Introduction
During recent years, the popularity of Buddhism among the population of Western countries has risen significantly. The tradition of Buddhist Spirituality attracts many people seeking to find harmony in their lives. Buddhist spirituality is the philosophy based on the principles of wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration, which if followed by a person enable him/her to get free of suffering and find the righteous path of living. Living according to these principles includes having the right view and understanding of the world and things in it, avoiding causing harm to other creatures, and making efforts to improve one’s concentration through meditation.
Why is Buddhist Spirituality important?
Buddhist spirituality is very important as it teaches us how to act in order to learn to live a harmonious life free of suffering. In fact, the harmonious state of mind, which is one of the central concepts of Buddhism, is the key to one’s happiness. Buddhist spirituality teaches us how we can learn to control our feelings and mental states by avoiding harmful deeds and practicing meditation.
The ability to get free of negative thoughts, emotions, and wishes is one of the main benefits of following the path of Buddhist spirituality. Buddhists believe that emotions are among the main factors influencing the person’s ability to be happy. Certain emotions result in mental states that block one’s ability to find harmony and awareness of the true nature of reality. Such mental states are craving, hatred, and seeing the identities of oneself and others as permanent and independent (Ekman, Davidson, Ricard, & Wallace, 2005).
Buddhism teaches us to control striving for satisfying selfish, materialistic desires, avoid harming those who appear to be obstacles on our way to obtaining objects, and understand that all creatures and things in the universe are interdependent and constantly changing (Ekman, Davidson, Ricard, & Wallace, 2005). Therefore, Buddhist spirituality helps people to discover the temporality and frailty of the material world and learn how to get rid of selfish aspirations and find the path to seeing the real nature of things and living a balanced life.
Principles of Buddhist Spirituality that helps one’s psychological well-being
Principles of Buddhist spirituality can help one’s psychological well-being by becoming the basis for finding the way to live a life free of stress and negative emotions. The basic Buddhist doctrines teach us that escaping suffering is possible only if the person lives a righteous life based on several principles. The first principle “right view” encourages people to see reality as it is, keeping in mind that everything in this world is temporary. By following this principle, the person can learn to avoid having exaggerated expectations about people or material things. Such knowledge is essential to preventing regrets caused by the discrepancy between expectations and reality.
This principle is vital for avoiding depressions and other psychological problems caused by a lack of strength to accept the events as they are. The second principle of Right intention also can help to maintain psychological well-being through teaching the person to find the high purpose of life and pay less attention to everyday problems resulting in stress. The principles of ethical conduct, including Right speech, Right Action, and Right livelihood help to avoid stress by teaching how to live a life that is free of regrets caused by unrighteous deeds.
The principles of concentration, including Right effort, Right mindfulness, and right concentration, are also very helpful for people searching for help in maintaining psychological well-being, as they encourage the person to practice meditation and concentration, which are considered one of the most effective methods of dealing with certain psychological problems and eliminating the consequences of stress.
Different studies reveal that mindfulness meditation practiced by Buddhists reduces the short-term induced tension, relaxes the mind, and decreases stress (Liu & Utama, 2014). Besides, Buddhism teaches people to find the Middle Way, which means that we should avoid extremism in thoughts in deeds. Such a principle is also vital for psychological health, as rushing into extremes often results in negative consequences leading to psychological problems. By following the principle of the Middle Way, the person can learn how to balance his/her life, remain thoughtful and cold-minded when facing stressful situations, and live a harmonious life free of extremes.
Conclusion
Buddhist Spirituality is based on the principles that can enhance one’s psychological well-being significantly. Buddhism teaches people how to avoid negative emotions and harmful mental states related to striving for artificial values and the inability to accept life as it is. Buddhism can help the person to learn how to find an appropriate balance and become of regrets and delusive expectations.
Most important, Buddhism teaches how to control one’s emotions and relax one’s mind through meditation and concentration. Such skills are exceptionally useful for being able to overcome stress and prevent potential psychological problems related to it. The principle of living the Middle Way also can help the person to avoid rushing into extremes and learn to live a balanced life. All of the benefits of following the principles of Buddhist Spirituality contribute to one’s psychological well-being and help to find harmony and happiness in life.
References
Ekman, P., Davidson, R., Ricard, M., & Wallace, B. A. (2005). Buddhist and psychological perspectives on emotions and well-being. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(2), 59-63. Web.
Liu, M., & Utama, N. (2014). Meditation effect the human brain compared with a psychological questionnaire. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 4(3), 264-269. Web.