By Venerable Bodhicitta from the International Centre for Inner Peace and Happiness, Dandenong
The past year has been a difficult time for all of us, but I think there are many things we can learn from the Covid-19 experience.
The most valuable of these lessons: what we have gone through will usher in a better world.
Before the pandemic, we were busy searching for happiness, caught up in our own little world.
That little world was only comprised of I, me, myself and my people.
Neglecting the rest, we tried to find happiness only for ourselves.
We didn’t care about the welfare of the rest of the world, the environment or Mother Earth.
We were behaving selfishly, and it went unnoticed for decades.
The more we behaved selfishly, the more unhappiness we acquired, instead of the happiness we desired.
This unhappiness manifested in undesirable emotional behaviours like stress, depression, mental illnesses, domestic violence etc., leading to more to untimely deaths and suicide.
Amid all the advancement and achievements made by the human race, mental illness and suicide are getting out of control.
More than Covid-19, this is seen as the real pandemic by the world health organisations.
By acting selfishly, we only get intense unhappiness, not happiness.
Prolonged intense unhappiness results in what we call stress.
It is this intense stress that leads people to think that by ending life they can bring their unhappiness to an end.
According to most religious beliefs in the world and as the Buddha pointed out, this foolish act only guarantees more suffering here, now, and thereafter.
So how can we overcome these irrational behaviours and find the way to real happiness?
By now one should be able to understand the relationship between stress and unhappiness. The secret to real happiness is the absence of stress.
It’s important to learn to live a stress-free life. Leading a relaxed, calm, peaceful and happy life is the blessing.
One of the bonuses of living a stress-free life is a strong immune system.
The best way to face Covid-19 is with a strong immune system.
Our immune system is capable of getting rid of the Covid-19 virus when it’s in a boosted condition.
Learning to live a stress-free life not only helps to reduce mental stress but also helps to overcome Covid-19 successfully.
A few things we can do to reduce our stress and increase peace of mind and happiness:
1) Finding meaning in life and living a purposeful life
2) Not thinking and acting selfishly but living a selfless life
3) Not just developing material wealth but focusing on inner spiritual development too
4) Living a virtuous life respecting not only other human beings but also animals and the environment
5) Aspiring to be a good person by replacing evil thoughts and deeds with good thoughts and actions. Always think positively!
6) Finding time for activities that relax the body and mind, reflection purifying the mind, meditation, yoga, physical exercise etc.
7) Latest scientific research has found that developing unconditional love, kindness and compassion has a direct benefit on reducing stress and bringing peace and happiness to one’s mind
8) Finding time to do things that bring genuine happiness like helping and caring for others
Hope you will find these points helpful in managing your stress.
The past year has given us a window of opportunity to improve our lives by acting responsibly, thinking of the wider world and stepping out of our egocentric selfish behaviours.
Together, let’s make this world a better place.
May you all be safe, well, comfortable, peaceful and happy
