Think Like a Monk Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day

The more we define ourselves in relation to the people around us, the more lost we are.

In the Mahabharata, an evil warrior envies another warrior and wants him to lose all he has. The evil warrior hides a burning block of coal in his robes, planning to hurl it at the object of his envy. Instead, it catches on fire and the evil warrior himself is burned. His envy makes him his own enemy.

When we tune out the opinions, expectations, and obligations of the world around us, we begin to hear ourselves.

He says, “Your identity is a mirror covered with dust. When you first look in the mirror, the truth of who you are and what you value is obscured. Clearing it may not be pleasant, but only when that dust is gone can you see your true reflection.”

This was a practical demonstration of the words of Chaitanya, a sixteenth century Bengali Hindu saint. Chaitanya called this state of aairs ceto-darpaṇamārjanam, or clearance of the impure mirror of the mind.

Anything you see in the man-made world — this book, a table, a clock — whatever it is, it existed in someone's mind before it came to be. In order to create something we have to imagine it.

So often we don't take chances because we fear failure, and that often boils down to a fear of our egos getting hurt. If we can get past the idea that we'll break if everything doesn't go our way immediately, our capabilities expand exponentially.

When you presume knowledge, you put up a barrier that nothing can cross, and miss out on a potential learning opportunity. What if there was an extra piece of that story? You can write off the familiar, or you can use it as a deeper reflection point. Even if you think you already know a story, try to live it as a new experience every time.

Detachment is not that you own nothing, but that nothing should own you. The greatest strength is being close to everything and not letting it consume and own you.

Who you are is not what you say, but how you behave.

Happiness can be elusive—it's hard to sustain a high level of joy. But to feel ‘meaning’ shows that our actions have purpose. What we do matters, so we matter. Bad things happen, boring chores must get done, life isn't all sunshine and unicorns, but it is always possible to find meaning.

In order to change our relationship with fear, we have to change our perception of it. Once we can see the value that fear offers, we can change how we respond. An essential step in this reprogramming is learning to recognize our reaction pattern to fear.

When you try to live your most authentic life, some of your relationships ships will be put in jeopardy. Losing them is a risk worth bearing; finding a way to keep them in your life is a challenge worth taking on.

Life is not going to go your way. You have to go your way and take life with you.

When you deal with fear and hardship, you realize that you're capable of dealing with fear and hardship

Sometimes, when we feel shame or guilt for what we've done in the past, it's because those actions no longer reflect our values. Now, when we look at our former selves, we don't relate to their decisions

In the same way our envy or impatience or suspicion with someone else tells us something about ourselves. Negative projections and suspicions reflect our own insecurities and get in our way

The more we define ourselves in relation to the people around us, the more lost we are

Instead of reacting compulsively an retaliating, we could enjoy our freedom as human beings and refuse to be upset

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime

Detachment is liberating. When we aren't defined by our accomplishments, it takes the pressure off. We don't have to be the best.

The false ego is an identity crafted to preserve our sense of being the most significant, the most important, the one who knows everything.

We train our brains. In the end, it is your mind that translates the outside world into happiness or misery

If you think something is yours or you think you are something, then it hurts to have it taken away from you.

You are the sky. Everything else-it's just the weather