When Buddha learned about people suffering outside of his kingdom walls, he decided to live in suffering too. Buddha quickly learned that living in suffering with others who were suffering was not the solution to their suffering. After a long spiritual quest, he realized the power of the mind. The state of enlightenment, achieved through meditation, will provide unconditional and lasting happiness.
Many religions have centers for worship in their communities. In Cambodia, every community that we visit has pagodas, including very poor villages. It is incredibly important for the community to have a center to connect spiritually and practice their religion. When I visited the pagoda, I recognized the importance of the tradition. I was having a hard day, and I felt much better after spending time in the pagoda thinking about Buddhist values. There were paintings on the walls that reminded me of these values.
Buddhist values include overcoming suffering, accepting cycles of death and rebirth, knowing that change is inevitable and believing in karma, the idea that good things will happen to people who commit good deeds, and vise versa. Buddhists' goal is to achieve a state of mind free from disturbing emotions, and instead, live through fearlessness, joy and compassion. They recognize that negative emotions are destructive, and humans have the ability to alter their mind through meditation. What do you think? Have you ever experienced controlling your mind?
