The Third Noble Truth And Optimism

So even with the truth that life is suffering. And that holding on to anything is the cause of suffering. There is a reason to smile.

The third noble truth of Buddhism states that there is an end to suffering and that happiness is VERY possible.

That’s it. Simple as that!

WHAT GREAT NEWS!

This literally means we have nothing to worry about! We can say, ‘ENOUGH!” That the fact everything changes can work for us. Anything that’s been bothering us need not to define us in a permanent way.

There is  a way to be happy =)

Everyone deserves to be content and living the life they want to live. Starting with ourselves.  The Buddha was saying that with work and continually asking the right questions, we can all be free.

Until of course we realize the one answer that matters.

That we are all capable of answering.

We are here and now.

Having this kind of optimistic view allows us to change the quality of our life in so many ways.

What We Deserve

The simple truth is, this might be the only life we have and sometimes it doesn’t help to take too much time contemplating what happens after. THIS IS IT! (like the Michael Jackson movie) Everything that’s ever existed deserves to be happy. Simply because we exist.

There Is Always A Reason

Everywhere we look, there is always something going on and a reason to celebrate. The Buddha tells us if we take the time to REALLY pay attention to what is going on, no matter where we are, then we will find something to be thankful for.

Giving

Knowing there are infinite amount of reasons to be optimistic, it’s a lot easier to share it. It just feels good to help another person realize that they are deserving to be content and happy too. That sharing what we have is the best way to exist.

We realize that happiness is VERY possible, for others and ourselves !

Posted in BEING YOUR BEST SELF | 2 Comments

You Are Not The Risks You Are Taking

Most people would rather be unhappy than to risk being happy.

I guess I just don’t get it.

They stay at their dead-end jobs, are too afraid to tell the person they like how they actually feel, and/or drown themselves in whatever helps them forget about their situation.

Change is scary.

We can come up with the most terrifying scenarios in our mind.  “I’m gonna lose all my money.” “She’s gonna say no.”  “All my friends are gonna think I’m an idiot for going for this.”

But ask yourself, “what’s the worse that could happen?”

seriously.

We’re scared of change because we don’t think we can handle the consequences. But the truth is, as long as we’re alive, we will always bounce back if we want to. No matter what it is.

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Posted in BEING YOUR BEST SELF | 5 Comments

How The First Noble Truth Can Help You Feel Less Insecure In Bars And Clubs

Buddhism can be summed up in four truths.

(1) Life is suffering
(2) Holding on to anything IS the cause of suffering
(3) There is a way out of suffering
(4) The eightfold path is the way

The first noble truth states that life is suffering.

Simply being born, we get sick and get old. We fall in debt. Other people go to war with other people. We’re hungry, lonely and frustrated with the way our life is not going. We’re insecure with the way we look and think the validation of another person is the only answer. We fall in and out of love. Over and over again.

Suffering is inevitable and a part of life.

But that’s the beauty of it.

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Posted in CONNECTION | 4 Comments

FAITH “Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience”

If I had to choose a 2nd favorite book, it would easily be this one. Written by Sharon Salzberg and coming at a time when my life was going through many changes and me doubting everything I  knew, her story comforted me like no other. It was pure awesomeness.

I remember reading this book on the METRA on my way to Columbia College, thinking to myself,

“What if everything I’ve done is wrong?”

Of course no one really knew about it because in the earlier stages of reading about self improvement, I became too good at putting up a positive face. Overwhelming anxiety can be a bitch. Don’t take diet pills. ever.

It was this book that reminded me, “It’s gonna be all good.”

Plus I REALLY liked the cover.

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Posted in RANDOM | 2 Comments

Why You Should Never Settle For Anything Less Than What You Truly Want

I am trying to be one of the greatest of all time.
If you ain’t doing that, your just wasting your time

-BROTHER ALI  “LIFE SENTENCE”

A lot of my closest friends think I am delirious. And trust me, I’ve given them lots of reasons throughout the years to believe it.  Maybe years of being bombarded with success quotes, movies like The Matrix, and TOOL songs have completely warped my mind.

I kinda compare it to the same way girls got their ideas of Prince Charming through Disney movies.

People settle for so little. Whether its their jobs. their relationships. They get stuck in their own little cubicle and wonder where their life went.

Sometimes, I just don’t understand why you shouldn’t shoot for your own personal Super Bowl, your own Dark Tower, your own Prince Charming or Mary Jane Watson.

Your own personal slice of heaven. Fuck it!

Why stop at a slice when the universe is willing and abundant??

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Posted in BEING YOUR BEST SELF | 4 Comments

Why Waiting A Few Days Is The Best Course Of Action When You’re Angry

We’ve all been there. A friend lies to us. A boss does something that really ruins our day. We very much so disagree with a decision one of our teachers made. Every once so often, someone does something that completely crosses the line and we can’t help, but feel so much anger inside. The easiest thing for us to do is quickly and with as much force as possible, confront the person.

But is that really the wisest choice of action?

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Posted in RANDOM | 4 Comments

What The Hangover Taught Me About Searching For Something

———SPOILER ALERTS ——-

I have to admit, the ideas of the post came to me while I was in the shower.

Some of my initial thoughts beforehand included

“DAMNIT ROCKY! what am I gonna write about??!”

“I gotta make it good, it’s my first post of the year!”

“But it’s no big deal I mean come on, my new year’s resolution is simplicity so what the hell?! why am I making such a big deal out of this.”

I knew I wanted to write about The Hangover. Why? Because I just did. I felt the sudden urge to rent and write about it. Great movie! Definitely had its moments and an awesome storyline. But after watching it, I was still like “oh oh…. what’s this movie trying to tell me??”

Then it hit me.

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Posted in BEING YOUR BEST SELF | 10 Comments

What A Mortal Enemy Has Taught Me About Right Understanding

So I  was at a party recently where I bumped into a girl I just don’t get along with very much.  Too much drinking and apologies not accepted can lead to icy conflict. Maybe she’s just a coldhearted bitch. Funny thing is, it’s the same incident and the same girl who I credit in ending my drinking which has greatly increased my quality of life.

Which makes hating her even more of a cognitive dissonance.

Obviously, my ego mind starts thinking since I get along with pretty much anyone, there must be something terrible about this one person.

“I’ve asked for forgiveness, so listen you stupid fucking bitch, I wasn’t being sarcastic about my compliments towards your friend.” was what was repeatedly going through my head (and my heart area…. yea i know cheesy).

Sometimes the best and worst thing about having optimistic views is that we can’t just be angry at a situation. We have to find the silver lining. It’s not easy, but it’s there if you want to find it.

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Posted in BEING YOUR BEST SELF | 6 Comments