Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Meditation is Key to Happiness


Database: Student Resources in Context



Source: http://lifescapesolutions.com/meditation-matters-substance-abuse-treatment-program/


Even if you choose not to have Buddhism as a religion, you can always follow it as a lifestyle or take parts of it to use in your daily life. A great example of this would be meditation which is good for both the body and mind and can lead to greater happiness.

3 Main Questions:


  1. What is a good way to deal with stress?

    Rather than stressing about the future or what has recently happened in the past, it is often found helpful to try focusing on one’s present thoughts and emotions. This is often done through meditation. It has been proven to relieve stress. Many people meditate daily in order to clear their mind from all the problems that they’re currently dealing with.


2. How does meditation help to solve problems?


It helps to overcome insomnia, overeating, and dealing with anxiety, stress, or over-thinking. As the Buddhist monk, Bhante Kondanna says, “if you look after the mind, keep it cool and clean, it looks after the body”. It helps by giving people a peace of mind. Rather than being angry, it’s important to take a little time, meditate, and overcome the anger. This avoids handling things in a destructive way or letting it bubble up inside you. It also helps lead to self-knowledge. If we pay attention more to our thoughts and feelings, we are able to get to the root of the problem faster.


3. How do you start to meditate?


One way of beginning to meditate is by simply observing silently. This requires no thinking if you just stare at an object and focus in on it. Once you concentrate on it fully, your thought process begins and you enter a stage of awareness. This way you are able to focus on things more clearly. Also, if you ever begin to experience anger, it’s important to focus in on how you feel the anger building up and your thought patterns. Once you begin to acknowledge these thought patterns you have each time you get angry, you’ll start to avoid them. For thirty minutes each morning, you should sit still, close your eyes, and focus solely on your deep breathing. This is how you begin to meditate.


Analysis: I’ve just recently begun to go to meditation classes and it was my first time ever meditating before. It honestly has already made a huge impact on my life. I have become a lot happier and calmer throughout the days that I do make time for meditation. We have also learned in AP Psych that it is a very healthy thing that every single person in the world should practice doing. There’s no harm in doing it, and so many benefits.


Future Research Question: What are some guidelines or lessons that Buddha taught that people can live by today to improve their lives?

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