3 Buddhist Truths That Bring Peace

Do you often catch yourself thinking that life isn’t fair to you? That your attempts to make changes are futile and have no positive results?

Today we invite you to breathe, look inward and discover the three Buddhist truths that will undoubtedly make you feel better. Take the time to get to know them and discover that you have the ability to change situations and everything that comes your way.

Dukkha: discontent, disappointment, suffering

Because one of the Buddhist truths describes ‘life as suffering’, many of us view the Buddhist tradition as a pessimistic and negative philosophy. But if you put this statement in context, it mainly refers to the idea ‘life isn’t always the best of luck, but this is okay’.

According to the Buddhists, we continue to suffer and accept situations as difficult because we do not make the effort to delve into the spiritual part of our lives and face the emotional aspects of our actions.

In the West, we have all too often learned to equate life with negative feelings such as loss, sadness, boredom, fatigue and fear. Instead of looking for the solution within the problem, we often turn to superficial and unhealthy remedies. We turn to medication or lose ourselves in an unhealthy lifestyle.

We choose to cover up our pain, allowing it to grow unnoticed and cause even more dissatisfaction and disappointment.

But how can we fit these Buddhist truths into our daily lives?

• Leave behind the idea that you always need something or someone or more to be fulfilled and happy in your life.  Accept that loss, suffering and death are part of life. From now on, live in the present, the here and now. Stop worrying about what you no longer have or what you might lose in the future.
• There is no point in striving for perfection in your life. Accepting and solving your problems is a growth process and allows you to become a better version of yourself as time goes by.
• Remember that you will be much less disappointed if you assume that life is not perfect. Be open to everything and you will notice that you will be much less affected by daily stress and irritations that are part of life.

Anitya: Life is in constant motion

Anitya or impermanence means that life is in constant flux. The statement is one of the Buddhist truths that you can never go back to yesterday.  Nor can we comprehend the future, because it is only an illusion.

Every day when you get out of bed, you are someone different and no longer the same as yesterday. Biologically, we grow and change every day and so do our thoughts and consciousness.

Keep this truth in mind and you will find that small, daily worries will irritate you less. If you accept that nothing lasts forever, you will also realize that pain and sorrow will not have a permanent place in your life.

But what if you are happy? You probably do not want the day to end and you are afraid that your prosperity will end… Put your fear aside and learn a different starting point. Enjoy every moment to the fullest when you are happy and know that this too is fleeting. Focus 100% on the positive experience and leave the future for what it is.

Once you are able to understand the impermanence of life and its positive influence, you will find yourself free from worry and worry. All you have is the here and now.

How do we use this Buddhist truth in our daily lives?

• Be open and welcome change. Let go of your fear of loss. Do not be afraid because what you have now will one day be gone.
• Keep in mind that one day your problems and your sorrows will be gone from your life. Learn how to continue to cherish the good experiences in your heart and how to continue to enjoy them.
• You are the best gift to yourself. Remember to always be yourself and stay true to who you are every day.

Anatma: you change every day

Western tradition has always taught us that ‘your true self’ is a constant presence. We just don’t always know where to look for it and where it resides.

Buddhism, on the other hand, holds that “an unchanging self” does not exist. If you believe that everything is in motion every day, then you also begin to see that you yourself are in constant motion as well. You can accept that you are actually a new person every day.

How can you apply this Buddhist truth in your everyday life?

• Let go of the focus on an ‘immutable me’.  Focus your energy every day on ‘rediscovering’, shaping yourself.
• There is no ‘constant I’, only an ‘I in the here and now’. Your identity changes and grows when you least expect it.
• Enjoy life and every moment now that you know that everything can change at any moment. You have the power of change within you. Experience how this can be a guide to a full life and inner peace.