss whistles at you first thing in the morning, the children don't do what they're supposed to, we're insulted or snapped at. When everything goes wrong again, when things are not as we would like them to be, I am supposed to become more relaxed? How does that work?
Readers of my blog know that everything is just a decision, that I can decide to become more relaxed from now on (right now), to stop getting upset, to stop paying attention to trivialities, to stop wasting energy senselessly in the universe.
And it doesn't matter who is bothered by my behavior, if I let myself be influenced by it (or not), it's ONLY me who decides, nobody else, I'm the only one to blame, just because I didn't make the decision (or don't want to make it). What do you think life would be more fun if you weren't constantly upset about everything possible and impossible? And no matter if I keep the appointment or not, the earth keeps turning, I can try again next time to seize the opportunity.
Those who have outgrown the group of "feel-good Buddhists" and follow the path of Buddha also know that it makes absolutely no difference whether we think about it or not. If we become serene, if we have made the decision to let go, then everything will be much easier anyway.
If you have problems with "letting go of thoughts", then imagine that all other people are just like you (or at least very similar), you are not special, but all people have the same worries, needs and thoughts like you, can not let go, can not become more calm. Just like you too.
The general question is whether we can refrain from accumulating useless emotions, also want to lift our general mood, or go through life grumpy. Do you know your current feelings, are you thinking about how your situation could improve?
Can you care less about how others around you are behaving?
The way is the goal!
That the joy grows in the good! Happiness is all good end
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Especially from the group of "feel-good Buddhists" you hear again and again that you want to become more serene. But that is easy to say and not easy to do. A thousand things happen around us, and one or the other of us quickly loses his or her temper when everything goes wrong again in traffic, traffic jams up, or you get "cut off".
Or the boss whistles at you first thing in the morning, the children don't do what they're supposed to, we're insulted or snapped at. When everything goes wrong again, when things are not as we would like them to be, I am supposed to become more relaxed? How does that work?
Readers of my blog know that everything is just a decision, that I can decide to become more relaxed from now on (right now), to stop getting upset, to stop paying attention to trivialities, to stop wasting energy senselessly in the universe.
And it doesn't matter who is bothered by my behavior, if I let myself be influenced by it (or not), it's ONLY me who decides, nobody else, I'm the only one to blame, just because I didn't make the decision (or don't want to make it). What do you think life would be more fun if you weren't constantly upset about everything possible and impossible? And no matter if I keep the appointment or not, the earth keeps turning, I can try again next time to seize the opportunity.
Those who have outgrown the group of "feel-good Buddhists" and follow the path of Buddha also know that it makes absolutely no difference whether we think about it or not. If we become serene, if we have made the decision to let go, then everything will be much easier anyway.
If you have problems with "letting go of thoughts", then imagine that all other people are just like you (or at least very similar), you are not special, but all people have the same worries, needs and thoughts like you, can not let go, can not become more calm. Just like you too.
The general question is whether we can refrain from accumulating useless emotions, also want to lift our general mood, or go through life grumpy. Do you know your current feelings, are you thinking about how your situation could improve?
Can you care less about how others around you are behaving?
The way is the goal!
That the joy grows in the good! Happiness is all good end
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Bad becomes good
Those who have gotten out of the habit of judging things, people and events do not necessarily have to read on.
All others, still in the hamster wheel, poor souls, they should go deeper here. Buddha admonished his followers several times that nothing is as it appears to us, that everything comes anyway as it must come, that we can not even overlook how things are really connected.
I, for my part, have gotten out of the habit of making judgments, sometimes old tendencies come up, but in general I don't do it anymore.
No matter which event hits me, no matter how it affects me, I cannot foresee the effects, neither in the short term, nor in the medium term or in the long term. For that I lack the objectivity, the knowledge, the tools. My body can sort out such sensitivities much better than my intellect, but very few people listen to their body, such hunches are suspicious to them.
Many events, which I thought to be "bad" in the first moment, turned out to be "good" afterwards (the knowing reader sees that there is no "good" and no "bad", nor can there be). For instance, when I got so sick that I quit smoking. Of my own will I might not have been able to do it, but I had to cough so much, when I saw just one cigarette it shook me. First I was sick, very sick, a severe cold for almost a month, but this had a "positive" effect on my health, I stopped smoking because of it.
Or the day I separated from my wife, it was so sad, my body was shaken, my soul was torn, a deep sadness settled inside me. My sweet daughter, we had to separate, the marriage was shattered, a drama for all concerned. In the very place where I saw "my" family for the last time, that's exactly where I met my current partner. Everything that was not harmonious with my ex-wife (for some reason), all that is now with the new partner completely without problems. But I don't want to judge, it is what it is, it comes as it must come.
When the next mishap happens to you, you should consider whether good things could come out of it, what positive consequences would be conceivable, and whether it would simply not matter, good or bad, up or down, right or left, it comes exactly as it should come.
From good becomes bad, from bad also good.
The way is the goal!
Do not abandon your own salvation for the sake of the greatest salvation of others.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Those who have gotten out of the habit of judging things, people and events do not necessarily have to read on.
All others, still in the hamster wheel, poor souls, they should go deeper here. Buddha admonished his followers several times that nothing is as it appears to us, that everything comes anyway as it must come, that we can not even overlook how things are really connected.
I, for my part, have gotten out of the habit of making judgments, sometimes old tendencies come up, but in general I don't do it anymore.
No matter which event hits me, no matter how it affects me, I cannot foresee the effects, neither in the short term, nor in the medium term or in the long term. For that I lack the objectivity, the knowledge, the tools. My body can sort out such sensitivities much better than my intellect, but very few people listen to their body, such hunches are suspicious to them.
Many events, which I thought to be "bad" in the first moment, turned out to be "good" afterwards (the knowing reader sees that there is no "good" and no "bad", nor can there be). For instance, when I got so sick that I quit smoking. Of my own will I might not have been able to do it, but I had to cough so much, when I saw just one cigarette it shook me. First I was sick, very sick, a severe cold for almost a month, but this had a "positive" effect on my health, I stopped smoking because of it.
Or the day I separated from my wife, it was so sad, my body was shaken, my soul was torn, a deep sadness settled inside me. My sweet daughter, we had to separate, the marriage was shattered, a drama for all concerned. In the very place where I saw "my" family for the last time, that's exactly where I met my current partner. Everything that was not harmonious with my ex-wife (for some reason), all that is now with the new partner completely without problems. But I don't want to judge, it is what it is, it comes as it must come.
When the next mishap happens to you, you should consider whether good things could come out of it, what positive consequences would be conceivable, and whether it would simply not matter, good or bad, up or down, right or left, it comes exactly as it should come.
From good becomes bad, from bad also good.
The way is the goal!
Do not abandon your own salvation for the sake of the greatest salvation of others.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The only true way
The most adventurous views, the most controversial political standpoints, religious teachings from all over the world, moral wisdoms of all kinds, are popping up everywhere right now.
Similarly as I make "advertisement" for the philosophy of Buddha, secrets of all kinds are fully advertised in the crisis time.
Some know exactly about the consequences of global warming, others are vaccination experts, still others are federal coaches, some are even "without alternative" anyway.
All of them say that their world view is the right one, the others simply have no idea. The only true way is their opinion, one has to realize that.
According to Buddha, life is "round" when "one" treads the middle path, makes peace with oneself; in peace lies strength, the path is the goal.
The only true way, that is the middle way of the Buddha, the world view holds infinite powers for us. As a pure philosophy, the great teacher's words can also help those otherwise religious people who have adopted Buddhism as a kind of "second religion."
The only true path, people have been searching for thousands of years, gods came, gods passed away.
Here, the Buddha's teaching offers a real alternative, since no worship of a god is required, but the followers of Buddha were instructed to search for answers within "themselves".
The one true path does not lead to a paradise, but to a journey to one's own "I". It is a path to "inner" happiness, without religious dimensions. If "we" live what is important to us, then we are on the right path. The only true path is self-reliance, recognizing our spiritual expression. This is the way, the only true way.
The path of the middle lets us fall into a calm mode, nothing is so important anymore, the finiteness of the present existence brings calmness to the "here" and "today".
When you stand at a crossroads, you can choose the further way. At each new junction, you are free to re-evaluate the situation, and if necessary, improve it.
The only true way is your way, you yourself have to go it, (bear) the hardships and difficulties yourself. No God will take this task from you, no priest can decide "for you".
Every individual makes his decisions based on experiences, involves feelings (like fear or love).
Have you ever asked yourself why you do this or that the way you have "always" done it?
The path is the goal!
Your way, no matter what it may be, is the right way.
There is no way to peace, because peace is the way
- Mahatma Gandhi - Indian lawyer - 1869 to 1948
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
The most adventurous views, the most controversial political standpoints, religious teachings from all over the world, moral wisdoms of all kinds, are popping up everywhere right now.
Similarly as I make "advertisement" for the philosophy of Buddha, secrets of all kinds are fully advertised in the crisis time.
Some know exactly about the consequences of global warming, others are vaccination experts, still others are federal coaches, some are even "without alternative" anyway.
All of them say that their world view is the right one, the others simply have no idea. The only true way is their opinion, one has to realize that.
According to Buddha, life is "round" when "one" treads the middle path, makes peace with oneself; in peace lies strength, the path is the goal.
The only true way, that is the middle way of the Buddha, the world view holds infinite powers for us. As a pure philosophy, the great teacher's words can also help those otherwise religious people who have adopted Buddhism as a kind of "second religion."
The only true path, people have been searching for thousands of years, gods came, gods passed away.
Here, the Buddha's teaching offers a real alternative, since no worship of a god is required, but the followers of Buddha were instructed to search for answers within "themselves".
The one true path does not lead to a paradise, but to a journey to one's own "I". It is a path to "inner" happiness, without religious dimensions. If "we" live what is important to us, then we are on the right path. The only true path is self-reliance, recognizing our spiritual expression. This is the way, the only true way.
The path of the middle lets us fall into a calm mode, nothing is so important anymore, the finiteness of the present existence brings calmness to the "here" and "today".
When you stand at a crossroads, you can choose the further way. At each new junction, you are free to re-evaluate the situation, and if necessary, improve it.
The only true way is your way, you yourself have to go it, (bear) the hardships and difficulties yourself. No God will take this task from you, no priest can decide "for you".
Every individual makes his decisions based on experiences, involves feelings (like fear or love).
Have you ever asked yourself why you do this or that the way you have "always" done it?
The path is the goal!
Your way, no matter what it may be, is the right way.
There is no way to peace, because peace is the way
- Mahatma Gandhi - Indian lawyer - 1869 to 1948
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
The red-brown leaves
In Buddhist temples, students and aspiring monks have to do a lot of work; even in monasteries, apprenticeship years are not master years.
One of the tasks every autumn is to clean the grounds from the leaves. Since sweeping is very monotonous and boring, the young men seldom take up this laborious task. The colorful autumn leaves on the paths and buildings of the monastery look beautiful and picturesque, and when the leaves rustle, a pleasant feeling passes through the visitors, but when it rains or gets wet, the leaves quickly become slippery and therefore dangerous.
So it happened that morning to a young man who had only been in the temple for a short time. He wanted to become a monk, yes, but he did not like sweeping leaves. In general, he had not yet become accustomed to getting up early and going to bed early in the evening, he swept the leaves quite listlessly.
He had hardly finished when a wind caught the last leaves of the trees, and the courtyard of the temple was again full of new foliage. Then he had to start all over again, his bad mood grew, he felt colder and colder, he worked silently. He consoled himself with the fact that the trees had almost no more leaves, therefore tomorrow the work would surely go much faster from the hand.
The next morning he came to the yard in a better mood, but found that again the whole yard was full of leaves. Wherever the many leaves came from, it looked like yesterday. The mood was quickly darkened again, he began to sweep.
When the abbot of the monastery came to the morning prayer he saw the young student, immediately he understood that the boy was dissatisfied with his fate. He said to him, "yesterday's work has passed, today's is waiting for you, tomorrow's work is still developing".
"Every day holds new tasks for us, never is our mission the same, always other demands are added. If you want to become a monk, work in the here and now, enjoy your challenges, never be deterred by the magnitude of the work."
"The work we have to do, it never ends, there are always new things coming to be done. The day there are no more challenges, that's when the perceived existence comes to an end. Always do your work with mindfulness and with dedication."
"The work comes to you, not you come to the work", said the wise master, going to prayer.
To restore silence is the task of objects
- Samuel Beckett - Irish writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature - 1906 to 1989
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
In Buddhist temples, students and aspiring monks have to do a lot of work; even in monasteries, apprenticeship years are not master years.
One of the tasks every autumn is to clean the grounds from the leaves. Since sweeping is very monotonous and boring, the young men seldom take up this laborious task. The colorful autumn leaves on the paths and buildings of the monastery look beautiful and picturesque, and when the leaves rustle, a pleasant feeling passes through the visitors, but when it rains or gets wet, the leaves quickly become slippery and therefore dangerous.
So it happened that morning to a young man who had only been in the temple for a short time. He wanted to become a monk, yes, but he did not like sweeping leaves. In general, he had not yet become accustomed to getting up early and going to bed early in the evening, he swept the leaves quite listlessly.
He had hardly finished when a wind caught the last leaves of the trees, and the courtyard of the temple was again full of new foliage. Then he had to start all over again, his bad mood grew, he felt colder and colder, he worked silently. He consoled himself with the fact that the trees had almost no more leaves, therefore tomorrow the work would surely go much faster from the hand.
The next morning he came to the yard in a better mood, but found that again the whole yard was full of leaves. Wherever the many leaves came from, it looked like yesterday. The mood was quickly darkened again, he began to sweep.
When the abbot of the monastery came to the morning prayer he saw the young student, immediately he understood that the boy was dissatisfied with his fate. He said to him, "yesterday's work has passed, today's is waiting for you, tomorrow's work is still developing".
"Every day holds new tasks for us, never is our mission the same, always other demands are added. If you want to become a monk, work in the here and now, enjoy your challenges, never be deterred by the magnitude of the work."
"The work we have to do, it never ends, there are always new things coming to be done. The day there are no more challenges, that's when the perceived existence comes to an end. Always do your work with mindfulness and with dedication."
"The work comes to you, not you come to the work", said the wise master, going to prayer.
To restore silence is the task of objects
- Samuel Beckett - Irish writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature - 1906 to 1989
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Virtues
Buddha exhorted virtuous living, values and content, cohesion and discipline.
First of all, there are different types of virtues, the primarily important qualities (primary virtues), as well as a lower level, the so-called secondary virtues.
Primary virtues are, for example, modesty, reverence and honesty, right cognition, thinking, speaking and acting, the components mentioned again and again by Buddha on the way to the light of knowledge, which hardly differ from the old German values.
But also the importance of secondary virtues such as discipline, diligence and punctuality, these are in the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers indisputable cornerstones of a functioning society and of every decent member of the community.
Virtues, that seems to today's fun society as a non-word, which seems to have fallen out of time. But over the centuries, only those nations that cultivated content and values were successful. When, for example, ancient Rome finally arrived in decadence, lust and complacency, the "barbarians" were already at the gates. Peoples came, cultures went, a perpetual renewal of the human species runs wave-like through the evolution. And in times without virtues, it has been shown and continues to be shown that a fatalism afflicts people, covers them like a viscous buzz, paralyzes and blocks everyone.
What virtues are important to you, what moves you, what bothers you in other people? Are there virtues so important to you that you cannot tolerate their absence in those around you?
My whole day consists of work, diligence and fulfillment of duty, my agenda is consistently worked through every day, a lot of sleep, yoga, healthy food, work, the care of my relationships, in close tact I go about my tasks.
Those who follow the teachings of Buddha know that life is only a dream from which it is necessary to awaken. That's why we should follow the body, not the ratio, because our subconscious mind has more clarity, the back and forth thinking, that brings even more uncertainties.
But as long as we let ourselves go, don't want to follow the primary virtues, and even more so the secondary virtues, as long as we don't want to follow them, we won't be really satisfied with ourselves inside, because we know that a part is missing.
Suppose you were to put more effort into the virtues, to try harder and harder, to make life more reasonable, to follow the Buddha on his path, what would you have to lose?
A community without virtues will soon tear itself apart, individuals will fall over each other, values will be lost, until one day there will be hardly any people left. Who knows, maybe mankind has already destroyed itself hundreds of times and then started again from zero.
The way is the goal!
Beware of wrathful deeds, make the body your servant
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Buddha exhorted virtuous living, values and content, cohesion and discipline.
First of all, there are different types of virtues, the primarily important qualities (primary virtues), as well as a lower level, the so-called secondary virtues.
Primary virtues are, for example, modesty, reverence and honesty, right cognition, thinking, speaking and acting, the components mentioned again and again by Buddha on the way to the light of knowledge, which hardly differ from the old German values.
But also the importance of secondary virtues such as discipline, diligence and punctuality, these are in the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers indisputable cornerstones of a functioning society and of every decent member of the community.
Virtues, that seems to today's fun society as a non-word, which seems to have fallen out of time. But over the centuries, only those nations that cultivated content and values were successful. When, for example, ancient Rome finally arrived in decadence, lust and complacency, the "barbarians" were already at the gates. Peoples came, cultures went, a perpetual renewal of the human species runs wave-like through the evolution. And in times without virtues, it has been shown and continues to be shown that a fatalism afflicts people, covers them like a viscous buzz, paralyzes and blocks everyone.
What virtues are important to you, what moves you, what bothers you in other people? Are there virtues so important to you that you cannot tolerate their absence in those around you?
My whole day consists of work, diligence and fulfillment of duty, my agenda is consistently worked through every day, a lot of sleep, yoga, healthy food, work, the care of my relationships, in close tact I go about my tasks.
Those who follow the teachings of Buddha know that life is only a dream from which it is necessary to awaken. That's why we should follow the body, not the ratio, because our subconscious mind has more clarity, the back and forth thinking, that brings even more uncertainties.
But as long as we let ourselves go, don't want to follow the primary virtues, and even more so the secondary virtues, as long as we don't want to follow them, we won't be really satisfied with ourselves inside, because we know that a part is missing.
Suppose you were to put more effort into the virtues, to try harder and harder, to make life more reasonable, to follow the Buddha on his path, what would you have to lose?
A community without virtues will soon tear itself apart, individuals will fall over each other, values will be lost, until one day there will be hardly any people left. Who knows, maybe mankind has already destroyed itself hundreds of times and then started again from zero.
The way is the goal!
Beware of wrathful deeds, make the body your servant
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Toxic Positivity Part 2
Read the first part of "Toxic Positivity" here.
The question is always, how much good energy is right and important, and at what point is positivity toxic and too much? When does the trend of perpetual positive emotions then follow an unrealistic view of one's life, of one's circumstances?
Especially in the social media it is a compulsion to present oneself "positively" (beautiful, rich and successful), who wants to see how the adored idol's nose runs.
But it is precisely here that tricks and embellishments are made, photoshopped and corrected, and it feels like there are a million image editing programs to deliver the right appearance for the constantly craving followers.
More and more viewers then come to the depressed conclusion that their life just doesn't work out that way, their girlfriend isn't that beautiful, the car isn't that great, the apartment isn't that big.
As a result, the faces become long, the constant comparison with the stars and starlets can only backfire. And according to Buddha, we shouldn't judge or compare anyway, and we shouldn't let ourselves be deceived by beautiful appearances, but look behind the scenes (or at least try to).
In today's society you can hardly find honesty, neither towards your own self, nor towards your fellow human beings. And negative feelings are not shown, "one" plays something, pretends, the desired harmony becomes the all-determining goal, behind it are of course also financial interests.
In order to constantly present the desired positive optimism, the true emotions are suppressed, the feelings are suppressed, the affected people become more and more actors, live in their role, do not even show their true self to their partner.
From this moment on, one can confidently speak of "Toxic Positivity", the affair became "poison" for those who bow to the beautiful appearance. On the other side then the real feelings are not lived out, the role is more and more seen as "real", in the end the real person and his real personality is "buried".
And then only Buddhism helps to clear the rubble, to get to the bottom of the matter. Whoever can decide to look the truth in the face can bring about qualitative changes at any time.
But "one" must dare to look the truth in the eye.
Superficial optimism is toxic for us, can cause massive damage to the fragile psyche of the afflicted. Those who are always in a "good" mood are not really "genuine" either.
Buddha spoke of the way of the middle, which lies exactly between optimism and pessimism, which one can recognize also as a realist very simply.
Because it applies: The way is the goal!
How to end old feelings without creating new ones
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Read the first part of "Toxic Positivity" here.
The question is always, how much good energy is right and important, and at what point is positivity toxic and too much? When does the trend of perpetual positive emotions then follow an unrealistic view of one's life, of one's circumstances?
Especially in the social media it is a compulsion to present oneself "positively" (beautiful, rich and successful), who wants to see how the adored idol's nose runs.
But it is precisely here that tricks and embellishments are made, photoshopped and corrected, and it feels like there are a million image editing programs to deliver the right appearance for the constantly craving followers.
More and more viewers then come to the depressed conclusion that their life just doesn't work out that way, their girlfriend isn't that beautiful, the car isn't that great, the apartment isn't that big.
As a result, the faces become long, the constant comparison with the stars and starlets can only backfire. And according to Buddha, we shouldn't judge or compare anyway, and we shouldn't let ourselves be deceived by beautiful appearances, but look behind the scenes (or at least try to).
In today's society you can hardly find honesty, neither towards your own self, nor towards your fellow human beings. And negative feelings are not shown, "one" plays something, pretends, the desired harmony becomes the all-determining goal, behind it are of course also financial interests.
In order to constantly present the desired positive optimism, the true emotions are suppressed, the feelings are suppressed, the affected people become more and more actors, live in their role, do not even show their true self to their partner.
From this moment on, one can confidently speak of "Toxic Positivity", the affair became "poison" for those who bow to the beautiful appearance. On the other side then the real feelings are not lived out, the role is more and more seen as "real", in the end the real person and his real personality is "buried".
And then only Buddhism helps to clear the rubble, to get to the bottom of the matter. Whoever can decide to look the truth in the face can bring about qualitative changes at any time.
But "one" must dare to look the truth in the eye.
Superficial optimism is toxic for us, can cause massive damage to the fragile psyche of the afflicted. Those who are always in a "good" mood are not really "genuine" either.
Buddha spoke of the way of the middle, which lies exactly between optimism and pessimism, which one can recognize also as a realist very simply.
Because it applies: The way is the goal!
How to end old feelings without creating new ones
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Accept what is!
To look at the daily madness, that is sometimes very demanding. Crises, dangers, illnesses, financial uncertainties, unstable political conditions, all in all very easy to lose perspective.
It is very difficult to keep a portion of "lightness", not to wander through the days frightened and frustrated. But lightness, how do you bring it back into your life, what feels light, what doesn't?
How do you wake up in the morning, light, or feeling rattled?
On what occasions does a feeling of lightness come over you, when not?
Can you name connections? How can you bring more lightness into your everyday life and into your life?
Could it be that we have learned to be "serious", so that we have lost our light feeling in the course of growing up?
The day starts with a fight with the partner, the kids don't listen, the traffic is as tough as syrup, the boss is annoyed, the customers are pushing, the food doesn't taste good, the day ends with another fight about a parking space, we are so annoyed, all lightness has vanished.
But how can we get back that invaluable good feeling, how to find the lightness despite all the unpleasantness from the daily madness? A simple answer would be to accept what is. Not to want things and people to be different, but to take them as they are. My child doesn't learn anything, good, my child is like that. My job is no fun, well, then I start looking for something new, but as long as I still have the old job I will accept the circumstances.
What happened to our lightness anyway, when did it pass? As a child we were so carefree, carefree and free, when did that change?
Can you still switch off, get yourself into a childlike state? If you are upset again then you should ask yourself if this thing is worth worrying about at all, and especially if your feelings are improving something, bringing something, or not just producing hot air.
Then, in a second thought, you should try (again and again) to define lightness, to put it into words, to describe it. How do you imagine a life of lightness? How would such a feeling probably feel, if it accompanies us cheerfully and buoyantly through life?
And further, in a final step, what positive actions could you take right now, in the medium term, and in the long term? How could you learn to accept what is? In any case: The way is the goal!
Those who accept the existence view are opponents of the non-existence view
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
To look at the daily madness, that is sometimes very demanding. Crises, dangers, illnesses, financial uncertainties, unstable political conditions, all in all very easy to lose perspective.
It is very difficult to keep a portion of "lightness", not to wander through the days frightened and frustrated. But lightness, how do you bring it back into your life, what feels light, what doesn't?
How do you wake up in the morning, light, or feeling rattled?
On what occasions does a feeling of lightness come over you, when not?
Can you name connections? How can you bring more lightness into your everyday life and into your life?
Could it be that we have learned to be "serious", so that we have lost our light feeling in the course of growing up?
The day starts with a fight with the partner, the kids don't listen, the traffic is as tough as syrup, the boss is annoyed, the customers are pushing, the food doesn't taste good, the day ends with another fight about a parking space, we are so annoyed, all lightness has vanished.
But how can we get back that invaluable good feeling, how to find the lightness despite all the unpleasantness from the daily madness? A simple answer would be to accept what is. Not to want things and people to be different, but to take them as they are. My child doesn't learn anything, good, my child is like that. My job is no fun, well, then I start looking for something new, but as long as I still have the old job I will accept the circumstances.
What happened to our lightness anyway, when did it pass? As a child we were so carefree, carefree and free, when did that change?
Can you still switch off, get yourself into a childlike state? If you are upset again then you should ask yourself if this thing is worth worrying about at all, and especially if your feelings are improving something, bringing something, or not just producing hot air.
Then, in a second thought, you should try (again and again) to define lightness, to put it into words, to describe it. How do you imagine a life of lightness? How would such a feeling probably feel, if it accompanies us cheerfully and buoyantly through life?
And further, in a final step, what positive actions could you take right now, in the medium term, and in the long term? How could you learn to accept what is? In any case: The way is the goal!
Those who accept the existence view are opponents of the non-existence view
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
3 mindful steps
3 mindful steps to more control over life
We all feel from time to time that we have no (or little) control over our lives. The awakened Buddhists know that there is no such thing as control, but the "feel-good" Buddhists among us, they still feel the need to put things in order. So how would it make sense, what would get us further?
The first thing to say is that we shouldn't worry about the things we can't control anyway, because they are simply not in our sphere of influence, but worry about the things we can (maybe) influence.
Right now, all people are overwhelmed by the events that are coming upon humanity as a collective, so it helps to think carefully about where we can change something, and where not.
If you are once again overwhelmed by circumstances but are not yet fully in tune with the universe, breathing exercises of any kind will help you regain control of yourself. Focus on your breath, and you will experience rapid improvement. A very simple exercise is to close your eyes, breathe in shallowly through your nose, and then hold your breath for about 3 seconds, only then slowly exhale through your mouth. You can repeat this exercise as often as you like, and then gain some calmness.
In a second step, take a mantra that you can speak as a kind of "prayer". Give yourself completely to this exercise, let the mantra flow into your body, penetrate into all cells, become a unity of all your senses.
As a conclusion, keep telling yourself that you want to follow the path of Buddha, that one day you will reach a stage where it does not matter if you have control or not. This is possible when you have first calmed down. We all know that we will die, so we cannot have (real) control over anything. Only when we come to terms with this thought, then we reach a stage of inner balance, then we accept that we are small grains of sand in a big universe, so there is no possibility of control, nor can there be. And anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. But the one who can make his peace with the human destiny gains more than all the treasures of this world.
The way is the goal!
There are urges that should be overcome by control
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
3 mindful steps to more control over life
We all feel from time to time that we have no (or little) control over our lives. The awakened Buddhists know that there is no such thing as control, but the "feel-good" Buddhists among us, they still feel the need to put things in order. So how would it make sense, what would get us further?
The first thing to say is that we shouldn't worry about the things we can't control anyway, because they are simply not in our sphere of influence, but worry about the things we can (maybe) influence.
Right now, all people are overwhelmed by the events that are coming upon humanity as a collective, so it helps to think carefully about where we can change something, and where not.
If you are once again overwhelmed by circumstances but are not yet fully in tune with the universe, breathing exercises of any kind will help you regain control of yourself. Focus on your breath, and you will experience rapid improvement. A very simple exercise is to close your eyes, breathe in shallowly through your nose, and then hold your breath for about 3 seconds, only then slowly exhale through your mouth. You can repeat this exercise as often as you like, and then gain some calmness.
In a second step, take a mantra that you can speak as a kind of "prayer". Give yourself completely to this exercise, let the mantra flow into your body, penetrate into all cells, become a unity of all your senses.
As a conclusion, keep telling yourself that you want to follow the path of Buddha, that one day you will reach a stage where it does not matter if you have control or not. This is possible when you have first calmed down. We all know that we will die, so we cannot have (real) control over anything. Only when we come to terms with this thought, then we reach a stage of inner balance, then we accept that we are small grains of sand in a big universe, so there is no possibility of control, nor can there be. And anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. But the one who can make his peace with the human destiny gains more than all the treasures of this world.
The way is the goal!
There are urges that should be overcome by control
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Toxic Positivity Part 1
Toxic Positivity is called the vicious circle of expectation. And as we know, not all expectations can come true, and then, when it doesn't, we are so disappointed. Life is so bad to us, everything always goes against us, it is like bewitched. So, or something like that, we complain when things don't go our way again.
And what we do not expect everything, money, health, love, success, just the best is good enough, so just acceptable. Impudently we demand from the fate, we trouble God and gods, horoscopes and prophecies deliver the confirmations. And woe is it not according to the personal demands, not the best of the best. Then we just change the god, the old one was obviously no good.
The trend to more and more expectations has reached its temporary peak in the English word "Toxic Positivity", has also arrived in psychology, is a reason for the manifold disorders and diseases of the psyche.
Toxic is poisonous, and as with all things, only the dose makes the poison, especially the normal "feel-good Buddhist" always expects more, has not yet given up wanting and desiring. And we live in a normal environment, not isolated in a monastery, we have obligations, have to earn a living, are caught in the hamster wheel of modern society.
When I lived in the Shaolin Temple in China at the time, life was simple. Ceremonies, meditation, training, food and body care, then sleep, those were the cornerstones of life. Today I live in Stuttgart, I'm working all day, doing things, running after money, so mindfulness and Buddhist equanimity can be put to the test. I used to be a monk, now I live a normal life, it's a big difference.
And it's not only my expectations (I have more or less ended them, turned them off, I live as my body suggests, not "rationally"), but those of my environment. The family, the circle of friends, the work, and more and more the state need time, the expectations to me become more and more. And there comes a moment when I react indignantly, although I don't want to.
Imagine taking the kids to school, getting soaking wet from the rain, getting a parking ticket in the process, getting stuck in traffic and being late for work, getting "whistled at" there because of it, the computer crashing, things "going sour" in turn, and then Someone approaches you with an otherwise completely harmless request, and you completely freak out.
Expectations become toxic for you.
But: the journey is the destination!
Hear part 2 of "Toxic Positivity" here in the next few days.
The toxic juice of ignorance is spread through greed, desire and ill will
- Buddha - honorific name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Toxic Positivity is called the vicious circle of expectation. And as we know, not all expectations can come true, and then, when it doesn't, we are so disappointed. Life is so bad to us, everything always goes against us, it is like bewitched. So, or something like that, we complain when things don't go our way again.
And what we do not expect everything, money, health, love, success, just the best is good enough, so just acceptable. Impudently we demand from the fate, we trouble God and gods, horoscopes and prophecies deliver the confirmations. And woe is it not according to the personal demands, not the best of the best. Then we just change the god, the old one was obviously no good.
The trend to more and more expectations has reached its temporary peak in the English word "Toxic Positivity", has also arrived in psychology, is a reason for the manifold disorders and diseases of the psyche.
Toxic is poisonous, and as with all things, only the dose makes the poison, especially the normal "feel-good Buddhist" always expects more, has not yet given up wanting and desiring. And we live in a normal environment, not isolated in a monastery, we have obligations, have to earn a living, are caught in the hamster wheel of modern society.
When I lived in the Shaolin Temple in China at the time, life was simple. Ceremonies, meditation, training, food and body care, then sleep, those were the cornerstones of life. Today I live in Stuttgart, I'm working all day, doing things, running after money, so mindfulness and Buddhist equanimity can be put to the test. I used to be a monk, now I live a normal life, it's a big difference.
And it's not only my expectations (I have more or less ended them, turned them off, I live as my body suggests, not "rationally"), but those of my environment. The family, the circle of friends, the work, and more and more the state need time, the expectations to me become more and more. And there comes a moment when I react indignantly, although I don't want to.
Imagine taking the kids to school, getting soaking wet from the rain, getting a parking ticket in the process, getting stuck in traffic and being late for work, getting "whistled at" there because of it, the computer crashing, things "going sour" in turn, and then Someone approaches you with an otherwise completely harmless request, and you completely freak out.
Expectations become toxic for you.
But: the journey is the destination!
Hear part 2 of "Toxic Positivity" here in the next few days.
The toxic juice of ignorance is spread through greed, desire and ill will
- Buddha - honorific name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Learning to fail
Those who can fail find inner strength. In psychology, a good ability to fail is called resilience. Here, mental health is maintained to such an extent that even in the case of serious or stressful events, the person concerned can cope well with the situation, has the ability not to lose mental balance.
And this resilience can be learned, of course it is also partly hereditary, but it can be trained quite easily. People can be divided into two groups here, namely those who are naturally quite hearty, easily coping with difficulties, and then the other group, who are much more sensitive, who can be upset by stress and lose their cool at any time.
The foundation for a positive worldview is laid in childhood, and the ability to fail is a cornerstone that will be learned in a healthy home. And even in later life it is important to have a healthy environment, normal caregivers who will stand by you even in times of stress and problems. Those who have an environment that believes in them are already far ahead.
To learn to fail, one must expose oneself to situations in which one then acquires security. Those who know in advance that they will fail can face it calmly. And whoever repeatedly puts himself in such situations in which he will fail, can then calmly await the things that may come even in the situations in which he has not planned to fail. In this way, one promotes the building of problem solving skills and is adequately prepared for future stressful situations.
In other words, you should push the limits of resilience further and further, and then you will no longer feel any limits. This way they will cope well in all situations of life, they will get a normal resilience, the stresses of life will not really reach them anymore.
People who have not learned to fail in their youth, they always have a hard time in real life, sometimes from the lack of self-confidence then comes mental illness, depression and other disorder of mental activity. Of course, the training of resilience cannot be extended indefinitely, there comes a moment when simply medical advice can help.
The followers of Buddha know that with mindfulness and simple exercises one can train conscious awareness and thus regain one's inner balance. Such inner strength can be trained, so that one can achieve protection from the disturbance of mental activities. According to Buddha, nothing is what it seems at first anyway.
The secret of the extraordinary man is in most cases nothing but the consequence
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Those who can fail find inner strength. In psychology, a good ability to fail is called resilience. Here, mental health is maintained to such an extent that even in the case of serious or stressful events, the person concerned can cope well with the situation, has the ability not to lose mental balance.
And this resilience can be learned, of course it is also partly hereditary, but it can be trained quite easily. People can be divided into two groups here, namely those who are naturally quite hearty, easily coping with difficulties, and then the other group, who are much more sensitive, who can be upset by stress and lose their cool at any time.
The foundation for a positive worldview is laid in childhood, and the ability to fail is a cornerstone that will be learned in a healthy home. And even in later life it is important to have a healthy environment, normal caregivers who will stand by you even in times of stress and problems. Those who have an environment that believes in them are already far ahead.
To learn to fail, one must expose oneself to situations in which one then acquires security. Those who know in advance that they will fail can face it calmly. And whoever repeatedly puts himself in such situations in which he will fail, can then calmly await the things that may come even in the situations in which he has not planned to fail. In this way, one promotes the building of problem solving skills and is adequately prepared for future stressful situations.
In other words, you should push the limits of resilience further and further, and then you will no longer feel any limits. This way they will cope well in all situations of life, they will get a normal resilience, the stresses of life will not really reach them anymore.
People who have not learned to fail in their youth, they always have a hard time in real life, sometimes from the lack of self-confidence then comes mental illness, depression and other disorder of mental activity. Of course, the training of resilience cannot be extended indefinitely, there comes a moment when simply medical advice can help.
The followers of Buddha know that with mindfulness and simple exercises one can train conscious awareness and thus regain one's inner balance. Such inner strength can be trained, so that one can achieve protection from the disturbance of mental activities. According to Buddha, nothing is what it seems at first anyway.
The secret of the extraordinary man is in most cases nothing but the consequence
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
8 Minuten
Game of life
Is life just a game?
If life is just a game, then what or who am I? The character, or the player?
People have been philosophizing about life since early times. Who am I, where do I come from? Elementary questions that, at different times, have been answered very differently.
If we imagine only for a moment that life is really only a game, then all fears immediately fall away, because if life were only a game, then all actions would not be real. The actions that we "feel" to be so very real, they are then suddenly no longer important. A liberating idea!
Decades of bad harvests, and diseases like the plague, have thinned out the human herd. Inhuman behaviors made misery and hunger unforgettable.
But fears, anxieties or fear, who likes to face the causes? After all, we want to avoid what seems risky to "us," such is our evolutionary imprint. But fears can get out of control and become pathological.
Are fears still a normal feeling or already a mental disorder?
Where is the limit, from which "we" humans "go crazy", following a collective situation?
The sense of an action will always be questionable before, results "one" knows in the game of the life always only afterwards.
Fear in itself is the biological function and mechanical emotion. Fear of heights, of pain, of embarrassment, of closeness, of failure, of being alone, of the future; in the game of life every conceivable situation is painful for one person, but not for another.
A certain amount of fear is beneficial, but "too much" of fears will affect body and mind like a disease. In response to the fears, our mind palace develops a different behavior, physical reactions make themselves felt.
A behavioral complex of people is the escape, simply running away, quickly leaving the "things" behind. Flee or fight, these are the rough patterns our ancestors have left us. Some fears, however, do not require a reaction, then "one" must face the situation and not cowardly look away.
The game of life should not be a game "on hiatus", the more often "we" look away, the more threatening the fears appear to become.
In the first step we accept the fears, they are part of our life. Fear-inducing apprehensions do not have to gain the upper hand, but they are a part of "us".
Now if life were really just a game, then the fears would be completely pointless. So if you can imagine that life is just a game, you can imagine that fears don't exist either, and incidentally are completely useless.
Do you know the parlor game "Game of Life" from the 80's? On the board, dice are used to decide on the various stages of life. The game of life from the perspective of a microcosm shows the implementation of the automaton theory of Stanisław Marcin Ulam in "Conway's game of life". In this simulation, the state of the game field changes with each generation according to predetermined rules. An ideally infinite playing field as an independent, cellular automaton with complex structures pleases those who still want to think.
The way is the aim in the game of the life!
God does not throw dice
- Albert Einstein - German physicist - 1879 to 1955
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Is life just a game?
If life is just a game, then what or who am I? The character, or the player?
People have been philosophizing about life since early times. Who am I, where do I come from? Elementary questions that, at different times, have been answered very differently.
If we imagine only for a moment that life is really only a game, then all fears immediately fall away, because if life were only a game, then all actions would not be real. The actions that we "feel" to be so very real, they are then suddenly no longer important. A liberating idea!
Decades of bad harvests, and diseases like the plague, have thinned out the human herd. Inhuman behaviors made misery and hunger unforgettable.
But fears, anxieties or fear, who likes to face the causes? After all, we want to avoid what seems risky to "us," such is our evolutionary imprint. But fears can get out of control and become pathological.
Are fears still a normal feeling or already a mental disorder?
Where is the limit, from which "we" humans "go crazy", following a collective situation?
The sense of an action will always be questionable before, results "one" knows in the game of the life always only afterwards.
Fear in itself is the biological function and mechanical emotion. Fear of heights, of pain, of embarrassment, of closeness, of failure, of being alone, of the future; in the game of life every conceivable situation is painful for one person, but not for another.
A certain amount of fear is beneficial, but "too much" of fears will affect body and mind like a disease. In response to the fears, our mind palace develops a different behavior, physical reactions make themselves felt.
A behavioral complex of people is the escape, simply running away, quickly leaving the "things" behind. Flee or fight, these are the rough patterns our ancestors have left us. Some fears, however, do not require a reaction, then "one" must face the situation and not cowardly look away.
The game of life should not be a game "on hiatus", the more often "we" look away, the more threatening the fears appear to become.
In the first step we accept the fears, they are part of our life. Fear-inducing apprehensions do not have to gain the upper hand, but they are a part of "us".
Now if life were really just a game, then the fears would be completely pointless. So if you can imagine that life is just a game, you can imagine that fears don't exist either, and incidentally are completely useless.
Do you know the parlor game "Game of Life" from the 80's? On the board, dice are used to decide on the various stages of life. The game of life from the perspective of a microcosm shows the implementation of the automaton theory of Stanisław Marcin Ulam in "Conway's game of life". In this simulation, the state of the game field changes with each generation according to predetermined rules. An ideally infinite playing field as an independent, cellular automaton with complex structures pleases those who still want to think.
The way is the aim in the game of the life!
God does not throw dice
- Albert Einstein - German physicist - 1879 to 1955
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
