Practice the middle way

The Buddha says “The root of suffering is desire”. Siddharta Gautama spent the rest of his 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 And 4. The Noble Eightfold Path that leads us 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 into a very wealthy family. Before his enlightenment, he walked out of his 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 il, and realized that his asceticism did not spare him from his 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 said 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.