Feeling Lonely? Watch This | Buddhism In English

Summary

In this video, the speaker explores the difference between loneliness and solitude, emphasizing the importance of finding happiness within oneself rather than relying on others. They discuss how solitude can be a positive state for self-reflection, meditation, and personal development. Drawing from Buddha's teachings, the speaker encourages viewers to use moments of loneliness as opportunities for growth and self-improvement.

Takeaways

• 😔 Loneliness is often felt when we are separated from people we are close to and it can lead to feelings of sadness and depression.
• 🔑 The key to happiness should not be given to others; it's essential to find joy within ourselves.
• 🧘‍♂️ Solitude is a state of being alone but content, where one finds happiness from within rather than depending on external sources.
• 🌟 Buddha encouraged practicing solitude to achieve inner peace and happiness.
• 🏞️ When alone, one has the opportunity for self-reflection, meditation, and self-improvement, which can be seen as positive.
• ⏰ Use the time spent alone wisely by engaging in activities that promote personal growth and well-being.
• 📚 The story of Buddha's enlightenment illustrates how solitude can be a powerful tool for self-development.
• 🍽️ Buddha's decision to abandon self-mortification and seek a middle path highlights the importance of balance in life.
• 🚶‍♂️ The departure of the five monks from Buddha during his journey to enlightenment symbolizes the need to face solitude at times.
• 💪 Embrace loneliness as an opportunity to strengthen your inner self and work towards personal betterment.
• 🌱 Cultivate the habit of solitude to enhance your life by focusing on self-care and personal development.

Q & A

What is the main difference between loneliness and solitude as discussed in the video?

Loneliness is a feeling of sadness or depression when one is not around people, while solitude is a state of being alone where one finds happiness within oneself without depending on others.

According to the video, why do we feel unhappy when people leave us?

We feel unhappy because we have given the key to our happiness to other people, and when they leave, we lose that source of happiness.

What advice does the video give for dealing with loneliness?

The video suggests practicing solitude, which involves finding happiness within oneself instead of depending on others.

How does the video relate Buddha's teachings to the concept of solitude?

Buddha advised monks to practice solitude, which is about finding happiness within oneself and not depending on external sources for happiness.

What is the significance of the story about Buddha feeling lonely before his enlightenment?

The story illustrates how Buddha used his loneliness to his advantage by focusing on self-development and meditation, which eventually led to his enlightenment.

What did Buddha conclude after practicing self-mortification for six years?

Buddha concluded that enlightenment could not be achieved through self-mortification or extreme hardship to the body.

Why did the five monks leave Buddha during his journey to enlightenment?

The five monks left because they believed that enlightenment could only be achieved through self-mortification, and they were confused when Buddha started eating food to gain physical energy.

What is the middle way that Buddha decided to find after leaving self-mortification?

The middle way refers to a balanced approach to spiritual practice, avoiding extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

How does the video suggest using the time when one is alone?

The video suggests using the time for self-improvement activities such as meditation, self-development techniques, exercise, reading, and learning new things.

What is the final message of the video regarding dealing with loneliness?

The final message is to embrace solitude and use the time alone for self-improvement, rather than feeling depressed or negative about the situation.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Loneliness vs. Solitude

The video begins by addressing the concept of loneliness, explaining how people often rely on others for happiness, which can lead to feelings of sadness and loneliness when those people are absent. The speaker then contrasts this with solitude, a state where one finds happiness within oneself without depending on others. The advice of Supreme Buddha is introduced, encouraging the practice of solitude to achieve inner happiness and contentment.

05:01

🧘‍♂️ Embracing Solitude for Self-Development

The second paragraph narrates the story of Buddha before his enlightenment, known as Bodhisatwa, who practiced self-mortification for six years. He realized that extreme hardship was not the path to enlightenment and decided to seek a middle way. When he started to eat again to regain his strength, the monks who were with him left, thinking he had abandoned his path. Despite being alone, Buddha did not view his solitude negatively. Instead, he used this time to meditate and focus on self-development, which the speaker suggests is a positive way to deal with loneliness. The speaker encourages viewers to use their alone time for activities like meditation, exercise, reading, and learning, transforming solitude into a period of growth and self-improvement.

Keywords

💡Loneliness

Loneliness is the feeling of sadness or depression that arises when one is not surrounded by others or when they feel disconnected from people they care about. In the video, loneliness is described as a negative state that occurs when individuals depend on others for their happiness, and those people are not present. The script illustrates this when it mentions feeling 'depressed, sad, or lonely' when people leave or are absent.

💡Solitude

Solitude refers to the state of being alone, but unlike loneliness, it is framed as a positive and beneficial condition where one can find happiness within oneself without depending on others. The video contrasts solitude with loneliness, suggesting that in solitude, individuals can achieve a state of contentment and self-sufficiency, as exemplified by the practice of the Buddha who advised monks to embrace solitude.

💡Happiness

Happiness, in the context of the video, is a state of joy and contentment. The video discusses how happiness is often derived from external sources, such as the company of others, but it encourages finding happiness from within oneself, which is a key aspect of practicing solitude.

💡Self-Development

Self-development is the process of improving oneself, often through activities like meditation, exercise, reading, or learning new skills. The video encourages using times of solitude for self-development, suggesting that when one is alone, they have the opportunity to engage in activities that enhance personal growth, such as meditation or reading.

💡Meditation

Meditation is a practice of focusing the mind and achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. The video highlights meditation as a tool for self-development and a means to find inner peace and happiness, especially during times of solitude.

💡Self-Mortification

Self-mortification refers to the act of inflicting pain or hardship upon oneself as a form of spiritual discipline. In the video, it is mentioned in the context of the Buddha's early spiritual practices, which he later abandoned in favor of a middle way, illustrating the evolution of his approach to achieving enlightenment.

💡Enlightenment

Enlightenment, in the video, is the state of profound spiritual awareness and insight that the Buddha achieved. It is used to illustrate the ultimate goal of spiritual practice, which can be pursued more effectively through solitude and self-development rather than self-mortification.

💡Bodhisattva

Bodhisattva refers to a being who is on the path to Buddhahood. In the script, the term 'bodhisattva' is used to describe the Buddha before his enlightenment, emphasizing his human struggles and the journey he underwent to overcome loneliness and achieve enlightenment.

💡Middle Way

The Middle Way is a concept in Buddhism that advocates a balanced approach to life, avoiding extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. The video mentions the Buddha's realization of the Middle Way as a pivotal moment in his path to enlightenment, suggesting that it is a more effective approach to achieving spiritual goals than extreme practices.

💡Self-Reliance

Self-reliance is the ability to rely on oneself and one's own resources and capabilities. The video promotes self-reliance as a key aspect of solitude, where individuals learn to find happiness and fulfillment within themselves without depending on others.

💡Contentment

Contentment is a state of being satisfied and at peace with one's circumstances. The video discusses how solitude can lead to contentment by allowing individuals to find happiness from within, rather than seeking it from external sources.

Highlights

Loneliness is the feeling of sadness or depression when people we are close to are not around.

Happiness derived from others can lead to loneliness when they are absent.

Loneliness occurs when we give others the 'key' to our happiness.

Solitude is a reframed version of being alone, focusing on finding happiness within oneself.

In solitude, happiness is independent of others and comes from within.

Supreme Buddha advised practicing solitude for self-contentment.

Loneliness can be reframed as an opportunity for self-improvement and reflection.

When alone, one has more time for self-reflection and meditation.

Loneliness can be used to develop a healthier lifestyle and personal growth.

Buddha's story illustrates how he used loneliness as a path to enlightenment.

Buddha practiced self-mortification for six years before seeking a middle way.

Five monks left Buddha when he decided to eat and gain physical energy for meditation.

Buddha saw his loneliness as an opportunity for meditation and self-development.

Loneliness can be a positive force for creating a better life.

Use loneliness to practice meditation, self-development, and other beneficial activities.

Maintain a positive attitude towards loneliness and focus on self-improvement.

Embrace solitude and use it to make your life better.

Transcripts

Nam buddhaya welcome everyone to another

video so today let's talk about

loneliness and how we can face this

situation so in this video I'm going to

be talking about two things and the

first one is the loneliness and the

second one is the Solitude which is more

reframed version of being alone okay so

first of all let's talk about

loneliness when we are around people

when we are living with people and when

we are in relationships with people

normally we feel happy we feel that we

are content right and we feel this

joyfulness within

ourself but when they are not around us

oh when they leave us sometimes when

they when we have to depart from them

normally we feel depressed sad or lonely

or uh we feel like no one cares about us

so this is the feeling of

loneliness if we Analyze This emotion of

loneliness we can find that uh we have

become happy because of the people

around us because of their reaction

because of their way of

behavior that is that was the reason

that we became

happy simply it means that we have given

the key of our own happiness to other

people so when they leave our life

sometimes when they depart from ourself

sometimes when they fade away from our

life what happens to us is we become H

we become unhappy we become sad we

become depressed and we feel like no one

is care for caring for us there is no

one to help for me that is what we are

thinking

so how we can deal with

this well that is where we come to the

topic of

solitude Supreme Buddha advised us

Supreme Buddha advised the monks to

practice this uh practice of being

Solitude so what do you mean by Solitude

so first of all let's compare the

loneliness to the Solitude then you can

take some idea about that in loneliness

when you're lonely you're thinking for

someone to come to your life and make

you happy that means you're depending on

others you your happiness depends on

others but in

solitude you you try to find the

happiness within

yourself when you find the happiness

inside yourself you don't want to depend

on another person you don't want to

depend on second person you can find

your happiness within yourself and that

is what the practice of solitude gives

us so when you are being Solitude or

simply when you are being

alone now there are the people talk

about this like the loneliness and being

alone is two different things right so

when you're being alone or when you're

being in solitude

you're happy you're not finding the

happiness from these outer sources you

find the happiness within yourself so

Buddha teaches us to look at this

loneliness not as something to be sad

not as something negative but it teaches

us to look at this loneliness something

that is beneficial for you something

that is positive so how we can use this

loneliness or how we can reframe this

loneliness to be positive well if you

think about whenever you are being

alone you have more time for

yourself right you have a bigger freedom

for yourself you can think about

yourself you can you can reflect more

about yourself and you can practice

meditations or you can think about your

health and do some practices about that

that you can do some self-development

techniques so you can improve yourself

so when you use that time when you use

that uh loneliness for good things then

you become more positive about that then

you will never feel these sad or

depressing States so let me tell you a

little story how Buddha felt lonely at

one time actually this incident happened

to the there before he became

enlightened we call him him the bodh

satwa when he was bodh satwa he was

practicing this self mortification for

six years he gave lots of hardships to

this body he did some extreme

meditations in the jungle so there were

five monks who were helping the bodh

SATA so he practiced this uh self

mortification meditations for 6 years

and he mastered that fin finally he came

to the conclusion of that I cannot

achieve this

Enlightenment by self motivating or by

giving this extreme hardship to this

body so he decided to find this middle

way so what he did was first of all he

took his bowl and he went to the village

and he he got some foods to

eat because he he thought that to do the

meditations I I need to to have this

physical

energy but those five monkss who were

helping to the to bodh satwa who were

expecting the Enlightenment from the

bodh satwa through this self

modification was so confused because he

they saw that the bodhisatwa is having

these

Foods then does five months thought like

now he's not going to achieve this

Enlightenment the enlight tment can only

be achieved by the self

modification so he they never believed

on the bodhisatwa so what they did was

they left the bodhisatwa now our mahab

bodhisatwa was all alone in the middle

of the

Jungle there was no one to help him

there was no one to care about him no

one knew about him he was all

alone but he didn't think about that

loneliness as something depressed or

something

negative so he he he thought ah now I

have more time for myself I can do my

meditations

freely there was no one to think about

me so I must use this time for my

self-development that is what mahab

other thought so that is the way that we

also should think about this loneliness

if you are feeling lonely if you are

having some kind of loneliness

situations in your

life use that time use that valuable

time to create a better life for

yourself because you have more time you

can do meditations you can stick into a

daily

routine of uh the self development you

can do meditations you can do workouts

you can walk for some time and you can

be with this nature read a book or learn

something new practice meditations do

exercises these things can be done when

you are all alone so rather than feeling

depressed about the situation that that

situations that you are

in why can't we become more happy about

the time that we are spending a lot

right so practice this okay so if people

come to your life let them come if if

people walks away from your life let

them walk away but you have to be by

yourself you have to think about

yourself that is what you have to uh

think and that is what you have to do in

this valuable time so I think you have

some you got some idea about the

loneliness and being in the Solitude so

practice the Solitude and make your life

more better Nam