Buddha was born into a wealthy family and led a very sheltered life as a young boy. One day when he went outside his family compound, he saw old age, death, poverty and illness. This inspired him to leave the physical comforts of his wealthy family behind with the goal of relieving human suffering.

He lived an ascetic life for the next several years, studying and meditating without finding the answers he sought. He even began to fast and endure great hardships thinking this would help him in his quest for knowledge.

When he was almost to the point of starvation, he was offered food and water by a kind woman and then he realized that the extremes of wealth or poverty were not the true path. He realized a path of balance was the most beneficial. He called this path “the Middle Way”.

Then the Buddha decided he would meditate under the Bodhi tree until he found the truth that would liberate man from suffering. He sat for several days being threatened by demons, tempted by beautiful women and beguiled through his ego to leave his meditation. But Buddha stayed silent without movement until he received enlightenment.

He then set out to share his teachings with others. Buddha gained many followers who were drawn to his wisdom and peaceful countenance.

Some of his teachings that inspire me are below:

Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.

When someone has hurt us physically, emotionally or mentally, it is easy to hold onto that anger and resentment towards that person. One reason is for protection. If we remember what someone did, then maybe we can avoid that pain in the future.

But the truth is that we punish ourselves more than the other person by holding onto our anger and wishing harm upon another. Love is the path of liberation from suffering. Instead of clinging to thoughts of our own righteousness and wanting to get even with another person, we will find happiness by practicing compassion, kindness and good will.

Be devoted to (or take delight in) conscientiousness. Guard your own mind.

It is easy to repeat the same negative thoughts unconsciously day after day. But we must learn to be more aware of our thoughts and make conscious choices to change the unconscious repetitions that lead to an unfulfilled life.

Yoga teaches us mindfulness through asana (poses), pranayama (breath work), and meditation. Our mind is powerful beyond imagination. What we think reflects our belief systems and can program an undesired outcome. If we constantly think we are not good enough, we will act that way and never reach our true potential.

You yourself as much as anyone in the universe, deserve your love and affection.

If we cannot love ourselves, how can we know how to love others? If we can love ourselves unconditionally, then maybe we can do the same for others. This goes back to the idea of forgiveness. To love is to forgive. To forgive we must consciously make a choice.

Loving ourselves is not enlarging our ego, it is more about taming our ego and finding the “Middle Way” of the Buddha.

One of Buddha’s most famous quotes was among his last words on Earth:

“… be a lamp unto yourselves …”

Take the time to go inward through meditation, through silence, through connecting with nature, and find your inner light. Let that light fill your entire being and guide your path. Let that light shine beyond your body and light up the world. Seek to see the light in others by dispelling the veil of illusion that we are separate and alone.

Trust yourself, trust your inner wisdom, and find your unique path using your talents and abilities to help others along the way.