The Path Less Traveled
** This is for informational purposes only. Relate is a Christian based site**
By: DeAnna Britton
Buddha Statue
http://sribuddha.magnify.net
I never had a religion. My parents decided it was best if I chose my own. I didn’t grow up knowing anything about the Bible except that there was a Bible and it held the teachings of God and the story of Jesus Christ. I never even thought of looking into a religion either, I figured I made it this far without it, why would I need it? Then I reached a point in my life where I felt lost and disconnected. In the mist of confusion and feeling ignorant about the world, I decided to research and learn a few things about religion.
The religion I chose to study is far different from anything my friends around me are affiliated with. I chose to study Buddhism. When I was little, I used to love collecting figures of Buddha so now that I’m old enough to understand the theories behind the man who hangs out on my desk, I decided to learn about Buddha’s life and his teachings.
What surprised me wasn’t what he taught but the way it affected me. I would be reading about the eightfold path to enlightenment and be thinking to myself, wow, I really want to practice this. Even when I read about the different ways you can meditate, I was so inspired to just take one of my couch cushions and sit in silence for an hour or so. I wanted to get into it, to experience the life of a Buddhist.
Now, I am new to all of this but here’s what I’ve learned so far. This may not be word for word of Buddha or a teacher of Buddhism but it’s how I relate it to my life.
I’ve learned to be calmer and more observant of what is going on in the situation.
I learned I must live in the moment because that is truly all we have.
It is important to meditate just to learn how your emotions and mind work.
The center of suffering comes from desire.
Have no expectations, it will only lead to disappointment.
Go with the flow of life, and be open to change.
We are changing every second. Everything is constantly changing.
Those are the main points that I incorporate into my life. Studying Buddhism has made me open my eyes to what creates our pain and suffering in life. Why do we choose to focus on the bad and obsess over our actions and reactions we have performed in the past? They’re done and although there are things to be learned from them, it is more important to focus on how you react to things happening right now. So sit alone in the quiet and focus on the thoughts going through your head. Learn about yourself and see what you can change to make yourself see from a different perspective.
If you’re interested in Buddhism, I encourage you to look up more information about it.
