 DARE TO BE WISE
By: Amy Leask, Philosopher, and Owner
of Enable Training and Consulting, Inc. |
Buddha Says Embrace Change He’s become a bit of a pop culture icon. The market is flooded with Buddha t-shirts, Buddha jewellery, even solar-powered Buddha bobble heads. Most of us know him as a smiling, pudgy fellow who looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world. However, behind the jolly grin lies sage advice for living through life’s adversities. Buddha based his philosophy on one simple, but important observation- that life is suffering. Call them bumps in the road, or harsh times, or general disappointments, but all of us have them. For Buddha, finding the root cause of suffering is not only the key to finding happiness, but to attaining enlightenment. Buddha teaches that all suffering is caused by a refusal to accept another universal truth- that things change. There’s evidence of this everywhere. Think of all the gadgets you own that will be obsolete next month, or how different the world looks from decade to decade, or how someone you know may seem to grow into someone else over time. In Buddha’s view, “living on” and getting past hardship involves learning to “roll with it” when things shift. Stubbornly holding on to things that won’t (or can’t) last is self-destructive. Here’s to accepting and embracing the new, knowing there will always be a steady stream of it!
| Thinker’s Bio: “The Buddha” was actually Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who lived somewhere between 563 and 483 BCE. As legend has it, Gautama decided to leave his wealth and possessions behind after visiting with some of his kingdom’s poorer subjects. His teachings, which were intended as rough guidelines for enlightenment, have inspired millions worldwide. |
Until next time, Sapere Aude (Dare to be wise),
Amy Back to Anniversary Issue 2011 |
