Buddhism and its Beliefs: How Can They Be Embodied into Everyday Life?

My religion is very simple.  My religion is kindness. -- Dalai Lama  It’s a common misunderstanding that the spiritual or religious life exists somewhere “up there” and is on another plane of existence that we can only achieve by renunciation of material benefits and comforts of the lives we normally lead. People think that to become spiritual you must give up the physical.  Buddhism and its core beliefs provide a way of life that offers a balance between the two and allows you to integrate spiritualism and religion in your daily life. You give up nothing, but achieve a greater appreciation of what you have and how important it is to you. Spiritualism is not miracles. It is not walking on water, bending spoons with the mind or hearing the voice of God. It is being the best person you can be. Buddhism teaches that if you strive to be the best human being you can be, you are being spiritual. Where you do it, the home, office or in a bar, makes no difference. So Buddhism can be incorporated in your life wherever you are and whatever you are doing. There are some things you can do to make this process easier: Start the day by making a list, of “I should be...” and replace them, with “I will be...” When you wake up in the morning, make a list of all the things you should do to be a better human being. Every day, replace one or two items on the list, with “I will” and make sure that you follow through. Start with the small things like –“I will be nice to the jerk in the office.” If you do this regularly, you will find more peace and contentment in your life.  Incorporate Chanting Into your Daily Routine Learn a few Buddhist chants and start reciting them as you go through your morning routine. You will find they help you to start the day feeling positive. Practice spirituality even in odd moments. For example, when driving to work, don’t let a long red light irritate you. Instead use the time to remember your “I wills” and how you want people to think of you that day. This in turn will lead you to a state of mindfulness where you begin to question your automatic responses. Getting irritated at the red light is automatic and does you no good. But, when you begin to realize that things would be much worse if the lights stopped working, you stop being automatic and become mindful. All the above are simple things you can do to incorporate Buddhism in your life without taking time out from your daily schedule. You will find that even these small actions will bring you peace and inspire you to try to bring more Buddhism into your daily life. Discover the art of Mediation Try and find 20 minutes in your day to meditate. You will be surprised at how easy it is: Once you stop being automatic and become mindful you will know what are the things you can do without and will find the time, either all at one go or maybe in 2 blocks of 10 minutes each. It’s up to you. Dr. Alex Mitrovic Ph.D Follow me on Twitter! @HypnoticYogi or visit me at: www.meditationsolution.com