How To Be Calm and Peaceful Within | Buddhism In English

Summary

In this video, the speaker explores the challenges of maintaining inner peace and calmness amidst the chaos and information overload of modern life. They emphasize that peace is an internal state, not dependent on external circumstances. The speaker suggests practices such as slowing down physical movements, practicing breathing meditation, and non-judgmental awareness of thoughts to cultivate a non-reactive mind. By understanding the distinction between oneself and one's thoughts, viewers are encouraged to find tranquility even in a reactive world.

Takeaways

• 🌟 **Inner Peace**: Calmness and peacefulness come from within and are not dependent on external circumstances.
• 🌀 **Mind Over Matter**: Even though our minds are filled with thoughts, true calmness is achieved by not reacting to them.
• 🤔 **Thoughts Are Not You**: Recognize that thoughts are transient like clouds, and you are the constant sky beneath them.
• 🚫 **Non-Reactivity**: Practice not reacting to thoughts as they arise, just observing them without judgment.
• 🧘 **Meditative Practices**: Engage in breathing meditation to simplify your thought process and achieve mental clarity.
• 🌬️ **Slow Movement**: Slow down your physical movements to help calm your mind and reduce stress.
• 🌱 **Mindfulness**: Be aware of your thoughts without judgment, similar to watching traffic pass by without interference.
• 🌈 **Non-Judgment**: Avoid judging your thoughts; let them exist without influencing your inner state.
• 📚 **Buddha's Teaching**: Embrace teachings that promote mindfulness and non-attachment to achieve peace.
• 🌟 **Continuous Practice**: Regularly practice these techniques to maintain a state of calmness and peacefulness amidst chaos.

Q & A

What is the main challenge discussed in the video script?

The main challenge discussed is how to maintain calmness and peacefulness in a world full of distractions, information overload, and chaos.

Why do we tend to lose our calmness and peacefulness?

We tend to lose our calmness and peacefulness because we become reactive to the constant bombardment of information and distractions, leading to frustration, stress, and depression.

Where does true calmness and peacefulness originate from according to the script?

True calmness and peacefulness originate from within oneself and not from external sources.

What is the misconception about thoughts and identity mentioned in the script?

The misconception is that people often believe they are their thoughts, when in reality, thoughts are separate from the self, much like clouds are separate from the sky.

How does the script suggest we should react to thoughts?

The script suggests that we should not react to thoughts immediately but take a step back and decide whether to react or not.

What is the analogy used in the script to describe the relationship between thoughts and the self?

The analogy used is that the self is like the sky and thoughts are like clouds, which come and go without defining the sky.

What is one practical tip given in the script to achieve calmness?

One practical tip is to slow down bodily movements for a period of time to help slow down the thought process.

What is breathing meditation and how does it help in achieving peacefulness?

Breathing meditation is a practice where one focuses on their in-breath and out-breath, which helps to reduce the load of thoughts and make the mind soft, peaceful, and non-reactive.

Why is it important not to judge our thoughts according to the script?

Not judging thoughts allows us to become less reactive to them, which in turn helps us find peacefulness and calmness in our mind.

How does the script compare watching thoughts to watching traffic?

The script compares watching thoughts to watching traffic to illustrate the idea of observing thoughts without reacting or judging them, just as one would watch vehicles pass by without engaging with them.

What is the ultimate goal of the practices discussed in the script?

The ultimate goal is to achieve a state of calmness and peacefulness in the mind, even amidst chaos, by developing non-reactivity to thoughts and distractions.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 Achieving Inner Peace Amidst Chaos

The speaker begins by addressing the challenge of maintaining peace and calm in a world filled with constant information and distractions. They emphasize that true calmness and peacefulness are internal states and not dependent on external circumstances. The key message is that one should not equate their thoughts with their identity, as thoughts are transient like clouds in the sky. The speaker suggests that instead of reacting to every thought, one should observe them without judgment, thereby achieving a state of serenity and non-reactivity.

05:03

🌬️ Cultivating Calmness Through Mindful Practices

In the second paragraph, the speaker offers practical advice on how to cultivate a peaceful state of mind. They suggest slowing down physical movements as a way to calm the mind, as the body and mind are closely connected. Breathing meditation is introduced as a tool to simplify the thought process by focusing on the breath. The speaker also encourages viewers to observe their thoughts without judgment, akin to watching traffic pass by without interference. This approach, they claim, can lead to a reduction in reactivity and an increase in mental calmness and peace.

Keywords

💡Peacefulness

Peacefulness refers to a state of being tranquil and undisturbed by stress or anxiety. In the video, it is discussed as an internal state that can be cultivated despite external chaos. The speaker emphasizes that finding peace is not about changing the environment but rather developing inner calm, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of one's thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in the present moment. The video suggests using mindfulness to observe thoughts without reacting to them, which is crucial for achieving peace and calm. The script mentions being aware of one's breath as a form of mindfulness practice.

💡Reactivity

Reactivity in the context of the video refers to the automatic response to stimuli, often leading to stress and loss of calmness. The speaker advises against reacting to thoughts and distractions, which is a key aspect of maintaining peace in a chaotic world.

💡Thoughts

Thoughts are the mental processes or ideas that occur in a person's mind. The video differentiates between thoughts and the self, suggesting that one should not identify with their thoughts. It uses the metaphor of clouds and sky to illustrate that thoughts are transient and should not dictate one's state of mind.

💡Chaos

Chaos in the video represents the overwhelming and distracting nature of modern life, filled with information and stimulation. The speaker discusses how to find peace and calmness in the midst of this chaos, which is a central challenge that the video aims to address.

💡Meditation

Meditation is a practice of focusing the mind and achieving mental clarity and emotional calmness. The video specifically mentions breathing meditation as a technique to reduce the load of thoughts and promote peace of mind.

💡Non-reactivity

Non-reactivity is the ability to observe one's thoughts and emotions without reacting to them. The video promotes non-reactivity as a way to maintain calmness and peacefulness, suggesting that reacting to thoughts is what leads to stress and unhappiness.

💡Slowing Down

Slowing down refers to the practice of reducing the pace of one's physical movements and activities. The video suggests that slowing down can help calm the mind, as there is a connection between the body's movements and the mind's state of agitation or calmness.

💡Judgment

Judgment, in the context of the video, is the act of evaluating or forming an opinion about something. The speaker advises against judging one's thoughts, suggesting a more passive observation as a means to achieve peace and calmness.

💡Awareness

Awareness is the state or quality of being conscious or knowing something. The video emphasizes the importance of being aware of one's thoughts without getting caught up in them, which is key to maintaining a peaceful state of mind.

Highlights

The importance of achieving peace and calm in a world full of information and distractions.

The negative impact of constant chaos on our mental state, leading to frustration, stress, and depression.

Calmness and peacefulness are internal states and not dependent on external circumstances.

Calmness does not mean having an empty mind; thoughts will still arise, but the key is not reacting to them.

The analogy of the sky and clouds to illustrate the distinction between our true self and our thoughts.

The concept that we are not our thoughts and should not identify ourselves with them.

The practice of not reacting to thoughts as a way to achieve calmness and peacefulness.

Slowing down bodily movements to help calm the mind and thought process.

Buddha's advice on breathing meditation as a tool for reducing mental chatter.

The technique of focusing on in-breath and out-breath to create a peaceful and non-reactive mind.

The practice of non-judgmental awareness of thoughts to promote mental calmness.

The traffic analogy for observing thoughts without judgment or reaction.

The importance of being less reactive to thoughts for achieving mental peace.

The video's aim to provide insights into achieving calmness and peacefulness amidst chaos.

Wishes for the viewers to be well, happy, and to maintain a state of calm and peace.

Transcripts

welcome and welcome back to another

video

today I want to discuss with you about

how can we become peaceful and how can

we become calm from our mind now we know

that we are living in a world where we

are constantly bombarded and constantly

over overloaded with information with

distractions and all of the chaos

so what happens when we live in such an

environment is we become so reactive and

we tend to lose our peacefulness we tend

to lose our calmness in our mind and

then what happens is our frustration

stress and depression builds in

so how can we deal with this and what

can we do to eliminate these

distractions and this uh constant

chatter in our mind and have a peaceful

mind in the middle of Chaos so today I'm

going to share a few tips where you can

practice in your daily life and then you

can if you practice this it will be a

great help to find peacefulness and calm

in the middle of all the chaos so the

first thing that you have to understand

is calmness and peacefulness is not an

outer Source it doesn't come from Outer

world right it can be found within

so no matter where you live no matter

what the place you live no matter what

you do

if you really focus on this calmness

and if you're clever enough to find that

then you will be able to find the

calmness and peacefulness in the middle

of all the chaos

so always remember calmness and

peacefulness should be built and should

be developed with it okay and also you

have to remember one thing that calmness

and peacefulness is not about emptying

your mind

when you become calm and peaceful it

doesn't say that there's nothing in your

mind no thoughts in your mind right

thoughts may appear in your mind right

there will be lots of thoughts and train

of thoughts will be appear in your mind

but

[Music]

really come come and when you become

Serene from your mind you tend to not to

react to all those stimulations

that is what the real calmness and

peacefulness means okay normally

when the thoughts appear right when all

these kind of trains of thoughts appear

in our mind what happens to us is we

oftenly react to them right we become

panicked

and we tend to react to them so the

reason why this happens is because we

think that thoughts as us and we we tend

to think that I am what I think and I am

my thoughts

but in reality

thoughts are not you

you are not your thoughts

right

thoughts are the just like they're

coming and going it's it's like clouds

right there's the sky and there's the

clouds right so what is the what is the

nature of a cloud it comes and it swarms

around and it goes off

right sometimes the sky is cloudy

sometimes the sky is Moody sometimes the

clouds are scattered here and there and

sometimes the the sky is empty so you

are like the sky and your thoughts are

like the clouds okay so there's a huge

distance between the sky and

the clouds but we often think that the

clouds as the sky sometimes when it is

raining when it sometimes when it is

Moody we blame to the sky

right we think we we tend to say that

all this this weather is not okay the

sky is always raining and raining and

it's Moody

but sky is not raining

clouds are what forms the rain right

clouds forms the rain

so same as that

when the thoughts appear in your mind

you can take a little step back

and think should I react to this

should I react upon these thoughts for

an example if an angry thought came to

your mind what should you do just a

pause little bit and think should I

react to this you can have a little bit

of a time and think about it oh this is

anger I should not react to this this is

jealousy I should not react to this okay

it's okay to have thoughts in your mind

but we you want to be peaceful

you should choose to not to react react

to those thoughts so there are a few

practices where we can do in our daily

life to brings and to make a little bit

of a help to this peacefulness and

calmness one thing that you can do is

that you can slow down your body

movement for a little time period of the

day maybe like when you have time and

when you're working by yourself maybe

like you're walking maybe like you are

you know writing something or maybe like

you're studying try to maintain slow

body movements now why I say this

because of a body and our mind is highly

interconnected

when our thoughts become panicked our

body become panicked so in the other way

if we

calm down and if we slow down our bodily

movements it will be a great help for us

to slow down the thought process then

you can take a little time and think

about what comes to your mind that is

one thing that you can do and also

there's another great practice that

Buddha told us to do that is called

breathing meditation

when you do the breathing meditation you

reduce these heavy loads of thoughts

into two thoughts in breath

and out breath in breathing meditation

all what we are doing is we are

constantly becoming aware of in-breath

and out breath when you do that it's all

it's sort of like condensing your mind

it's sort of like uh making your mind

soft and peaceful and non-reactive that

is what you can do and also there's

another thing that you can do is to not

to judge your thoughts and to be aware

of your thoughts

I will give you an example it's like

you're watching a traffic pass by

by the side of the road right you can

see cars and bikes and vans and buses

are going but you're not going to judge

them you're not going to stop them

you're not you're not going to chase

behind them you sit by the road and you

just watch them let the vehicles be the

vehicles and you be you in the same way

let the thoughts be the thoughts and you

be you when you become less reactive to

your thoughts you can find that

peacefulness and calmness in your mind

so I hope you got some light too about

the calmness and peacefulness from this

video so I hope you all may all of you

be well and happy and may all of you be

calm and peaceful forever