By Mark Barnett
Tao of Attracting Life
Buddhism teaches us that suffering has its origins in desire, and that it is the perpetuation of that desire that leads to more suffering. Or, to put it another way, desire arises from failure to realize that all things are inherently undesirable. It is precisely this lack of insight that makes people unhappy and keeps them unhappy, hence the saying that money doesn't buy happiness.
Everyone knows that the more you have, the more you want, and so on and so on, but who is prepared to admit that this is a deeply human flaw and start looking at alternate means of finding peace? Now I am not talking here about denying that the basic tenets of being human don't exist, such as instinctual cravings for food, love, sex, nice houses and holidays, money etc., but I am suggesting that those things in themselves can't serve as a substitute for something else that is deeply lacking in one's life. If you can get your head right first, then you won't have any problem enjoying those things when you attract them into your life, but those things will never bring happiness by themselves even if you have them in abundance (if your 'being' is not at peace, for whatever reason.)
For starters, most unhappy people feel some kind of discontent or a 'disconnectedness' which causes them to look for some kind of 'fix' for what they may mistakenly identify as a missing link of some sorts, maybe an instant physical or sensual need, distraction or desire of some kind, whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, extreme sports, tv, Facebook or whatever, just something that will hopefully (albeit momentarily) take their focus away from whatever it is they are presently feeling uncomfortable about. This has a 'compounding' effect, a little like a snowball rolling down a hill, constantly gathering more and more snow, thinking that its sole purpose is to gather more snow, until eventually it hits the bottom and shatters, then has to start the process all over in order to become a big snowball again. But of course, as anyone who has ever tried this 'quick-fix' technique blatantly knows, it doesn't actually make the undesirable feeling or situation go away, in fact doesn't act on it in any way at all, just closes the user's mind to it temporarily. Compounding: adding more and more and more and more, when really the key lies in simplicity; stripping away rather than adding, hence leaving your mind free to focus on real goals, not just temporary distractions.
Gathering and clinging to material things is another kind of disenchantment, usually aimed at distracting one's consciousness away from reality or the true nature of life: for example, its impermanence. Nothing lasts forever and nothing ever will, yet people blindly go through 'life' collecting and amassing things that they think will make them happier, rather than being honest with themselves and trying to find their REAL purpose (everyone has one.) It all depends on your current level of consciousness, of course, but it doesn't take a genius to see that you won't find internal peace (happiness) from external objects, only from your present state of mind, or 'being', with the emphasis on present.
Yes, the present. That IS your life. Not yesterday, however bad that may have been, nor tomorrow or next week, which may promise to be altogether wonderful, but NOW. That is where you are at. That is where you will always be at as long as you are drawing breath, so get used to the fact and start using the knowledge to LIVE, rather than dreaming of a brighter tomorrow or blotting out a dull today.
Trying to get through a pack of cigarettes or a crate of beer, bag of weed etc., may seem like an exciting prospect to the deluded mind, but what happens when they are all gone and you still don't feel contented? Go to sleep and wake up feeling even worse? Buy some more? Perpetuate the cycle of madness? Like a dog chasing its tail, the cycles never end, until you have the courage to address the real heart of the matter, find your purpose, and evolve. Compounding is for snowballs and lunatics. Find your purpose and evolve; strip away the layers that you don't need instead of constantly burying yourself beneath them.
http://www.taoofattractinglife.com
Buddhism teaches us that suffering has its origins in desire, and that it is the perpetuation of that desire that leads to more suffering. Or, to put it another way, desire arises from failure to realize that all things are inherently undesirable. It is precisely this lack of insight that makes people unhappy and keeps them unhappy, hence the saying that money doesn't buy happiness.
Everyone knows that the more you have, the more you want, and so on and so on, but who is prepared to admit that this is a deeply human flaw and start looking at alternate means of finding peace? Now I am not talking here about denying that the basic tenets of being human don't exist, such as instinctual cravings for food, love, sex, nice houses and holidays, money etc., but I am suggesting that those things in themselves can't serve as a substitute for something else that is deeply lacking in one's life. If you can get your head right first, then you won't have any problem enjoying those things when you attract them into your life, but those things will never bring happiness by themselves even if you have them in abundance (if your 'being' is not at peace, for whatever reason.)
For starters, most unhappy people feel some kind of discontent or a 'disconnectedness' which causes them to look for some kind of 'fix' for what they may mistakenly identify as a missing link of some sorts, maybe an instant physical or sensual need, distraction or desire of some kind, whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, extreme sports, tv, Facebook or whatever, just something that will hopefully (albeit momentarily) take their focus away from whatever it is they are presently feeling uncomfortable about. This has a 'compounding' effect, a little like a snowball rolling down a hill, constantly gathering more and more snow, thinking that its sole purpose is to gather more snow, until eventually it hits the bottom and shatters, then has to start the process all over in order to become a big snowball again. But of course, as anyone who has ever tried this 'quick-fix' technique blatantly knows, it doesn't actually make the undesirable feeling or situation go away, in fact doesn't act on it in any way at all, just closes the user's mind to it temporarily. Compounding: adding more and more and more and more, when really the key lies in simplicity; stripping away rather than adding, hence leaving your mind free to focus on real goals, not just temporary distractions.
Gathering and clinging to material things is another kind of disenchantment, usually aimed at distracting one's consciousness away from reality or the true nature of life: for example, its impermanence. Nothing lasts forever and nothing ever will, yet people blindly go through 'life' collecting and amassing things that they think will make them happier, rather than being honest with themselves and trying to find their REAL purpose (everyone has one.) It all depends on your current level of consciousness, of course, but it doesn't take a genius to see that you won't find internal peace (happiness) from external objects, only from your present state of mind, or 'being', with the emphasis on present.
Yes, the present. That IS your life. Not yesterday, however bad that may have been, nor tomorrow or next week, which may promise to be altogether wonderful, but NOW. That is where you are at. That is where you will always be at as long as you are drawing breath, so get used to the fact and start using the knowledge to LIVE, rather than dreaming of a brighter tomorrow or blotting out a dull today.
Trying to get through a pack of cigarettes or a crate of beer, bag of weed etc., may seem like an exciting prospect to the deluded mind, but what happens when they are all gone and you still don't feel contented? Go to sleep and wake up feeling even worse? Buy some more? Perpetuate the cycle of madness? Like a dog chasing its tail, the cycles never end, until you have the courage to address the real heart of the matter, find your purpose, and evolve. Compounding is for snowballs and lunatics. Find your purpose and evolve; strip away the layers that you don't need instead of constantly burying yourself beneath them.
http://www.taoofattractinglife.com
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