The timeless wisdom of Buddha
Timeless because it is not dependent on culture or time in history and universal because as long as you are a human being with a spirit you can benefit from following its wisdom. One of Buddha’s most important messages was kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. His teachings were his offer to the world to help all sentient beings live happy lives and transcend the ordinary suffering that comes with life.
1. It’s okay to start small
“A pitcher fills itself drop by drop.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every artist was once an amateur.” We all start small, don’t despise small beginnings. If you are consistent and patient, you will succeed! No one succeeds overnight; success belongs to those who are willing to start small and patiently until their jar is filled.
2. Thoughts become things
“Everything we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. When a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”
“Holding on to anger is like grabbing a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who is being burned.
When you release those you hold captive in the prison of unforgiveness, it is you who are released from prison. You can’t control someone without staying with him or her. Learn to forgive, learn to forgive quickly.
4. It’s your actions that count
“No matter how many holy words you read, how many you speak, what good will they be to you if you do not act on them?”
They say, “Talking is cheap,” because it is. To make progress you must act; to make rapid progress, you must act daily. Greatness will not fall on you!
Greatness is for everyone, but only those who are willing to act consistently will experience it. There is a proverb that says, “God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into their nest.” To be great, you must act great. Buddha said, ‘I do not believe in fate befalling people no matter how they act; but I do believe in a fate that will befall them unless they take action.”
5. Try to understand
“In a controversy, as soon as we feel anger, we have already stopped pursuing the truth and started pursuing ourselves.”
Stephen Covey said, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Easy to say, very difficult to do; you have to make an effort to understand the perspective of the ‘other’. If you feel anger rising, let it stop. Listen to others, understand their perspective, and you will experience more peace. Be more concerned with being happy than with being right.
6. Conquer yourself
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, by heaven or hell.”
He who can conquer himself is greater than the mighty. To conquer yourself you must conquer your mind. You have to control your thinking. Your thoughts cannot be tossed to and fro like the waves of the sea. You may be thinking, “I have no control over my thoughts. If a thought comes, it comes.” To that I say: You may not be able to stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop it from building a nest in your hair. Ignore thoughts that conflict with the life you want to live. Buddha said, “It is a man’s own mind, and not his enemy or foe, that entices him to evil ways.”
“Peace comes from within. Don’t look for it without it.”
Do not look without for something that can only be found within. Many times we may look without it just to distract ourselves from the reality we know to be true. That reality is that peace can only be found within. Peace is not a new job, peace is not a new car, or a new husband…peace is a new perspective, and that new perspective starts with you.
8. Be grateful
“Let’s stand up and be thankful, because if we haven’t learned a lot today, at least we’ve learned a little, and if we haven’t learned a little, at least we haven’t gotten sick, and if we have done, sick, at least we didn’t die; so let us all be thankful.”
There is always something to be grateful for. Don’t be so pessimistic that for a moment, even a fraction of a moment, you don’t realize the thousands of things you have to be grateful for. Everyone didn’t wake up this morning; some people went to sleep for the last time last night. There is always something to be grateful for, to recognize it and to be grateful. A grateful heart will make you great!
9. Be true to what you know
“The only true failure in life is not being true to the best you know.”
We know a lot, but we don’t always do what we know. If you fail, it won’t be because you didn’t know; it will be because you didn’t do what you knew you should do. Work to do what you know you need to do. Don’t just consume information, but think about thoughts that are conducive to what you want to become until you have a burning desire to manifest it.
10. Travel well
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
Life is about the journey! I’m not trying to gain weight, I’m already there. I’m happy, satisfied and content where I am right now. I can experience more beautiful places and finer wines, but I travel well. Don’t postpone your happiness to some vague time in the future based on a goal that you think will bring you happiness. Travel well today, enjoy the journey.