7 Things You Can Learn from Buddhist Monks About Faith and Motivation

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Do you know the secret behind feeling calm and focused? It is definitely not as easy as it sounds because if it was, life would not have been so complicated and difficult as it is for us. But if life is so tricky then why do the Buddhist monks appear to be so peaceful and calm all the time? The answer lies in their beliefs, faith, and philosophies. They have a very different take on life and their faith is stronger than we can actually imagine it to be.

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Here are some of the important things which we can learn from them to help us lead a rather happy life:

1. Real wisdom comes from doing something and failing

It is very usual for us to feel sad about our failures especially if we try our hands on new things. Rejection is inevitable but instead of dwelling on it and feeling miserable for yourself, take your failure as a lesson for future success. Monks believe that facing failure tells you what you shouldn’t be doing and this gradually takes to the path of success.

2. Meditation helps in realizing the egotistical mind

In the world of ego, everything is the result of comparing yourself with others. If you are comparing yourself to your colleagues, friends, or siblings on minute things, you can never achieve satisfaction and the level of faith which will ensure your inner peace.

The monks meditate to find solace from their egotistical mind and this is done by the adjustment of body, breath, and mind. Firstly, they sit in a specific way with their legs crossed and hands placed on the knees. Eyes are shut and the back is upright. Then they concentrate on their breathing and finally, they control their mind and count the number of times they let the air in. This is the adjustment which helps them to meditate.

3. Happiness comes from both within and outside

Happiness comes from inside when we keep a positive mind and good emotions but it can also be felt from outside if we surround ourselves with the nicer things. Firstly, you make your inner self at peace and then interact with the outer world. Because of your inner positivity, the world around you also takes a shift to become a happier place.

Buddhists also believe in chanting in which they profess the teachings of Buddha through their speech. They believe that whatever they say should be devoid of lies, curses, and slander as this will help in feeling happy and in spreading happiness as well.

4. Listen with an open mind and don’t be judgmental

Our brains have a natural capacity of judging others but leads to nothing but our very own displeasure. Mindfulness is actually taking what the other person is saying or doing without judging them at all. By simply being understanding of the other person and being nice to take them will take you to another level of faith just like the monks.

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Lighting the incense is very common amongst the Buddhist monks and by doing so, they pay their utmost respects to Buddha. It is also a way to attain spiritual development and to set away from the path of material desires.

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5. Patience is a gift of inner calmness

During the training of the monks, they are made to wait hours only to create patience in them. They consider patience to a very unique and priceless gift because it takes away a lot of worries and problems from your life. You start learning that waiting is actually not that bad and you are completely fine if you need to wait for a while to get what you really want from life.

Their rituals include being secluded to a certain place away from a normal routine and this helps them in undergoing personality changes. This entices patience in their personality.

6. You keep trying until you finally get it right

One of the most important things about faith is that you never give up. You keep trying for success until you finally achieve it. Also, multiple tries help you in working on the same thing from different angles so that you can easily approach your targeted goal. Through determination and vigilance, you eventually get to the place where you are supposed to go.

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7. De-clutter your thoughts to attain a selfless attitude

More often, the Buddhists have rituals which are superficial and serve as a distraction from the real world. Whenever worshippers enter a room which has a statue of Buddha, they join their palms and bow down and this is known as prostration. This specific ritual symbolizes compassion and wisdom. This helps them attain selflessness and think of others before themselves. Even if they are meditating then it is not just for themselves but for everyone around them too so that they can reach the full potential of enlightenment. Developing such an attitude helps in focusing less on your own problems and more on those faced by the world collectively. They become less emotional which helps them attain peace.

“If you want other to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – The Dalai Lama