One of the main foundations of Buddhist philosophy and teaching is that life is suffering. The Buddha said:
There is this Noble Truth of suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering…
The Buddha goes on to say that there is the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble truth of the way leading to the end of suffering. His main motive was to inspire us to make a determined bid for enlightenment and attain Nirvana.
Now most of us are worldly people and we are not seeking Nirvana in this lifetime. We would be satisfied by leading a wise and controlled life. But is there a way for us to be happier through digesting this Buddhist teaching?
I think there is although it needs some amount to contemplation and courage. It is this: Accept that suffering and death cannot be avoided. Be prepared to suffer; be prepared to die.
Now I am not a spiritual guru and I would advice you to use your own judgment when it comes to practicing the following advice. It is this: Contemplate the fact that life is suffering. Remind yourself of this dictum from time to time. So also contemplate death. In the words of the French philosopher Montaigne – A man who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave.
It is not as if we are giving something up or exposing ourselves to avoidable misfortunes. Neither suffering nor death can be avoided so we might as well accept completely that misfortunes will happen.
But to practice this advice you need a steady mind and a good amount of courage. Please don’t misinterpret me and start thinking morbid thoughts about suffering and death. If you contemplate the unpleasant facts of life without having a steady mind you will slip into a state of negativity and terror. I am speaking from experience. What I am advocating is strong medicine and you need to be emotionally stable to take it.
The goal of the above exercise is to Accept these unpleasant facts of life completely so that you cease to be disturbed by them. And then as Montaigne say you will have unlearned how to be a slave.
For example, when faced with a difficult decision you can remind yourself that no matter what the results of your action will be Life will still remain suffering. When faced with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune we can remind ourselves that even people in the most enviable of situations suffer. You will thus retain a certain amount of serenity in the midst of the turmoil of life.
If you are prepared to suffer and to die you can live without a care in the world. You will thus be free of the demon of worry and lead life fearlessly.
I’ll end here. Hope this helps someone. Please explore this blog for more articles on Politics, Spirituality and Self Help. If you liked this article then please share it on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to post your comments or contact me. Link to contact is below.
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