What Buddhists Believe & 20 Buddha Quotes On Healthy Living
Buddhism teaches us how to live life in a healthier way.
Oluremi Adebayo via @pexels Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world and Buddhist teachings based on core principles and precepts help people who practice this lifestyle to live a healthier life.
What is Buddhism?
The Buddhist faith is based on the idea of overcoming suffering through the concept of rebirth.
Many people practice the Buddhist lifestyle all over the world. In fact, Buddhism has over 520 million followers meaning that over seven percent of the population identifies as Buddhist.
Some people think of vegans or a person who practices meditation or yoga when they imagine what a Buddhist is; however, a look at the teachings of Buddha and the mindset of this religion's followers reveals that it's much more than that.
Why do people practice Buddhism?
The goal of Buddhism is to reach Nirvana. Buddhists strive to detach from the world and its suffering, so they practice the daily art of letting go.
What is Nirvana, according to Buddhism?
Nirvana is when you are finally able to release yourself from all of your sufferings.
When you crave something in life, it removes you from a center of peace. For this reason, Buddhists strive to control the mind and body, through meditation, fasting, and prayer.
What do Buddhist believe about the afterlife?
Buddhists believe in the concept of reincarnation. They also believe very strongly in karma.
In Buddhism, what you put out into the universe is what you get back.
Buddhism’s first historical record was sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. Its first documentation was in India and quickly spread all over Asia.
There are three main themes in Buddhism:
The first theme of Buddhism is to have good moral conduct.
This encompasses understanding, speech, and thought.
The second theme of Buddhism involves meditation.
Through meditation, we enhance our mental development, including all of our actions, livelihoods, and efforts.
The third theme of Buddhism is wisdom.
Wisdom provides insight and we should seek wisdom that deals mainly with mindfulness and concentration.
What are the Five Precepts in Buddhism?
Buddhism has what are referred to as The Five Precepts. These are sort of like the Christians 10 commandments.
Buddhist Precept 1: No killing
The rules are pretty general, the first of them being respect for life, hence why many Buddhists are also vegetarians or vegans.
Buddhist Precept 2: No stealing
The respect for the property of others means if it's not yours, you don't want it nor do you take it.
Buddhist Precept 3: No misconduct.
Buddhists have respect for the purity of nature. Buddhists adhere to no sexual misconduct.
Buddhist Precept 4: Honesty
Respect for honesty means no lying. The pathway to nirvana is acceptance, so Buddhists embrace the truth in all forms.
Buddhist Precept 5:
Buddhists have respect for a clear mind, so a sober lifestyle is a must.
All rules in Buddhism are based on respect.
Respect for others, respect for the world around you and respect for yourself.
So in the recognition of the belief of karma and the goal to clear your life of suffering, by showing everything respect, that respect should come back to you.
Here are 20 Buddhist teachings to help you live a better life.
1. Your health is your responsibility.
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” — Buddha
2. Be your own hero.
“Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up.” — Buddha
3. Appreciate natural beauty.
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” — Buddha
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
“To be angry is to let others’ mistakes punish yourself.” — Buddha
5. Let your ego fall off your shoulders.
“Wear your ego like a loose-fitting garment.” — Buddha
6. Your only hurting yourself.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” — Buddha
7. Your thoughts shape your destiny.
“What we think, we become.” — Buddha
8. Let your mark on the world, only be loving.
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” — Buddha
9. Recognize the motivation behind your intentions.
“Those who consider the unessential to be essential, and see the essential as unessential, don’t reach the essential, living in the field of wrong intention.” — Buddha
10. Keep marching toward truth.
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.” — Buddha
11. You are responsible for your own health.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty; otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” — Buddha
12. Good deeds last forever.
“Neither fire, nor wind, birth, nor death, can erase our good deeds.” — Buddha
13. Be true to the best version of yourself.
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” — Buddha
14. Find ways to improve yourself first.
“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.” — Buddha
15. Today is the most important day of your life.
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” — Buddha
16. The purpose of living is to find the truth.
“Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.” — Buddha
17. Living a healthy lifestyle will delay death.
“Good health is simply the slowest way a human being can die,” — Buddha
18. Live respectfully and you will welcome death.
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” — Buddha
19. Learn yourself and death will not scare you.
“Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are.” — Buddha
20. Don’t assume you already know.
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” — Buddha
Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who covers astrology, spirituality, love and relationship topics.