How to Become a Buddhist

There's a reason why Buddhist monks seem so peaceful all the time: they follow certain rules of life that we don't. Their entire philosophy revolves around the idea of ​​reducing suffering. This philosophy may seem foreign and almost impossible to you, but the truth is that it leads to higher happiness. How to become a Buddhist ?

These rules will benefit you for the rest of your life.

This is how I Became a Buddhist

Simplify

Buddha was not born ascetic! In fact, he was born a prince. He had every opportunity to accumulate as much “stuff” as he wanted. But he didn't do it. Instead, he saw through the vain attempts at materialistic fulfillment and decided that there must be another answer. More precisely: happiness comes from within, so why look for it outside of ourselves? With this principle in mind, he sought to abandon all that was unnecessary and embrace a deeper reality. This is the basis of simplicity.

Give

When you can develop a selfless attitude, you focus less on your personal problems. You become less emotional about small things and your mind becomes calmer. Recognizing that being more selfless toward others brings deeper happiness is one of the pillars of the spiritual life; it’s also a matter of common sense. When we help others, we find deeper satisfaction.

Meditate

Scientifically speaking, we know that meditation changes the brain. On top of that, it changes our very nature. Buddha knew firsthand that meditation was a powerful tool because it was his stepping stone to enlightenment. Obviously, you probably don't have time to meditate for hours every day, but even just 30 minutes will change your life.

Follow the wise

Listen to older people and those with more experience. It is the path of the wise. If you look around you, there are always insightful people you can learn from. Older people have more experience, which allows them to offer countless life lessons.

Accept mindfulness as a way of life

It is naturally very easy to judge others. After all, it is part of our makeup to look at others and evaluate them. It is our primitive brain that analyzes threats and evaluates the world around us. But it's not always helpful, and it sometimes leads us to look at someone the wrong way. The wonderful thing about mindfulness is that it is non-judgmental. The main goal of conscious communication is to assimilate everything someone says without evaluating it.

Embrace change

Every morning, we wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror. We identify this person as “us.” We attach ourselves to this perception - with our body and our personality. When it changes with illness, old age or accidents, we suffer. This is also true for our friends and family. Everything changes, this is the fundamental law of the universe. When we understand this and accept it, peace flows easily and without expectation.

Living in the present moment

Our minds do this funny thing where they try to live in the past or the future, questioning old conversations and scenarios over and over again. But that's not reality. Life doesn't happen between your ears, it happens NOW.

How have these habits changed my life?

Let me tell you exactly how Buddhism brought me back to life. I remember the incident very well.

My breathing is softened. I barely feel it now. I hear the sounds of silence. Everything seems to be still. I feel a warm and pleasant breeze that lingers gently on my skin. The smell of fresh green grass and dirt after rain seeps through. My heart radiates warm, loving energy. I slowly open my eyes and smile. The bright blue sky appears.

I experience connection. The vibration, although so subtle, becomes more and more clear. Isn't it nice to be alive after all these years?

Where was I before Buddhism?

I grew up in one of the countries best known for Buddhism, Thailand. I learned the life of Buddha very well. I barely missed the religious holiday ceremonies. Not only was I able to memorize many chants, but I also became fluent in them. I often went to temples to perform merits and pray. What is merit? To be honest, I wasn't sure. It was something a decent Buddhist was supposed to do. If I continued to make more merit, it would bring prosperity, stability, success and well-being in my life.

What did I think of my knowledge of Buddhism? I was confident I knew everything about it. If I did what I should have done as a decent Buddhist, it would lead me to happiness. It was enough. And Vipasana? I didn't believe it. It was not productive and took a lot of time. Only people who were different did that. I had to move on to other goals in my life.

All the stars in the sky were so beautiful. I wanted to catch them all. I didn't have much time to waste on something vague like Vipasana.

Why was I still unhappy before Buddhism?

I felt so empty. I didn't understand. I kept asking myself, “What is wrong with me?” I thought I had always been a successful person all the time. Everything I did was good and I always achieved my goals. Since my childhood, I was one of the best students. There was almost nothing I hadn't walked in that I couldn't succeed at. Competitive sports, art, music, literature, math and science, you name it, I've done them all. When I succeeded, I felt high and high. There were many lovely stars shining in my chest. It was like happiness.

However, it was such a shame that it never lasted. Soon they started disappearing from me. I lost them all the time. So I had to look for others to hide the hollows in me. Success, accomplishment, recognition, victory, these were my pride, my precious stars. I wanted more to finally be fulfilled.

At that time, I was a trainee doctor at the university hospital near Bangkok. It was very competitive, but I passed. Looks pretty cool, doesn't it? I made money, had lots of friends, lived a decent life, and had no trouble finding relationships.

My chest was supposed to be full, but something was wrong. I felt irritated more easily. I wondered why there were so many annoying people everywhere I went. I became more and more aggressive when I was angry. It was like lighting an explosive device. I felt the heat and burning inside. I didn't like and didn't like being myself anymore. It was the first time I didn't feel confident and certain in my life.

What was this void before Buddhism?

The feeling of emptiness grew bigger and bigger inside. There were hollows everywhere. I was too exhausted to constantly refill them. I didn't think I could continue like this. I stopped and looked deeper inside. Maybe I missed something. How was I going to find out?

And Vipasana? Could this be so?

I vaguely remembered my best friend talking about it when I wasn't really interested. So I asked him for advice. She recommended two retreat centers that offered different teaching styles: relaxing or challenging. I was the type of person who always pushed through. I had never feared difficulties. A week later, I flew to Surathani, heading south to Suan Mokkh International Dharma Heritage.

Who was I?

For me, the first three days of Vipasana, practicing absolute silence was an experience like navigating the storm that drifted from being completely with myself at all times. I was surrounded by hundreds of people and I felt like we were all in trouble.

Nevertheless, the strong will and positive energy of new friends who mostly came from far away helped to support me. We encouraged each other through our practice and intention.

How was I doing?

Since that day, I understood that I knew nothing about the essence of Buddhism. I began my real learning about the teaching, practice and wisdom of Buddha. This was just the beginning and there would be much more to come. I regretted all the time wasted but at least I found the way. Plus, I didn't have to travel that far. It was here and now. I came to my senses to “Breathe, Practice and Explore.”