Buddhist Master Reveals 21 Rules of Life—Reduce Stress And Anxiety

8 minute read

We all have hopes of living each moment to the fullest. However, it is not always so easy to forget the troubles from our past or stop worrying about the future. The distractions from our past and future cause anxiety and overthinking and this can contribute to physical health problems.

Thanks to Buddhist masters, there are ways to help you accept the circumstances in your life and learn to be comfortable with who you are.

These 21 rules of life are the perfect guidelines to rewire your brain so that you are better equipped to handle life. You can, therefore, keep anxiety and all its health-related problems at bay and enjoy contentment, peace, and good health.

1. Accept everything as it is

When you need to overcome mental challenges, acceptance is the key. There is no goal or state to achieve, rather you learn to become tolerant to whatever is thrown your way. You accept negative emotions like stress and in doing so, they become less powerful and less harmful to your well-being.

If you do not accept negative emotions, they will eat away at your mental and physical health.

2. Do not ever depend on a partial feeling

You will never feel happy all the time because emotions are transient. There will be good and bad, so feel them all. Wanting just happiness will only make you unhappy.

3. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake

Humans tend to be the unhappiest when they are dissatisfied with what they have. Seeking out pleasure for itself gets us caught in a cycle of only wanting temporary fixes. You will only be happy for a small amount of time and then right back to wanting something else.

Instead, appreciate what you have in every moment that you are given.

4. Be detached from desire

Desire only stems from not being happy with what you have and only leads to suffering according to Buddhist masters. When you do get what you want, you only end up wanting more and the negative cycle continues.

Be grateful for what you have and the inner peace you feel will be enough.

5. Think lightly of yourself

Thinking too highly of yourself, i.e., too much pride, causes your ego to get out of control. When your ego is out of control so are your insecurities.

It is better to focus on helping others as a way of feeling good about yourself because being humble causes those positive self-feelings to last longer.

6. Never regret what you have done

Regret is a useless emotion because there is nothing you can do to change a situation that is already done. We all regret decisions, but, rather than dwell on it, we need to learn from the experience and move forward.

Dwelling causes stress, which can breed depression. When this is ignored, your life becomes greatly impaired.

7. Don't be saddened by separation

While it is understandable to feel sad when you separate from someone you want to be with, there is no good done to your health or well-being by dwelling on it. You will fare better by staying strong, appreciating what you still have in your life and moving forward.

8. Never be jealous

Jealousy is only a sign of your insecurities, so look at yourself and be grateful for what you have rather than focus on others.

9. Don’t allow yourself to be guided by lust

When you are guided by lust, you are chasing after emotions that will not last long. Love is different from lust, and one of the most important emotions you will be guided by.

10. Avoid complaining and having resentment

When you complain without action, you are not achieving anything or changing the situation that has upset you. You are only upsetting yourself more and increasing your toxic energy. The same goes for resenting what others have or do.

The actions of another should not impact you because you need only focus on what you are doing as you cannot control them.

11. Be indifferent to where you live

If you have the means to change your living space, then go ahead. But if you cannot, you need to find contentment with where you are. Wishing things were different only brings stress and negative emotions, which also bring bad health.

12. Have no preferences

Having a strong preference is very similar to the problems of desire. When you do this, you are not happy with what you have, and you will not be happy in any given moment.

13. Do not chase after tasty food

The best-tasting food is not always the best for your health and since you are what you eat, you need to choose foods for health rather than taste. This does not mean you have to eat foods you don’t like but taste should not be your only guiding force.

Delicious foods lead to addictions, which can be dangerous to your health and can cause problems like obesity.

14. Tools of violence are not collectibles

Do not collect weapons or use weapons for anything beyond what is useful. Stockpiling in this manner is a sign of insecurities.

15. Follow your common sense, not customary beliefs

Decide and act according to what you believe and your values, rather than according to what people think.

16. Do not hold onto possessions you no longer need

Junk can make a house look dirty and busy and the this will in turn clutter your mind. Clear out your physical space to get a clearer and healthier mental space.

17. Do not fear death

As hard as this is, it is necessary because death is something no one can avoid. Fighting against it only causes anxiety, which, ironically, will only increase your chances of dying sooner.

18. Do not collect treasures for old age

Because they are no good once you are gone, do not waste time and only collect what is useful.

19. Don’t solely rely on your god/beliefs for help

You need to take responsibility for your actions and decisions and only tackle endeavors that are within your capabilities.

20. Always preserve your honor

Never do anything that you cannot live with because your actions define you.

21. Stay humble

Always do the right thing, and keep learning and growing from your experiences.

The Bottom Line

One of the great benefits afforded to Buddhist masters has always been viewed (at least from the outside) as a sort of serenity with life.

Perhaps most famously exhibited now in the person of the current Dalai Lama, there is a lot we can learn from Buddhists when it comes to getting through life without accumulating stress and other problematic health issues.