Buddhism intrinsically focuses on inner peace and harmony, and teaches us how this state of being can positively affect and influence those around us. The practice of Buddhism leads to inner tranquility, along with an ability to recognize our connection to everything in our environment. Buddhism follows the philosophy of cause and effect through karma (the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being).
Meditating on Correct Energies
The thing that most attracted me to Buddhism was actually energy-based. I believe that which we put out into the universe is what we attract. There have been scores of books and movies written about this belief system over the last decade. If everything is energy, and everything is connected, then whatever energy we are sending out into the world is getting an energy response in return.
When I chant and meditate, I am focusing on sending the right energy and intentions into the Universe. It is a type of mental and spiritual exercise for me, as I can easily at times throughout the day fall into negative thought patterns, which will draw that type of energy into my life. It is the Buddhist goal to live in this positive and unattached mental state as consistently as possible. I mention ‘unattached’ because we can so easily become affected by all of the little things in life each day that bring down our energy levels and erode our happiness, from the heavy commute traffic to coworkers in bad moods.
I have found that when my energy is up — when I focus on building that ‘muscle’ of positive thought and energy — that I take that mentality into the daily world and make wonderful things happen. We all feed off of energy, most of us quite subconsciously, so why not try to be our own masters of energy in this regard?
Vibrating happiness
A word of caution: remember that it requires some effort to resist being swayed by all the diverse and negative energy patterns that exist in concert with positive energy. However, if we can maintain this positive energy field, others will naturally be affected by it, which brings me back to basic Buddhism as I understand and live it. If we are happy and vibrating with positive energy, that happiness and positivity will spread to all those we encounter. In Buddhism, the goal is to simply be happy and to lead an exemplary life so that others around us may find their happiness.
It is easy to attach ourselves to things in our modern, materialistic society — focusing foolishly on everything from cars to clothes. As members of this particular society, attachment to physical things will always be an attraction, as well as a distraction from what is really essential for our happiness. The better I come to understand the lure of “things,” the better I can resist their undue influence. To that end, I find that I must work on myself every day. Only through consistent and concentrated meditation will I eventually have access to the limitless well of positive energy to draw upon for my own life and to share with others.
