The Buddha was a philosopher, meditator, spiritual
teacher, and religious leader who is credited as the founder of Buddhism. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in India
in 566 BC into an aristocratic family and when he was twenty-nine years old, he left
the comforts of his home to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him. After six years of arduous yogic training,
he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath
a bodhi tree. On the full moon of May, with the rising of
the morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the awakened one. The Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern
India for 45 years more, teaching the path or Dharma he had realized in that moment. Around him developed a community of people,
drawn from every tribe and caste, devoted to practicing this path. Nowadays, he is worshiped by most Buddhist
schools as the enlightened one who has escaped the cycle of birth and rebirth, transcending
Karma. Their main teachings focus on their insight
into duhkha meaning “suffering” and into Nirvana, which means the end of suffering. He had a huge influence not only in Asia,
but all around the world, and so here are the 10 life lessons we can learn from Buddha: Practice the Middle Way
The Buddha says “The root of suffering is desire.” Siddharta Gautama spent the rest of their
life reflecting on the Four Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is our desires. 3. The solution to our suffering, then, is to
release ourselves from our desires. 4. The Noble Eightfold Path that leads to our
release from suffering. He realized that life was far from perfect
and people often try to distract themselves from realities by seeking material attachments
like wealth, fame, and honor. He had the chance to experience this first
hand, being born in a very wealthy family. Before his enlightenment, he walked out of
their palace for the first time and saw the three harsh realities - poverty, sickness,
and death. Embracing asceticism, he later tried to escape
the internal sufferings by depriving himself of any material comfort and need. With this, he grew very ill, and realized
that their asceticism did not spare him from their desires and suffering. Hence he tells us that we must strive for
the “Middle Way” - the life between luxury and extreme poverty, a balance between overindulging
and depriving ourselves of the things we desire. To practice the Middle Way, one must free
oneself of one’s desires. We must celebrate the idea of “just enough”
and embrace a more balanced, sustainable lifestyle that embraces the pleasures of existence rather
than those of consumption. Nurse Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who
focused on caring for terminally-ill people, says that one of the common regrets of a dying
person is “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” We tend to lose too much of our time chasing
things that are easily disposable - getting the latest gadgets, wanting to get a new position,
wanting to make five digits in our bank account. But after getting all of these things, we
still find ourselves wanting more, or sadly, that we do not seem happy with it. When we equate our happiness with getting
what we desire, we will never be happy and will suffer every day. Adopt the right view According to The Buddha, “Do not get upset
with people or situations, both are powerless without your reaction.” The Buddha is asking us to adopt the right
view – to be more “philosophical” about the opinions we hold, to become aware of what
we think, and then to inquire more deeply into why we think what we think. Only then can we know if our thoughts are
true, false, or confused. Our thoughts affect our daily decisions and
relationships deeply, and we would make better decisions in all aspects of our lives if we
were clearer about the foundations of our own thinking. The problem with us is that we tend to react
quickly to things that happen around us. Stephen Covey, in his book “The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People” calls this the 90-10 Rule of Life: Life is 10% what happens
to us and 90% how we react to it. Imagine that before going to work, you trip
on your child’s bike in the driveway. Your child runs to help you, apologizing,
but instead you yell at him, say bad words enough to be heard by your wife, who storms
outside and tells you to watch your mouth. You start an argument with your wife that
ends up with you either missing your morning bus or almost getting in an accident for driving
too fast on the road. Then, when you arrive at work 15 minutes late,
you become unproductive for the day because you are still angry. Your team leader reprimands you, and because
of what happened in the morning, you yell back at him. You come home with probationary suspension,
a cold treatment from your family, and a sour day. Imagine alternately that when you tripped,
you stood up, breathed slowly, then forgave your child and said, “Be careful next time;
remember to keep your bike inside the garage.” You won’t be starting an unnecessary argument
that cannot solve what happened, you won’t miss the bus or hurry through traffic, and
you will take control of your day. We can be happy if we become proactive, not
reactive to what is happening to us. We need to have a Right View of things - that
we can always choose not to be affected by what is happening around us, but to use what
we have around us towards our own growth. Create good karma
In the words of the Buddha “It is mental volition, O monks, that I call karma. Having willed, one acts through body, speech
or mind.” In Buddhism, karma means only actions of one’s
own volition, not all actions. As volitions can be relatively good or bad,
so the resulting karma will be good or bad. Good karma will lead to good outcomes and
bad karma to bad outcomes in life. Volition is a more complex concept in Eastern
philosophies than in Western ones, which defines will as a faculty independent of emotions
and reason. In Eastern philosophies, volition is the most
significant factor in determining the karma, it is what determines the ethical quality
of the action. It is a mental impulse, an urge, pushing us
in the direction of a particular experience. Volition is something at the cross-roads between
emotion and reason. A bad volition is based on a bad attitude
or a bad intention and to avoid having a bad karma, we have to align our actions to positive
attitudes and intentions, in other words, we have to work firstly on our attitudes and
intentions, to be clean in our thoughts and feelings. Our intentions will lead to our actions and
they can have great consequences in our life. We need to work on ourselves in the present
in order to build a better future for ourselves. As what we did in the past has echoes in the
present, what we do now will have echoes in the future. If we don’t study well for an exam, we may
fail. If we sleep through our deadlines and delay
doing our tasks, we may be late. If we eat too much, we may suffer from sickness
in the future. If we indulge in smoking and alcohol, we may
struggle to give them up in the years to come. But remember, if we choose to give more effort
today, then we are sure to go beyond our past mistakes. If we, for example, choose to study better
starting now, we still can achieve our dream job or graduate in the course we love - even
if that would take longer than we planned. If we choose to make a schedule, plan how
we will balance our priorities and our workload, then we can still finish and be better in
our job. If we choose to start exercising, we can still
live more healthily than we are now. Nothing is written in stone. Our past does not define us, and what we do
today can shape our present and our future. However, to make the right changes takes effort
and this effort will not have everlasting effects unless it comes from a good attitude
and good intentions, or, in other words, from a deep compassion towards ourselves and others. Live every day like it is your last
The Buddha says, “Ardently, do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow death comes.” Buddhism believes that life is a cycle of
birth and rebirth - and our goal should be to liberate ourselves from that cycle of suffering. The problem is we tend to think that we have
all the time in the world. We put all our efforts into a tomorrow that
may not come - “I’ll start exercising tomorrow. I’ll finish my work tomorrow. I’ll call my mom tomorrow. I’ll ask for forgiveness tomorrow.” And that is a reality we need to face. If we learn to see that everyday can be our
last, we will live ardently each day, making peace with everyone, doing what we can do
today, and sleep peacefully at night knowing that we lived our day to the fullest. That is why it is important to start your
day right - by practicing mindfulness meditation - for example, when you focus on breathing
in and breathing out, you have a direct experience of impermanence - when you meditate on your
painful and sad stories, you have a direct experience of suffering. It motivates you to live in the moment. When you are eating, eat. When you are reading, read. When you are doing your job or at school,
do your tasks with focus. When you are driving your car, drive your
car. When you are with someone, spend that moment
with them. This allows you to step away from the past
and future and live in the present moment, to be where you are right now. Great things are the results of small good
habits The Buddha teaches us “Drop by drop is the
water pot filled. Likewise, the fool, gathering it little by
little, fills himself with evil … Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little,
fills himself with good.” The Buddhist approach to goodness and evil
is very practical. Evil may, for a time, lead us to happiness,
but all our bad actions together will eventually ripen and lead us to illness and bad experiences. So while we may suffer from time-to-time,
even if we are good, all our good actions will eventually ripen and lead us to true
happiness and goodness. According to the European Journal of Social
Psychology, it takes 18-254 days of constant exercise and practice to develop a new habit. On whatever skill you wish to learn, you can
always start today. You can’t exercise for one day and immediately
assume that you will be healthier all of the sudden. Starting with small things, like switching
to healthier alternatives of food, brisk walking, or waking up early in the morning to stretch. In the same way, whatever bad habit you wish
to change, you can always start small. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIH’s National
Institute on Drug Abuse, suggests that the first step is to become more aware of your
habits so you can develop strategies to change them. You may start by avoiding the places that
can trigger your vice - like lessening your time in pubs - or try switching to healthier
alternatives - choosing unsalted popcorn over a bag of potato chips, or chewing gum over
reaching for a cigarette. It doesn’t matter if you fail sometimes
- that is part of learning. Show your wisdom in silence
The Buddha tells us “Know from the rivers in clefts and in crevices; those in small
channels flow noisily, the great flow silent. Whatever’s not full makes noise. Whatever is full is quiet.” He believed that there is always a time to
speak and to listen. If one is to talk, he must talk only when
he means-well, and is just, endearing, and true. But one must learn to listen more, acknowledging
that we do not know everything. He goes against useless chatter or those who
judge arbitrarily and with their biases. In today’s digital information, whenever
we scroll through social media, it is easy for us to fall for fake news. Sometimes, we even justify our wrong beliefs
with one youtube video or a single article. Little knowledge is dangerous because we assume
that there’s an easy answer, that every other question is invalid, that we are the
only ones that know the truth. It is called the “wisdom paradox”. Take for example the great Albert Einstein
when he said “The more you learn, the more you are exposed to what you don't know”. Buddha reminds us that those who are wise
know to listen, because they acknowledge that there are things that they do not know. A little knowledge is dangerous, because you
might be so convinced with your opinion that you fail to look at the truth because you
easily dismiss other people. One can share wisdom and also learn from another
by listening and engaging in healthy dialogue. If in a conflict, choose compassion
According to the Buddha “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased.” Even Siddharta Gautma experienced discrimination
and suffering, he was sometimes abused and he had to go through a hard journey to build
his legacy. Also, other famous leaders, like Martin Luther
King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi, who had both advocated nonviolent action that led to societal changes
in their corresponding countries, were victims of evil words, discrimination, and disbelief. Buddhism teaches us that the cycle of violence,
of hatred, of abuse, of revenge can never be stopped with hatred. When someone insults you, and you insult back,
sometimes they come back worse. When someone punches and we punch back, we
go home with more bruises and wounds. Nonviolence is not just letting yourself be
harassed or assaulted, it is a way to protect yourself from even greater evils. Take for example, when you are bullied by
a classmate or a colleague, as long as you don’t feel physically threatened, empower
yourself first. Remind yourself of your goodness, that their
words can never hurt you, and that you may make mistakes, you can keep trying. Remember, the bully wants you to feel angry
and powerless because they are also experiencing something bad in their own life. Some practical solutions include - when a
bully is approaching you, count from 1 to 100 to relax yourself - or maybe you can just
walk away - or if he insults you, join in - insult yourself and laugh with him then
walk away - or you can look at them with compassion and be nice to them. Do something about it: do not keep it in,
do not hide from it. Maybe asking help from authorities would help,
especially if the bullying becomes serious or involves physical assault or abuse. Meditating on your own giftedness lets you
see that you are more than what they say. Choose friends for quality over quantity
According to the Buddha, “Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie
is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends,
companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.” The Buddha reminds us that it is better to
seek fellowship with noble men than to associate with evil companions. The Buddha acknowledges that life is not a
solitary journey. Along the way, we encounter a lot of people,
but not every one of these people are good influences for us. Some bad habits are developed because of negative
peer pressure. In our experiences, when we are rich or in
prosperity, when we are famous or well-known, people like to be around us. But when we are in need of support, we find
fewer friends to go to. We can make the decision to choose the people
who can influence us to be better. Good friends are those who lead you to goodness,
to virtue, to develop good habits - and not those who let you go astray, those who push
you to vices. It is better to have few friends who support
and care for you truly, and who work with you towards a better life. Be generous In the words of the Buddha “Thousands of
candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha has always emphasized how generosity
and helping each other can create great change in the world. According to various research, there is a
ripple effect of kindness. Just as anger or fear can be passed on to
others, so does a simple act of kindness. A simple smile to someone can inspire them
to work better. A gesture of compassion can be passed on to
another person. When you help someone carry their groceries,
they might be inspired to open a door for a stranger. That stranger would be inspired to pass on
that act of kindness by giving a lunch to a coworker, or assisting an elderly person
cross the street. A lot of things can spring forth from that
simple act of kindness. Buddha, however, first asks us to take care
of ourselves. You cannot give what you do not have. You may really want to help people to the
point of you exhausting yourself or breaking down your boundaries or not giving yourself
time to eat, or sleep - and then you get sick or burnt-out - then you would not be able
to offer help to anyone else. It is important to take care of yourself,
to live healthily, to give yourself time for meditation, to ask for support from other
people, because only then can you give the strength and love you have within you. You can be a Buddha too
In our final quote for this video, the Buddha says, “You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way.” All these life lessons given to us by Buddha
are meant to teach us that we can be a Buddha too - we can also be enlightened - but only
if we choose to live out these Buddhism teachings daily. The Buddhas that came after him and developed
Buddhism can be a source of inspiration and a guide to all of us. Right now, we may feel like life is hopeless
- we may find ourselves in debt, unhappy in our job, having fights with our family and
friends. We may feel like life is too hard on us already. Buddha reminds us that change starts with
us. We should take control of our lives and not
leave it up to fate or the heavens. Struggle well and do not give up easily. Each of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View,
Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness,
and Right Concentration: is something we can start cultivating more by the habits we build. We can always read more - research more - and
we hope together to achieve liberation from the life of suffering, or Nirvana, that the
Buddha guides us to. So, if you enjoyed this video, please do make
sure to check out the full Philosophies for Life channel and for more videos to help you
find success and happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom, don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much for watching.
