Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks

Self-sabotage

Who doesn't know it, the stupid feeling when you stand in your own way. Sometimes this even happens intentionally, self-sabotage happens more often than we think, just when thoughts make your life harder.

For example, when we say YES but think NO, we do everything possible to sabotage the YES, even at the risk of harming ourselves.

Such behavior is harmful, and not really appropriate for the Buddha's followers, since the great teacher taught us to look behind the scenes.

But whoever thinks about such behavior comes to the conclusion that he should better say NO right away, that is, he should not tell a lie, because the result is already clear, the thinking individual must be aware of it as a consequence.

To stand in our own way is normal, not all our decisions can be right, but the conscious self-sabotage, that is a completely different kind of quality in our emotional actions. Emotions pull us in different directions, it is not always easy to recognize the right way.

And the truth also requires a good portion of courage, which is why we often say YES, but mean NO. When was the last time you dared to tell an annoying person what you think, not to let them get away with their nonsense? We don't want to say unpleasant things!

But if you have the courage to talk about annoying problems, you will probably belong to the group of more successful people, because in order to assert yourself, you have to get to the point.

What do I want, what do I need? These are the kind of questions that awakened people no longer ask themselves, but on the way to "enlightenment" you will find the normal stumbling blocks of interpersonal relationships.

Especially the "feel-good Buddhists" don't want to hurt their environment, just make things worse (in the long run) with technology. For my part, I always address the things that bother me right away, I don't leave anything in the room simply out of convenience, not because I want to assert myself, but because I want to be such a role model for my environment, honest but uncomfortable, not ducking away, but also professing the philosophy of the great teacher.

Many people suffer unnecessarily because they do not have the strength to do the right thing at the right moment. Here I would like to refer to the noble eightfold path of the Buddha, which begins with: Right cognition, right mind, then right speech and right action.

The way is also here the goal!

Wise men know: Desire does not satisfy even golden rain

Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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Gifts to my self part 4

Have you already read the first parts of my series "Gifts to my ego" click. Read on here:

14. friendships

If you really want to give yourself a gift, you should cherish your friendships, take care of your friends, their concerns, their lives. But you should also build up a friendship with your own self, look at yourself in the mirror with goodwill, consciously pay attention to your voice, take yourself "in your arms", do everything possible to reduce all possible aversions against yourself in any case, if possible build up friendship and even self-love. Only those who are at peace with themselves can set out on the path to enlightenment, emulate the Buddha, follow. Treat yourself at least as well as you treat your best friend, give yourself the gift.

15. happiness

Probably the most important gift that you can give yourself, that is happiness, because you are on a good path, on the pathless path, towards the goalless gate, where a landless land awaits all those who have awakened in time, who have not allowed themselves to be blinded, who have renounced suffering because they have made the decision to do so. Happiness is a spiritual emotion that cannot be bought, cannot be given away, cannot be inherited, cannot be earned. Those who have learned to truly let go are already very close to awakening, they will experience all-encompassing happiness. Because happiness is due to us humans, it is a prerogative of those who do not want or desire more, who have come to terms with fate, because they can't change anything about it anyway. Take from the everyday things of life your happiest moments, enjoy the flowers by the wayside, the little hugs, the warmth of the air, the coolness of the breeze, the taste of the food, trivial things that you often just take for granted.

16. a pure mind

Your mind should be like a beautiful garden, pure and pleasing, always tended, full of flowers, trees and shrubs, in the center a small temple with an enchanting statue of the Teacher of all Teachers, mindful people meeting in the temple complex imaginatively built in your mind palace.

Thoughts here are the seeds that plan, nurture and cherish the complex, bad thoughts make the complex decay, good ones improve the ensemble, depending on the mindset, a work of art or a cellar hole is created.

Take care of the purity of your mind, of the garden, of the buildings, build a temple in your thought palace, give yourself peace.

The path is the goal!

Those who live on right food, who are not bound to any property, who find their noble home in the incomprehensible emptiness, whose way is hard to fathom like a bird's path in the air.

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)

Gifts to my self part 3

Have you already read the first parts of my series "Gifts to my ego" click. Click here to continue:

10. meditation

A special gift to my own self is meditation, which I practice daily. Here breathing, mindfulness, health, peace, happiness and extreme well-being unite to a spiritual unity. Every day is then a good day, because with such a gift it is possible to be pleasant, the I is cared for, the body is strengthened, the soul is calmed. Buddha in his calm meditation pose has become a symbol of Buddhist teachings for many people, his figures are in almost every house, we see from his example that for a happy life we only need our resolution "to be happy", nothing more.

11. recognize yourself in your totality

Only the one who knows himself is really wise, the one who learns to recognize himself in all facets with the teachings of Buddha, gets power over the ego, which makes man a suffering being in the first place, which should urgently be put in its place. What makes you as a person, what are your most important qualities? Can you determine what makes you special as a person, sets you apart from others around you? Can you write down 5 points that best represent you as a whole?

12. diary

Your life is special and particular, which is why it is worth recording the important steps. I keep a kind of calendar where I note all the events that are important to me. And believe me, every day is different, in the today, here and now, that's where the music plays. What did you experience, what did you eat, who did you meet, what were you happy about, what were you not happy about, did you meditate, or do sports, what was going through your mind? This is not about writing an essay, or a large amount, no, keywords are enough (at the beginning), your life is worth it.

13. focus as a filter

What is your goal, what is in your focus? We need to keep asking ourselves where we are turning our head, where the focus is, on what, and also why. Getting the focus right will bring you incredible power and energy, be a wonderful gift to your own self. Those who set the focus correctly (and honestly) will no longer waste their energy senselessly, seek and find fewer distractions, focus on goals, realize dreams.

According to the great teacher, none of this really matters, but for the group of "feel-good Buddhists" it does.

The path is always the goal!

Continue reading in the next few days on the topic of "Gifts to my self".

If a seeker has ten qualities, he is worthy of the 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)

Do not take anything „personally“

How to stop taking things so personally - and

and live a better life that way!

Why is this happening to me? I'm just unlucky! Everything is conspiring against me! I'm such a poor sheep!

Is that so?

NO

That's exactly not how it is, no human being is just unlucky (or lucky), there are also no conspiracies against us, who or what should be conspiring, please, and why should it even be the case?

Although we as Buddhists "know" that everything is already written, it can help if we "do not take everything so personally", but calmly and calmly accept fate.

To "know" something does not necessarily mean to act correctly, there is still a lot of "room for improvement" in every human being.

To take everything "personally", for this there are all kinds of causes for some fellow men. The gods have conspired, a weak self-confidence, strong emotions, the environment, health, we are quick with excuses at hand.

However, it is important to understand that the origin of "taking it personally" is within ourselves, not coming from the outside. It is just a feeling that makes us take everything personally.

Because negative things also happen to other people in life. But not everyone relates the occurrence of negative circumstances to themselves right away.

The question is, how we deal with these incidents, process them further. Whether we take them "personally". It is exclusively our own decision whether we take something "personally" or not!

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission", said the great Mahatma Gandhi.

There is no conspiracy of the gods, only we ourselves conspire against ourselves, if we take something personally, it is our own fault.

Everything that happens to us in life, according to Buddha, only represents our destiny.

Everything comes as it must, so why take anything "personally"?

Instead of worrying about a conspiracy against yourself, you can look into the concept of "enlightenment", what is "awakening", what did Buddha mean when he said "life is only a dream"?

PERSONALLY I AM ALWAYS WILLING TO LEARN, ALTHOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS WANT TO BE TAUGHT

WINSTON CHURCHILL - BRITISH STATESMAN - 1874 TO 1965

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In search of the truth

In Buddhist temples, people like to tell each other stories, since cell phones, laptops or tablets are usually not allowed.

I find the story about the search for "the truth" particularly beautiful.

Once upon a time there was a powerful king who had already grown old. He had a beautiful daughter who could hardly resist offers, but he decided to give her as a wife only to the man who would find "the truth". When he had this announced, the young men poured out of his kingdom, each wanting to find "the truth" and live with the beautiful princess.

Those who wanted to marry traveled to all temples, to all provinces, to every wise man who had already been reported somewhere, everywhere they asked for "the truth", where one could find it.

On remote mountains, in distant valleys, in cities and in villages, everywhere the collective search for "the truth" broke out.

"The truth" itself was also coming of age, at some times it stood tall, at other times it had to hide. She quickly learned of the search for her, the birds brought her the news, yet she did not leave her cave in the mountains, "the truth" had endured too much over the centuries. She had become an old woman, her hair hung tangled in her face, her wrinkles were deep, she had no more teeth, she had already seen a lot, "the truth" had suffered badly over the years.

Suddenly a young warrior stood in the entrance to the cave, he was wet and shaky, but he asked determinedly, "Are you 'the truth', I've been looking everywhere for you?"

"Yes, I am 'the truth', I live here secluded, because most people just don't want to hear "the truth", they like beautiful lies better, I am tired of living with their stupidity, so I better hide here, but you come in and keep me company."

The two disparate people started talking, for a whole day and night, without a break. The young warrior learned answers to all his questions, he became a wise and educated man in a short time. He explained to "the truth" why he was here in the first place, "the truth" began to smile, and said, "yes yes, love".

The young warrior wanted to go back to the beautiful princess, the anticipation overwhelmed him. Then he asked how he could prove that he had found "the truth", and further, what he should tell about "the truth".

"The truth" answered him wisely: "Say that I am young and incredibly pretty, the rest will come naturally. But don't tell anyone where you found me."

Doubt everything. Find your own light

Buddha - honorary name of Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)