Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv

Facing fear with a smile


Fears sit deep and firmly rooted in every person, who says that he has no fears, is kissed by life.


No matter what the fears are, whether of the future, or of monsters, of the tax office, or of illness, we must learn to deal with the fears.


One way to reduce fears is to "make fun" of your own fears, to take a calmer attitude towards these bad feelings.


Smiling to face the fears, because we can change NOTHING anyway, no matter if we are afraid or not, it will come the way it is supposed to come, not the way we want it to come. Whether we worry, or a sack of rice falls over in China, the result is exactly the same. So we can also take a more relaxed position towards the adversities of life; if they will come at all, these adversities, because firstly it comes differently, and secondly than one thinks.


Which of our fears have really come true, which of our worries have paid off, what did we get out of "making up our minds"? Mostly everything turned out completely different, the fears were for nothing.


If fears are of no use at all, but if our ego gets out of control, then a completely different approach to fears could at least be worth a try? The next time you are plagued by fears, then try to embrace them (mentally), to see them no longer as a threat, but as a part of your life, which (from now and today) will become smaller and smaller, until (one fine day) you will no longer produce fears for yourself.


What is your biggest fear? After reading this text, imagine this "threat", pictorially and vividly. Then smile, smile at the fear, just as Buddha, resting in himself, smiled at all fears as well. His image on statues and portraits shows a peaceful, composed man who faced life with kindness. In any case, his likeness does not look as if he was worried or suffered from anxieties.


Whenever you are plagued by anxiety again, just think of the great Buddha, embrace your worries, and face whatever circumstances may come your way with a smile. You can't change anything about the circumstances anyway, it comes as it comes.


Only how you deal with it, that you can determine, whether smiling or grief-stricken, that is your decision.


The way is the goal!





There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way


- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero





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Nirvana is within us


I am often asked about Nirvana, how "one" could reach it, what to do to get there?


My answer, that Nirvana is already in us, in ourselves, that disturbs people, more than it helps you, the concept of "Nirvana" unsettles people.


Whoever lives in the now and in the present, wants nothing and wants nothing, is happy without a wish, so to speak, rests in his mere existence, trusts in his fate and his karma, is already in Nirvana.


The flowers on the balcony, do they worry if we will water them tomorrow?


The birds in the garden, do they worry if there will be enough to eat tomorrow?


Your cat, does it worry about tomorrow?


No, only we humans worry about such things. All day long we worry, we nurse our fears, our ego drives us crazy, we develop neuroses, depressions, alcohol and drug problems, human behavior moves away from Nirvana, not towards it.


So it will be nothing, neither with Nirvana, nor with the "enlightenment" to strive for according to Buddha.


According to the teacher of all teachers, the human existence is only about reaching Nirvana, and about the "enlightenment" to strive for, otherwise about NOTHING.


And it is also not about tomorrow, but about the now and the here, right now is the right time to enter Nirvana, what tomorrow is, who knows?


Whoever stops worrying right now, whoever starts accepting his fate without reservations right now, whoever understands the philosophy of Buddha and allows the consequences, enters Nirvana right now, at this moment.


A life without worries, without need, without fear, in harmony with the universe, deeply and thoroughly entrenched in the Buddha's worldview, this is the Nirvana that all people talk about, but of which they have no idea.


How the individual person reaches his Nirvana, that is completely different, never one journey resembles another, how the person concerned reaches the realization may be completely different; the Nirvana however is for all travelers then simply unbelievable, peaceful and quiet, far away from all time, without country and without direction, colorless, but full of colors, homely and pleasant, but without order, filled with love, but loveless in the construction.


Not everyone will manage the step into the Nirvana today, perhaps he/she still needs a little time to detach himself/herself from all attachments first slowly, to look at the bodily things once again to realize then nevertheless that he/she will lose all things and every human being anyway one beautiful day, that he/she therefore better already enters the Nirvana exactly now, not only tomorrow.


Nevertheless, the way is the goal!





Nobody saves us, except ourselves. Nobody can and nobody must. We have to go the way ourselves


- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero





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Am I a Buddhist?


People's lives are terrible. From the moment life begins, it can also end.


The ways of a possible death are infinite, from "falling out of bed and breaking the neck" to "falling asleep peacefully in old age", everything is there.


We know that it can be "over" any moment, we know about the finiteness of being, nevertheless only the fewest are ready to really think about the connections once.


In Western culture, such reflection is not common, as our ancestors lived according to religious traditions based on a "relationship of superiority and subordination" with a god, thus leaving little room for independence.


Like all things, spirituality and faith are subject to change, gods came, some stayed, many passed away. Today, little is left of the former beliefs, houses of worship are hardly frequented, people have emancipated themselves from the old teachings in large numbers.


But because life is finite, and all cultures have thought about the meaning and nonsense of life, "modern" man is also looking for answers to his questions. In the course of history, a bizarre relationship to death, and thus also to life, often developed.


The teachings of Buddha put forward a completely different concept here, which is directed towards man himself. Not the higher "power" should fix it, but the individual himself in personal responsibility.


Surely you have already asked yourself if you are a "believer", if there is a God. In which teaching could there be "something to it"? Sure, we were raised and shaped in one way or another, but faith is something very personal. When I was growing up, for example, a Catholic was not allowed to marry a Protestant, that was sacrilege. Today, that's hardly the case anymore; higher-level questions of faith have now taken its place.


Buddhism takes a refreshingly different view of spirituality. The philosophy of Buddha has knowledge as its goal, no god has to be worshipped.


According to the great teacher, the focus is on "awakening" as the goal of man, an event to be achieved on one's own responsibility.


Self-responsible, these are quite unfamiliar sounds. No one to tell me what to do?


Perhaps you have already thought about the philosophy of Buddha? Would this teaching suit me? Bring me peace and tranquility?


It would be worth a thought!





The murdered one is not without responsibility in his murder. And the robbed is not blameless in his robbery. The righteous one is not innocent of the deeds of the evil one.


- Khalil Gibran - Lebanese artist and poet - 1883 to 1931





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Have you ever passed a beggar who asked you for money, standing a can in front of him, asking for a teuro with a suffering face?


Surely your feeling was "with" the suffering fellow, probably you opened your heart, connected your mind with that of the other person, at least for a short moment.


The teaching of Buddhism is about liberation from suffering, about the absence of all causes of suffering. We all go through the same path of suffering, the so-called path of suffering, go through many things, birth, old age, illness, and in the end death is waiting.


Therefore, we can "empathize", because the situation is the same for all people, no one lives forever, everyone suffers pain, everyone has their desires, their disappointments, their successes, their "special" moments in life, which make up the respective, individual path of life.


Perhaps you ask yourself briefly what could have brought the beggar to ask you of all people for money here now, what stations have tipped the scales that he and you meet at this very moment, have a fleeting encounter. What has this person experienced, which experiences were formative, possibly you feel a feeling arise in you, the compassion. This is then usually connected with the wish that this person can free himself from his predicament, that he may free himself from the cycle of suffering.


Through the connection to this human being, in just this short second, from this we draw strength, this coupling between living beings is a small enlightenment, a feeling "with" the other creature, with its vulnerability, which shows us our own pain and suffering.


Compassion can be developed if one wants to. The opposite of compassion is schadenfreude and spitefulness, which also stem in part from our limited ability to "help", the feeling of being able to do "nothing", that makes us very unhappy.


Compassion is an emotion, but it should be used wisely, because giving up on ourselves out of compassion is not a smart solution either. Also, we must not lose heart because of the many bad events in this world, not despair at the badness we often experience around us. For Buddha said that we should not judge, not divide into "good" or "bad", but accept fate as it then comes.


When you meditate again, you should direct your compassion to the people you don't like, who make you uncomfortable, in doing so you can strengthen your compassion.


Because again, the journey is the destination!





You can't have passion unless you have compassion


- Elizabeth Taylor - British-American actress - 1932 to 2011





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Does the match light the flame, or does the flame light the match?


Who came first, the hen or the egg?


Where does the energy that is in us come from?


Questions upon questions!


I maintain that we can control energies, especially those within us. We can also move energies within us, control them, direct them to every corner of our body. This is especially noticeable in yoga exercises, in Qi Gong and in sports in general.


Also, with these exercises we can nurture and increase the energies within us, we can even ration them. Of course, we can also waste them, drink and smoke too much, eat badly, not move, then the energies decrease visibly.


At the end of the day, our energies (Chinese: Qi) are to a large extent the oxygen we get from our breath, which is why maximizing our oxygen intake leads directly to more energy.


But where does the ignition energy come from, and why does it go out one fine day with death?


That in turn comes back to the most important question: who are you? And that leads to: where do I come from? Where am I going to go?


According to Buddha, we must take care of our body, take care of it, otherwise we will not be able to reach the mind, the six windows will be lost in the accumulation of garbage.


Where do you want the journey to take you? You are reading on a Buddhist website, so in any case you are interested in the search of the self. But easier said than done, where to get the discipline to maintain, strengthen, cultivate the fire?


Buddha taught his followers a fair amount of discipline, since the body is our vehicle, the six windows allow the energy to flow into us, no obstruction is acceptable.


The match is therefore us, which is ignited by the flame (our energy), thus also consumes our body thus also, since each match once burned down, has come to the end. Then we can still burn our fingers briefly at the end of the match, then the life energy of the body goes out, but your ego just not. The concept of rebirth means that we are born again, that there is more of us than just the ephemeral match.


It is always difficult for us humans to think about such connections, too terribly the fate with birth, illness, age and death appears. NOTHING will remain of the shell, alone the idea of the future makes us shudder.


But with death it is by no means finished. Where were you, before you were conceived?


The way is the goal!





Three fires are to be avoided, not to be entertained: the fire of lust, the fire of hate, the fire of delusion. And three fires are to be worshipped and practiced for true salvation: the fire of filial reverence, the fire of the good householder and the fire of pious giving


- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero





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As often as the term "dharma" is used linguistically, its definition is unclear.


According to Wikipedia, the word "Dharma" can include law, right and custom, as well as ethical and religious obligations and values, but also denote religion, ethics or morality in general, or concrete religious rituals, methods and actions.


But with a simple definition one cannot do justice to the term "Dharma", because through the "Dharma" we reach "enlightenment", we can therefore (according to the teachings of Buddha) determine life, death and any change with the right Dharma. The body is mortal, but do we know about the causes and consequences of our human existence, so with the "right" Dharma do we decide more wisely, or more consciously, for example with more mindfulness?


All day long we are busy, the work, the children, the car, the apartment, the hobbies, good food, the beloved TV evening, the sport, there is always enough to do. So much we would like to forget that at the end of all efforts we will die, so we always want to have something "to do", useful or not, just not thinking is the modern motto.


Then the result of any thinking can only be that life is finite and therefore terrible, the result makes us sad.


But whoever looks at human life openly and honestly, can actually only come to one conclusion, namely to the complete abandonment, to surrender, it is of no use at all to want to suppress these FACTS, but if we accept the finiteness of our fate, then we find the urgently needed salvation, the words of Buddha are true, the fears must first be conquered, only then the state of consciousness changes, the "enlightenment" comes closer.


The path of Dharma should be without judgment, without desires, without wanting, without craving, without hatred and without delusion, free from forms, according to the true Buddha nature in harmony with the universe.


Dharma is the truth propagated by the Buddha himself, virtuously and righteously following the noble eightfold path of the great teacher, through right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation, following the teacher's path on his way.


Who am I?


Where do I come from?


Where am I going?


Can we (for ourselves, not for others) overcome the nature of change, "enter" deeper into reality, and then discover our "immortality"? For if the Dharma can determine life, death, and any change, then in the end it is all up to ourselves.


Is there a timeless reality without any form that exists unchanged, that is preserved?





Time is a great teacher. The misfortune: it kills its disciples


- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero





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The body will crumble to dust, this fate is in store for every human being.


Everything we see around us will disintegrate to dust, even the hardest steel will dissolve one day again into its atoms, which then perhaps form new connections, form themselves to other formations, naturally, or even again artificially.


NOTHING on this world is of continuance, not even the planet will remain, very probably it will either burn up, or freeze, or likewise disintegrate into its components.


We know this, but with the consequence of this "realization" we do ourselves very heavily.


For Buddhists this fact is no news, the followers of the Buddhist philosophy "know" about the finiteness of all beings and objects, therefore they also see behind the scenes, do not let themselves be deceived by the beautiful appearance.


If NOTHING is lasting, then NOTHING is really important, because NOTHING will remain as we would like it to be, and NOTHING has real use beyond the moment, ultimately peace can only come from realization.


Do you realize that the stories around you are NOT real, cannot be real?


This truth is difficult to "digest", people suffer greatly from their mortality. Since the beginning of time, spirituality and religion have been philosophized about, explanations have been and are being sought, gods have come, gods have gone.


Look down at yourself. NOTHING will remain, the flesh will decay, the bones will decay, what you see now will decay to dust, probably in not too distant time even the atoms will decay, which now represent your body. Your body will crumble to dust.


What will you do now with this realization? Will you make changes in your life?


According to the teacher of all teachers, the solution lies within us, not outside. Because the personality is not subject to decay, the "I" does not perish according to the philosophy of rebirth, but comes to form again in a new form.


Your body is perishable, but your "I" is not.


Buddha taught about the "enlightenment" that can end the cycle of rebirth, which interrupts the suffering of people. Life is suffering, the sentence stands firm. Disappointments arise from desires, because desires are not fulfilled, and the end of a person is clear. Only the time of departure is not, it is completely undetermined, and that is good.


Whoever realizes again and again that the body will pass away, can simply let go of the worries and troubles, because in the end all thinking is without any sense.


The body will turn to dust, rejoice in this fact, for you can do NOTHING about it.





Take time each day to sit quietly and listen for things. Pay attention to the sound of life, which vibrates within us


- Buddha - also: Siddhartha Gautama (Pali: Siddhattha Gotama), founder of the religion named after him Buddhism - 560 - 480 before the year zero





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Who am I, that is the question of all questions.


Am I who I pretend to be, or am I perhaps someone completely different?


Which of the following statements can you agree with?


I am one with my body


I am independent of my body


I am both body and mind


I am neither body nor mind


I am only in my mind


I am not my spirit


I am more than just body and mind


I am only what can be seen


I am more than what can be seen


Who do you think you are? Could it be that man is more than body and mind?


Each of the above statements represents a meditation for a day. Write the sentence on a piece of paper and think about whether this statement applies to you.





I sit, therefore I am


- Niraj -





Meditation puts us in touch with what holds the world together at its core


- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832





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TODAY IS THE DAY FOR A LIFE BALANCE!


A balance sheet (Latin for balance) is a structured comparison of values. A life balance is the examination of positive and negative past events.


This also includes listing the equivalent value of the various actions, i.e. asking: "what has it brought me"? This quickly leads to a valuation of the events of the past.


Retreat to a quiet atmosphere and take a sheet of paper and a pen. Draw a line in the middle of the sheet, write "positive" on the left, then "negative" on the right.


Now enter the most important incidents of your life on the sheet, each in the correct column, it was as it was, it is as it is, don't gloss over anything.


All your troubles, missteps, your worries and hardships, your successes, your joys, the things you are proud of, the events you are ashamed of, write everything down, in keywords, openly and honestly to "yourself", do not lie to yourself.


The main goal of this exercise is reconciliation with your own "I", drawing a line at the end of the page. Buddhists are not supposed to judge, not to create categories, not to distinguish "good" and "bad", but here it is not about the judgement itself, but about the consequences of such a judgement.


Become aware of yourself, your person and personality, see your strengths and weaknesses, and make peace with the life that is on this page.


As Buddhists we know, the "karma" is already fixed for us, everything comes as it must come. We can not escape our destiny, even to fight against it brings nothing, but to complain even less. Make peace with your "I".


Because to find an agreement with your own "self", to create balance, reconciliation and peace within yourself, that is a very worthwhile goal.


Everything that happened was good, important in your life. You have become the person you are today precisely with and because of these events.


Another purpose of this life review is to reflect on sorrows and soges. And in retroperspective, did these negative emotions do anything, could you achieve anything with these feelings?


I don't think so!


When you are done with your life balance, then you should burn the sheet, close with the past.


Make peace with your self!


It was as it was, it is as it is!


The "karma" was their "karma"!





Everything we do has a consequence. But the wise and right does not always produce something favorable, and the wrong does not always produce something unfavorable


- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832





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In a far away land, many many years ago, there lived a very poor woman. She had only the bare necessities, a dress, a pair of shoes, a coat. She never found enough to eat, she was always hungry. The people of the village did not like the woman, she smelled bad, and could rarely wash. Her dwelling was a nailed-together wooden shack without water or heating, on the very edge of the settlement.


This one winter was much colder than the season usually was, her situation was desperate. Completely exhausted, the woman lay on her camp, the supplies had run out days ago, she waited silently and lonely for her death.


Out of nowhere, the farmer's wife from the nearest farm came by, put her food on the floor of the hut, fed her and spoke kindly to her. The poor woman then recovered, the winter came to an end, and spring was at the door.


The poor woman took heart and set out to visit the kind farmer's wife. When she arrived at the farm, she stood in front of the door and called out to her: "Where have you been for so long, I have been waiting for you". The poor woman approached the farmer's wife to thank her. Then the peasant woman said, "you don't have to thank me. Some time ago I was in the temple when a learned master stayed there. He showed me my previous life in a mirror. I saw myself walking around in a forest when I fell and broke my foot. Because I could not walk any further, I starved to death in that forest, the animals were already eating at my body when you came along the way. Noticing my battered body, you were deeply frightened. But then you took all your courage and buried me in the ground, you didn't just leave me there. Now recognizing you in the mirror of the master, I then watched you. Since you had not left the hut last winter, I thought that you would be in a bad way. That is why I brought you food. You buried me once, I am very grateful to you for that. Please come in, wash yourself, and eat with us".


No sooner said than done. The farmer's wife gave the poor woman a brand new dress. As she sat at the peasants' table, washed and decently dressed, the peasant came in with his brother. The brother was immediately taken with the woman, who now even looked very pretty. Still at dinner, the two agreed, they became a couple.


Many years later, when happy children were already running through the house of the couple, the two talked about the errors of fate, and how unbelievably their paths had met. Then her husband came out with the language: "not only my sister-in-law was in the temple and looked into this mirror, I was also there. I saw myself standing in the midst of a happy family, with a dear wife and many children. Today I know that you were that woman, and the children are also like from that 'reflection'."


"Your kindness brought us together, your deeds from a previous life are the reason for our happiness today."


People are in a cycle of rebirths determined by their karma.


So, who buried you in the last life?





As nothing is too great for the spirit, so nothing is too small for goodness


- Jean Paul - German writer - 1763 to 1825





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If our wishes are not fulfilled, we humans quickly become unhappy!


If you want to make a man happy, do not add anything to his wealth, but take away some of his desires.


- Epicurus of Samos - Greek philosopher - 341 to 271 B.C.





The words of Epicurus are of Buddhist wisdom!


Therefore, with this text, I will try to take away some of their desires so that you can become a more content person.


Do you remember your last great wish, which was then fulfilled?


Please close your eyes and try to recall your feelings from that time. How was the time when you had this wish, how was it then when the wish came true? Can you recall these feelings?


Can you feel how you were looking forward to the fulfillment? And how did your feelings change after the goal was achieved?


Give yourself over to your memories, what was your mood like then?


Now think about your current, new wish, the thing that is bothering you at the moment.


Can you take your feelings from back then into today's wish, transport them, so to speak?


And does this change the new desire, or does it remain the same, does the desire perhaps become weaker, or even stronger?





Our desires are like little children; the more we give in to them, the more demanding they become.


- Chinese proverb -





We all have far too many things around us. Many then treat the people around them like objects they own, carelessly and heartlessly.


What all have I acquired in the past, and what of it do I still need today, what do I really use?


How have I treated my fellow human beings in the past, and how could I do better for the future?


Do we really need so many things?


And the people around us, what if we took better care of them?


I personally wish for you now that you can be "wishfully happy" for a whole day.


The way is the goal!





A wish can lose by nothing more, than by the fact that it comes true.


- Peter Bamm - German ship's doctor - 1897 to 1975





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In the course of Alexander the Great's campaigns, India came to have a kingdom in the northwest of the subcontinent, which was presided over by a Greek, King Menandros (Indian: Milinda), in the 2nd century before the year zero.


The work "Milindaphana", written in the Theravada Buddhist language of the time, reproduces the conversation between the king and the monk Nagasena, and explains the common understanding of Buddhism at that time.


From the work "Milindaphana" comes the following dialogue between the two men about nirvana:


"Venerable Nagasena," said the king, "can nirvana be described in form or shape by comparison, or explained figuratively?"


The monk answered him, "Venerable king, that is not possible; nirvana cannot be compared to anything."


The king said: "Venerable monk, I don't agree with that, Nirvana exists, there must be comparisons".


The monk answered him: "Venerable, I will convince you with an example, so I have a question, is there a world ocean, a universal ocean on earth"?


To which the king replied, "Yes, of course, all the seas of this world are united".


Now, venerable ruler: "How much water is there in this ocean, and how many living beings can be found in it"?


At this the king became very calm, then he replied, "It is impossible to measure the contents of the sea, and to determine the creatures living in it".


"But my king, the sea and its inhabitants exist, just as you say that nirvana exists, then everything should also be measurable".


Then the king said, "This question is far beyond my ability, I cannot do it".


"You see, venerable king," replied the monk, "although the world sea exists, it cannot be measured, nor can the living beings be counted or determined, just as Nirvana cannot be determined, although it also exists." "No comparison is possible, no form can reflect the size of the sea, no shape can be used as a comparison".


"But as an analogy I give you this: of the gods likewise no form, no size, no shape can be described, there are no comparisons for them." "So it is with Nirvana, where likewise no shape can be explained". "But Nirvana can still be described".


"Nirvana is like the lotus flower, free from all passion. It is like the water, it cools and quenches the thirst, it is like a medicine for the people, it provides a refuge, it soothes the diseases, it is a drink. It is like the sea that swallows the deceased, without a shore, it never overflows, never becomes full, it is full of unknown creatures. Innumerable waves of knowledge cover Nirvana, just as the sea is covered with them. Nirvana, like food, is the preservation of life, it gives the necessary powers, it gives the necessary beauty to all things and beings, it relieves the hardships of men, it, like food, relieves hunger."


"Nirvana is also like the spaces that neither come into being, nor pass away, nor age, nor die, nor appear, nor disappear, which exist infinitely and without limit."


"The Nirvana, like the precious stones, can fulfill all desires, awaken great joy and spread light".


"The Nirvana, like the noble woods, can spread beautiful fragrances, it can, like the foam of butter oil, take on a perfect color, smell incredibly good of virtue, and taste perfect.


"The Nirvana, like the peak of the mountains, is majestically towering, unshakable, almost inaccessible, waiting for the conquerors without passion". "It does not bend, does not cling, has, like the peaks, no feelings".





Thousands of candles can be lit by the light of one candle, without its light diminishing


- Buddha -





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In every relationship between people one day the question arises whether "one" can, must or should forgive the other person for his words or deeds.


Whoever gives it any thought at all, can.


Who thinks about it longer, who should.


Who does not feel comfortable in his skin, must even.


When it comes to forgiveness, many people find it very difficult, the grievance often sits deep, "one" is hit, the things burden us. But why is one hit, but only because one's own expectations were not met.


Of course, you can simply suppress the painful memory, bury it deep in your mind's palace. But does that really bring anything?


The Buddhist way is to pass over the painful situation with forbearance and generosity, because Buddhists know that the perceived reality is only a felt one, that this event could be viewed through a different filter, and thus a completely different result would emerge.


Easy to say, but sometimes hard to do. So how can we forgive?


Now, when someone asks us for forgiveness, "making peace" is not so difficult, after all, our counterpart has "jumped over" his own shadow in the process, has "accepted" the consequences of asking for forgiveness.


The closer we are to the person, the easier it is for us to forgive this person, for example, we forgive family members or spouses much more easily. With "strangers" it is much more difficult to practice forgiving.


It also often helps to "let the grass grow over the matter", as anger, rage or disappointment often fade quickly.


And don't forget, simply asking for forgiveness already eases our pain a lot, as we quickly feel "loved" again, no longer feel offside, no longer see the act as "malicious."


At the beginning of a grievance (shortly after) we often cannot understand why the other person hurt us, we then have to sort out our feelings first. It is when thoughts are constantly circling around the hurt or the person who inflicted it on us that the coping process is just beginning. Take your time, because time heals all wounds!


After a certain time, the willingness to forgive increases, because the pain has become smaller, the feelings have sorted themselves out.


Now it can help to put ourselves in the position of the person who hurt us. Why did he/she do it? What were the motivations? And also the question whether we ourselves have not done something similar before, that helps in the process of forgiving.


Then comes the moment when we have to let go, check off the slight and the wrong, otherwise the bad emotions will "eat us up", we also keep circling around the same thoughts.


Can you recognize your own need for harmony and finally find peace?


You should forgive the other person to spare yourself, to allow your ego to be at peace again. This is first about you, only secondarily about the other person. Because you can only live together with your environment properly if you rest in your center.


The way is the goal!





Mistakes can always be forgiven, if you have the courage to admit them.


- Bruce Lee - Sino-American actor - 1940 - 1973





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The constant striving for more, for further, for higher, for more beautiful, for harder. But what do all the things, the possessions bring us, does it have an added value, is it really worth "more"?


Less is perhaps more, because the more we possess, the greater our worries become.


The simple things in life are also quite wonderful, but do we really have an eye for their beauty?


Look around the room you are in, what catches your eye, what object (or creature) do you find beautiful? What catches your eye?


Go "inside yourself", what can you see simple beauty in now, at this moment?


Simple beauty can be found everywhere, all around us is nature, brutally good looking, and very dangerous.


Now look in the mirror, look closely at your reflection. Completely regardless of how you look, you are also beautiful, every person is beautiful in their own way, because all living things are also a part of nature.


The object that you just recognized in the room as "simply beautiful", this imprints itself exactly now in your memory, similar to a hypnosis this image appears from now on again and again in front of your inner eye, whenever you doubt the beauty of the world, "your object" will APPEAR like "magically".


Buddhists have binding guidelines based on mindfulness and cognition.


Within these principles, the reality behind the filled realities explains itself. True beauty comes from within, who hasn't heard this saying? However, you cannot "see" inner beauty, but you can very well "feel" it.


So what do you feel "in front of your inner eye" with the said object? Can you sense beauty and simplicity?


And if so, can you "take" the beautiful feeling into the next 5 minutes?


The opposite of "simple" is "complicated", real beauty rarely becomes "difficult", can only be real when it comes easily.


What did you learn while reading this text? Do you have more reality in mind now?


Buddhists are realists, not dreamers. Life is beautiful for those who want to see beauty, realistically appreciate things and living beings.


Buddhism involves a simple way of life that also teaches how to realistically appreciate beauty.


Do you have any plans for tomorrow? How about a walk in nature? In this exercise, find three things (or people you encounter) that are beautiful. Store this image in your mind.


From now on, pick a beautiful new image to store every day. Do this until there are many beautiful images stored in your memory palace.


The way is the goal!





For a woman beauty is absolutely more important than intelligence, because for men seeing is easier than thinking.


- Lil Dagover - German film actress - 1887 to 1980





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