Fusing Buddhist And Christian Thoughts

In a world full of suffering, complete and lasting happiness is an elusive ideal. Yet, for those who can adjust their own views and abide by certain truths, happiness can be a lingering feeling throughout most of life.

Happiness Defined

Happiness may be defined as the emotional state of well-being and contentment. It can also mean pleaurable satisfaction brought about by good fortune, prosperity, amusement or whatever.

The experience of happiness depends on one's sense of values. What makes one happy may not work as well with another. But oftentimes, insights from others can make us realize how we can adjust our own views, and it is with this in mind that I share what I have absorbed from my readings.

Controlling Negative Emotions

The pursuit of pleasurable satisfaction from worldly things is the pursuit of temporary happiness. The worldly mind will always want something more or better. Happiness at having made a million will soon wane, and the suffering to make another million will take over. We can never be contented as long as we keep multipying our needs.

But it is alright to want more. It is alright to want material possessions. What is not alright is being a slave to our own passions.

The emotional state of well-being and contentment can be developed, nurtured and made lasting through internal discipline - the application of age-old truths that help to control emotions. To undestand these truths and be able to abide in them, one has to have an open mind, setting aside the ego and contradictory conditioned beliefs.

What I'm sharing here is my personal understanding of such a discipline. I cannot guarantee that you will find it sustainable but, who knows, maybe you will. There are religious implications that make the discipline more effective. Nevertheless, if you're not particularly religious, the practical applications of the truths still work wonders.

The opposite of happiness is sadness. Sadness usually dawns upon us with failure or loss, especially the loss of a loved one. It is alright to be sad as long as we don't dwell on the feeling. We have to accept the fact that nothing in this world is permanent. On a religious note, the loss of a loved one should be regarded as an evolutionary change for such a soul to turn into a higher order of being in the heavenly realms. It is utterly selfish to desire keeping such a one for the pleasure of companionship.

Control Your Emotions, Or Your Emotions Will Control You.

There are many varying ways to control or bring about emotions. Some may actually be harmful. But we can control emotions with a mindset based on practical truths common to some religious systems. Unfortunately, these truths are often ignored in favor of the more convenient but less effective practice of religious escapism. Religious escapism is not religion per se. Rather it is the pursuit of temporary distractions that make one forget the harsh realities of life. It's the ostrich burying the head thing. Those who have a personal and harmonious relationship with the Almgihty can very well face their fears, master their own feelings and be happy on Earth even as they await eternal bliss.

The Four Noble Truths

The most basic truth is the principle of non-attachment. It is a Vedic concept echoed in the biblical account of "original sin". We continue to commit this "sin" almost each and every day of our lives. It really is a vicious cycle that makes prince and pauper true equals. The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism essentially builds on the principle of non-attachment to come up with practical directions with which to rid one of emotional suffering. The absence of emotional suffering translates to a state of emotional well-being and contentment. Ergo - happiness.

Jesus Christ promised His followers "abundant life" (John 10:10) and "joy" (John 16:22). He admonished against anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34). He also said that "he who is not against you is for you" (Luke 9:50). And so, even as a practicing Christian, I appreciate that which eradicates anxiety and leads to inner joy in Buddhist thought. Actually, a friend at Yahoo Answers suggested that to be a good Christian (follower) one should be a good Buddhist (no ego).

The lesson of the First Noble Truth is the objective recognition of suffering as something foreign to one's self. The wanting, the envy, the greed, the anger, the anxiety...these are forms of suffering, and they are not us. Rather they are the "demons" that invade thought, the "sins", that can possess us once we allow them to.

The New Testament echoes the First Noble Truth.

"Every sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18

Negative emotions and thoughts are actually harmful.

"...the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23

Having spiritually or psychically taken unto Himself the inequities ("sins") of all Mankind, Jesus Christ's body slowly began to die, "His sweat became as drops of blood" (Luke 22:44). He was walking half-dead to Calvary, being killed by our "sins". The "blood and water" that came out of His pierced side indicated as though He was dead long before the few hours that He spent on the cross. Well, believe it or not. One need not be a doctor to say that the cumulative effects of negative emotions, the "sinning", can indeed cause havoc on human physiology, slowly disorienting the endocrine system, killing cells, tissues, organs and systems. A billion "sins" can make us burst, perhaps physically.

The Second Noble Truth teaches that the root cause of suffering is the attachment to desire, the desire to have one's way. In biblical terms, it can be equated with biting into or the eating of the fruit of knowledge. Knowledge here means the experience of having one's way, and its fruit simply is the desire to make it happen.

There's nothing wrong with desire. What is wrong is the attachment or the clinging to desire and being consumed by it. The discipline, as should be obvious by now, has to do with our attitude.

We suffer when we are attached to the desire to have something and having it isn't certain. That breeds anxiety. We suffer when we are attached to the desire to keep something that we already have and keeping it isn't certain. That breeds fear. We also suffer when we are attached to the desire to be rid of something we don't like and being rid of it isn't certain. That breeds anger.

In spiritual terms, lingering feelings of anxiety, fear and anger are some of the worst emotions which open opportunities for evil forces to build on. When we want something that other people have, we may feel envious. The criminally-minded may entertain thoughts of stealing or robbery. Those afraid of losing what they have may feel suspicious of others, be greedy and uncharitable for fear of not having enough. Those who want to be rid of something may feel irritable, resentful, angry or be violent.

Original sin indeed is the mother of all sins. It breeds all those negative thoughts and emotions. It is also the greatest hindrance to a happy disposition. We must stop "eating the fruit" or attachment to desire by learning to LET GO of it.

There is a way to LET GO of the attachment to desire, a way out of suffering. So says the Third Noble Truth. The truth shall set you free. Realizing that we can be free of this inner enslavement is reassuring. But how? Through the Noble 8-Fold Path.

The Fourth Noble Truth teaches the Noble 8-Fold Path, the Ariya Magga or Noble Path. It is a path that can be applied to life in general and to any undertaking in particular. It is a path where life and death lose their qualities of fear, where success or failure has no hold on the emotions. In simple terms, it's just following a "right way" and not bothering with results.

Won't all these turn us into dolls made of wood, organisms with no emotional feelings? Nope.

"Be angry and do not sin." Ephesians 4:26

We can still feel emotions, but we most readily treat them ojectively rather than get carried away subjectively. You may still need to blow steam like working out with a punching bag at times, but treating emotions objectviely will soon make it unnecessary. I know this is kind of hard to do but, with practice, one can eventually have control. One can screen emotions, let go of the bad ones and choose to bask in the good ones.

On second thought, it's good to turn into a doll made of wood sometimes. You know, like being able to say "That carbon-based unit is trying to insult this carbon-based unit." Our bodies, like wood, are carbon-based which means it can be reduced to carbon by fire but not by insults.

The Noble 8-Fold Path

The way to stop being attached to desire, to stop suffering and thereby attain happiness is the practice of right views, intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration.

That's a lot of stuff to really go in-depth, and perhaps only actual Buddhist training can lead to full comnprehension. However, there are lessons on the surface of it all which even the untrained can benefit from.

1. Right Views

As applied to life in general, right views here mean the ability to see things as they really are in view of The Four Noble Truths. It's one thing to be possessed by resentment, for example, and it's another thing to treat it as an intrusive entity that need not be there. Letting go of the ego is involved here. It isn't easy. It needs diligent practice, reason why Buddhists have so many methods in their discipline. But the fact is that resentment is not you. It doesn't do any good. There really is no point harboring it.

Wrong views, being a slave to passions and desires, are the diseases that hinder true happiness. To recognize these wrong views, to accept that they are wrong, is the essence of right views.

2. Right Intention

This is also known as Right Purpose. Resolve to correct what is wrong. There is no use in seeing the problem clearly without the decision to correct or solve it.

Right intention has to be present at all times. It keeps everything else in line, to work in harmony for the eradication of a suffering and an unhappy mindset.

3. Right Speech

It is said that thoughts become words, words become actions, and actions build character. In the case here, our thoughts or belief system (right views and right intention) has to be reinforced not only by being conversant of the subject but also by continually reminding ourselves through the way we talk.

Speaking so as to be rid of attachments is not only self-affirmation that conditions us internally or subconsciously, it is also a way to avoid lapses into the wrong views. Or, at least, having announced our thoughts, we sort of compromise showing any negative emotion.

Having taken the mental stance of non-attachment, one can take on any task without the emotional struggle.

4. Right Conduct

We can know a lot, talk about it a lot, but if we don't put thoughts and words into action, these won't work. This is a truth that applies to knowledge in general. Right thoughts, right intention and right speech have to be manifest in our actuations. The actual implementation of non-attachment has to be in the unseen emotional "letting go" as well as in the way we do things.

In doing things, right conduct does not mean carelessness or not giving due importance to the activity. Rather, it means doing it right as the rest of these principles seek to uphold.

5. Right Livelihood

Right views, intention, speech and conduct cannot prosper without some necessary adjustments in the way we make a living. Our livelihood determines our survival, but it should not be in conflict with what we intend to accomplish.

Trying to please everybody is a formula for failure. One should make sacrifices and just stick to company or activities that supports the pursuit of the Path.

I see this principle mainly as the ability to schedule one's activities so as to give room for the unimpeded implementation of any particular undetaking, in this case the Noble 8-Fold Path or Path. We can only do so much as our time allows. Doing too many things all at once ovewhelms our concentration. Worse, one activity may actually be detrimental to another.

6. Right Effort

In physical conditioning, there are training principles that have to be observed to achieve desired results. Factors like specificity, overload, progression, intensity and duration imply sustained efforts. Right effort means that it is sustained. There is no room for less than enough. What should be done should be done according to how it should be done.

No matter what happens, one should stick to the Path. Keep up with it. Keep coming back to it should there be lapses.

Particular activities require a certain pace, a critical speed of execution for methods to work. Doing any less is a prelude to failure.

7. Right Mindfulness

(In some versions, # 7 is Right Concentration.)

When we are not mindful, we are prone to commit mistakes. Activities like flying a plane require verbal announcements just to keep pilots mindful of doing things right. Same thing with the Path and the use of right speech. Of course, you don't have to announce everything. Right mindfulness is to think about the Path non-stop or, at least, persistently.

The constant practice of mindfulness builds character. When offended, for instance, one may feel resentful but, ideally, only momentarily. Mindfulness should get the better of the situation. Instead of subjectively feeling resentment, one should mentally say something like "the demon of resentment is trying to take over". Now, you don't struggle against the feeling. You don't get attached to the desire to be rid of it. Rather you study it, how it developed, and it will fade naturally.

8. Right Concentration

(In some versions, # 8 is Right Meditation.)

There is such a thing as the Zen mind. It happens when we are so lost in an activity that we forget self-consciousness. Self-consciousness is the greatest hindrance to any activity.

When basketball players are so self-conscious, like thinking about how they look to spectators, mistakes pile up. But, when they get into their "element" and just see the ball going through the ring everytime, points pile up. That moment has the Zen mind taking over. One can shoot the ball blindfolded and probably score.

The Zen mind is right concentration at work. It is when the Path has taken over one's self that it is forgotten, yet it is there at work. There is no effort. There is no struggle. There is no emotional suffering.

The key to right concentration is mind development. That is why Buddhists meditate for long periods. Meditation releases the mind from the enslavement of negative thoughts, allowing it to work at its peak.

Hierarchy Of Human Consciousness

The ability to undertand one's self and effect self-discipline is an indication of an evolving mind. An evolved mind can enjoy pleasures both worldly and divine without being
attached to desires. To understand ourselves, there is a theory about human needs that is worth considering. With it we can assess where we are at and leap-frog to the higher levels by adopting the appropriate mindset.

Abraham H. Maslow, the U.S. Psychologist and Philosopher best known for his Self-Actualization Theory of Psychology suggested that our emotional consciousness depends on the satisfaction of an ascending order of needs. As each need level is satisfied, the next higher level in the emotional hierarchy dominates conscious functioning.

Physiological Needs. These are the needs of the body, like food or sex. When any of these needs is not filled or satisfied, a person won't usually think of the next higher need which is Safety. The person will take risks like harm, shame, legal punishement or even death.

Safety. With enough of what the body needs, a person will refrain from risks. He will choose healthier food, cleaner water or safe this and that. However, without Safety, a person won't be too concerned about being loved. He will let another die to save his own skin.

Love. Enjoying material abundance and safety, a person will then need to feel loved by getting other people's affection or attention. One usually does this by giving favors, gifts, tips and so on. Once this need is satisfied, the person starts being conscious of the need for Self-Esteem. He begins to realize that he is actually buying love and feels low about it.

Self-Esteem. One with self-esteem develops genuine self-restraint. He respects himself and will not commit a crime even if he can get away with it. Corrupt people definitely have not reached this level. What they feel is not self-esteem but self-rejection. And they try to cover it by buying love. Having developed real self-esteem, one is relieved of minor concerns and begins to entertain thoughts of personal achievement. He begins to see himself being what all he wants to be.

Self-Actualization. Self-actualizers are achievers in their respective passions. They are happy to become what they wanted to be. It's not about being rich or famous. It's about being fair and square yet getting there. Anyone that succeeded at anything unfairly hasn't left the first level yet.

Of course, this is just a theory. But think about it, if we can honestly look at ourselves and resolve to be a little more civilized, the world would be a better place to live in. And we can be a whole lot happier within ourselves.

Having A Life

Get a life! What does that mean?

If you find this hub quite dull or lacking life, it may not be just my shortcomings in English or the subjects presented. It may be the presentation's lack of organization.

In his book Running Things, Philip B. Crosby said that the purpose of organization is to help people have lives. "Lives come from the challenges and support that people derive from being responsible, being supplied, or being cared for." Having this in mind, it should be easy to understand why people like being in some organization. It is the organization that gives life, not the group. A group that is not well-organized won't have much life. We can all relate with that. That is why religious escapism is big business to those who can supply "lives" through good organization without necessarily teaching religion per se.

You can now plan your own money-making ministry with that. But, kidding aside, it helps in the pursuit of lasting happiness to be organized so life springs forth in everything you undertake. You can give life to others and make them happy. You can choose situations for yourself where there is some life-giving organization. Even as you practice the discipline of controlling negative emotions, it is always good to avoid the dull and lifeless which may drag you to backslide. This doesn't mean the pursuit of mere entertainment but rather the pursuit of organizing your own llife. In short, it means creating or helping to create the right environment for happiness..

There isn't much life in a computer full of clutter, or a house in a mess. There isn't much life in a broken family, but you can try alleviating arrangements. Just remember "challenges and support", "being responsible, being supplied, or being cared for." Being responsible makes us feel useful, needed and important. Being supplied enables us to perform better at whatever we have to do. Being cared for makes us feel loved. Your job, your community, your country and the whole world can do better being more organized. The environment for happiness would be much easier to bring about.

Dealing With Different Character Types

I used to work with local casinos as a table supervisor (games dealer). It gave me the opportunity to deal with a lot of different characters like corrupt government officials, crime lords, rich men's wives, immature bosses, troubled co-employees and so on. It gave me the opportunity to know myself too..

It is said that knowing others is wisdom, but knowing yourself is enlightenment. People that honestly recognize and police their own feelings are hard to come by. And so are truly happy people. A crowded street will show that most of the faces are in some kind of suffering - anxiety, impatience, resentment...an unhappy world!

Well, it's a good thing to know how to manage one's feelings. But what about other people getting on your nerves. Being on-guard against negative emotions is not only difficult at first, it can be made even more difficult by people whose actuations seem to drain your energy. Can you relate with that?

I am not a fan of the author nor in complete accord with his views but I read The Celestine Prophesy. There is a chapter devoted to relating with character types. I have used the information quite effectively, and so integrated it with the discipline I'm trying to keep up with.

The premise is that people need some form of energy which is derived from getting attention. Although unconscious of this need, people develop and assume certain character types to satisfy it. One can be an intimidator, an interrogator, mysterious or the poor-me type. These character types may manifest in a single person at varying degrees depending on moods.

The intimidator will attempt to make you fearful by threatening words or actions. This can be your local bully or that boss who studied Management and majored in Intimidation. This type will always come out strong insisting to have his way. If you become fearful, he's got you. You will feel weak, "drained of energy". And he will feel stronger, like having "gained energy".

An interrogator is a good listener who may even appear to sympathize with you. But, watch out, he will be looking for loopholes in your words. Once he finds a weakness or an error, he will slowly build on that to make you feel wrong and guilty. Then you get the sermon. That "drains" you and gives him the upper-hand.

The mysterious type tries to stay aloof, silent and unfathomable. If your curiousity is aroused, if you get so absorbed in a desire to probe and you don't get answers, he's got you too.

Problems, problems, problems. The poor-me type doesn't seem to run out of misery. He will rain all those maladays on you as if it is your fault not to help him.

There are other character types that can "drain" you. They can be family members, friends, acquaintances or strangers. Whatever, if you encounter any or all of these character types in a child, you may feel less affected. So, without being obvious, consider a "character" as a helpless child. A child in need of energy he doesn't know where else to get is pathetic. Instead of irritation, appreciate the "child's" ignorant efforts to obtain energy.

Appreciation doesn't mean giving in to the poor-me type or any other character type. It's just a mindset to keep you in control of yourself. Being in control of yourself, you will be in a much better position to take control of the situation. If you appreciate the object of your attention, such as an entertainer, you don't lose energy. Rather, you will gain it and feel uplifted. Knowing what is happening with the other person may even turn out amusing at times.

To deal with any character type, you have to assume the appropriate or matching character type. You shouldn't intimidate an intimidator. You shouldn't interrogate an interrogator.

Where there is no imminent threat of harm, when there is room for reasonable discussion, an intimidator can be won over to your side by tact. Faced with an intimidator, it is best to assume the interrogator role. This could mean agreeing with him at some points, but don't feel or show fear. Be diplomatic. Use constructive engagement, not touching on anything that can offend him. Then look for loopholes, anything that'll make him think twice and feel guilty about. Carefully work on that. If he insists on something, make it clear that you cannot think clearly while being rattled by his intimidation.

The interrogator type won't have much to work on if you assume the mysterious type. This trick is fun. You should get some temporary happiness from it.

Be just as mysterious to the mysterious type. That makes you two even. A fun trick too.

Be an interrogator to the poor-me type. Then give it to him straight, but do it nicely. Tell him what's wrong about him, where he ought to make changes. Do it in such a way that he will feel you're doing him a favor. Tell him to take self-improvement courses. Maybe even tell him to read this hub.

We cannot please everybody. But there is an inner happiness derived from making other people happy. If you love helping others, that's great! But just stick within your means.

Note: If you choose to sacrifice your own happiness, to suffer just to alleviate the suffering of another, that's called Redemptive Suffering. It's the cross that Christ meant. Suffering from a problem or disease caused by one's own negligence or shortcomings is more appropriately called Remedial Suffering (a.k.a. chastisement). When there's nobody to blame, it's called bad luck. Blame it on the devil. It won't make him any worse.

Meditation Aids

You may or may not agree with me partly or fully. But I hope you like relaxation and, perhaps, meditation for the purpose of relaxation. Meditation and relaxation will help a lot in inducing a happy mood so I suggest you also see my other hub on Relaxation And Mind Power.

There is more to meditation than just clearing the mind of its "demons". It's the same with deep prayer. The mind is able to connect with the creative force, that which causes everything to be so. With regular practice, meditation or deep prayer develops inner strengths that manifest as successful actions.

For various reasons, not everyone can meditate or engage in deep prayer regularly. But there is a way to cleanse the mind of negative thoughts using music. Yes, music. Listening to a particular type of music can induce a happy feeling by itself. It relaxes the mind and the body almost instantaneously while elevating the mind to the level of, some say, genius. There is a universal vibration that permeates the whole of Creation. It synchronizes the functioning of the left and right brain hemispheres allowing the mind to work at its peak even while completely relaxed. Even plants positively react to it. I can discuss the subject at length but, just like religion, it is not something we can merely muse over and intellectualize. It has to be experienced.

Classical music, so arranged in the innovative point dynamic entrainment audio, can provide the kind of music I'm talking about. I'm not saying it is essential to the discipline, but it sure is a big help to those who are in need of immediate refuge. It is currently being promoted by the name BrainEv.

You deserve to be happy. We all deserve to be happy. After a whole day's bout with a stressful world, it's always good to bask in a good relaxing mood. Remember BrainEv. Listening to its music can give you that energy others try to obtain from attention. The beat of creative forces can make you smile. And that's happiness that can come in handy most of the time.

By reading this, you have made me happy. I hope I made you happy as well.

Thanks for visiting, and do take care of yourself!