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Buddhism is skeptical about the concept of hope believing that it merely deepens illusion and ignorance. Though Buddhist teachers universally promote optimism and positive thinking, they also cite these three significant issues with hope.
First, hope dismantles any sense of living in the present moment but cultivates attachment to a belief that the future will somehow miraculously become better. For that reason, Thich Nhat Hanh calls hope an obstacle: "When I think deeply about the nature of hope, I see something tragic. Sine we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment. We use hope to believe that something better will happen in the future, that we will arrive are peace or the Kingdom of God. Hope becomes a kind of obstacle. If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here."
Secondly, hope erodes Buddhist "calm abiding" replacing it with fear. Venerable Tashi Nyima, author of The Dharma Handbook, explains: "The moment we hope, there is fear. Hope is the desire for something to be different from what it is. The moment we have that desire, we have the fear that it may not come to pass. One of our sayings is, “No hope, no fear.” No hope means no fear. We do not have to hope."
Thirdly, hope is unreliable because it promotes s wishful thinking that things will change "down the road" without taking the necessary steps. Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris skillfully explains: "Waiting and hoping are not enough: good outcomes require good actions."
First, hope dismantles any sense of living in the present moment but cultivates attachment to a belief that the future will somehow miraculously become better. For that reason, Thich Nhat Hanh calls hope an obstacle: "When I think deeply about the nature of hope, I see something tragic. Sine we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment. We use hope to believe that something better will happen in the future, that we will arrive are peace or the Kingdom of God. Hope becomes a kind of obstacle. If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here."
Secondly, hope erodes Buddhist "calm abiding" replacing it with fear. Venerable Tashi Nyima, author of The Dharma Handbook, explains: "The moment we hope, there is fear. Hope is the desire for something to be different from what it is. The moment we have that desire, we have the fear that it may not come to pass. One of our sayings is, “No hope, no fear.” No hope means no fear. We do not have to hope."
Thirdly, hope is unreliable because it promotes s wishful thinking that things will change "down the road" without taking the necessary steps. Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris skillfully explains: "Waiting and hoping are not enough: good outcomes require good actions."
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In developing skillful effort we pay attention to the quantity of our effort and the quality of our effort. - Peter Doobinin
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Adapting is not that difficult provided you don’t have so much pride. If you have that pride, it’s extremely difficult. But if you let go of that, it’s not too hard. - Gelek Rinpoche
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Look at your mind dispassionately; this is enough to calm it. Only when it is quiet can you go beyond it. Do not keep the mind busy all the time, stop it and just be. If you give it a rest, it will settle down and recover its purity and strength. - Nisargadatta Maharaj
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The Buddha strongly advocated that we surround ourselves with a few spiritual, like-minded friends and distance ourselves from those who would weaken our resolve to evolve. This is called right association. Judaism traditionally offers a similar teaching. Here are three examples:
1. "Keep far away from an evil neighbor and do not associate with the wicked." - The Ethics of The Fathers (1:7)
2. "If we associate with bad people, we are likely to be influenced by them." - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
3. " The nature of man is to be pulled by his temperaments and actions after his friends, and to accustom himself to the customs of the people of his country. Therefore, one has to associate with righteous people and to sit always amongst learned people, so that one will learn from their actions. One should distance oneself from wicked people, who go in darkness, so that one will not learn from their actions." - Maimonides, Laws Of Character Development (6 :1)
1. "Keep far away from an evil neighbor and do not associate with the wicked." - The Ethics of The Fathers (1:7)
2. "If we associate with bad people, we are likely to be influenced by them." - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
3. " The nature of man is to be pulled by his temperaments and actions after his friends, and to accustom himself to the customs of the people of his country. Therefore, one has to associate with righteous people and to sit always amongst learned people, so that one will learn from their actions. One should distance oneself from wicked people, who go in darkness, so that one will not learn from their actions." - Maimonides, Laws Of Character Development (6 :1)
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The Buddhist path is not difficult. It is a path of removing obstructions. It is not that we need to develop perfection; perfection is already there. - Tashi Nyima
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(public domain image from www.pixabay.com)
Ayurvedic practitioner Wayne Celeban concisely but completely summarizes the power health benefits of daily exercise -
Not only does exercise help release beneficial feel-good hormones such as Endorphins, it also aids in regulating healthy levels of Norepinephrine, Serotonin and Dopamine. These chemical compounds are produced in the body and essential for healthy mood. Regular exercise has also been shown to be effective in reducing the harmful pro-inflammatory effects of stress hormones like Cortisol. Exercise also improves blood flow to the digestive organs that helps facilitate the healthy circulation of nutrients, oxygen and proper elimination of waste products. Recent studies also suggest that regular exercise may also play a role in increasing a variety of beneficial gut bacteria essential for the proper maintenance of the digestive, immune and nervous system. 20-30 minutes exercise a day is adequate. Try to incorporate a variety of weight-bearing, cardiovascular and stretching activities. Most importantly find an activity that you enjoy that is both fun and challenging.
(source: Australian Yoga Life Magazine)
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Unwholesome states have already arisen and the work is to abandon them now, rather than to regret that they have arisen at all. - Leora Fridman
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Positive acts always bring us inner strength. With inner strength we have less fear and more self-confidence. - Dalai Lama 14th
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Regularly meditating may offer vast heart health benefits, according to a large new study supporting earlier smaller studies. This new study involved survey data on more than 61,000 people, nearly 6,000 of whom reported that they engaged in some variety of meditation. Digging into the data, the researchers found that compared to individuals who didn’t meditate, those who engaged in the practice experienced lower rates of cardiovascular health issues, the most prominent being coronary artery disease followed by high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure.