Buddhism originated from ancient Japan and China in early 800AD. Being a religion of no higher power, a large proportion of Asia is committed to this faith, and it involves practices to encourage well-being, mainly focusing on the mind and body. Meditation is common and has travelled from Asia all across the world. It involves breathing deeply in order to become self-aware and connect with yourself. Sitting in an upright posture with your legs folded is the recommended position to get your blood circulation flowing smoothly. Meditation is a way to breathe calmly and deeply, and self-reflect on the things we have recently done or achieved. Buddhism focuses mainly on the art of finding one’s inner peace and purpose in life (meditating can also help you to sleep well and relieve stress). Yoga is one of the other Buddhist practices to strengthen your thoughts. It can build up muscles and uses various different poses and stretches to find a balance between strenuous exercise and peaceful thinking. Similar to meditation, you are instructed to tap into your breathing patterns while you exercise, so you receive a feeling of both satisfaction and happiness at the end of your workout.
Moving on from practices and routines, the Buddhist philosophy is an alternative way of looking at things and how the world works. Basically, the core beliefs of this religion are centred around suffering and the idea of wanting things. Buddhist monks in Central Asia live a simple life of poverty in order to give up any unnecessary wants or attachments to material things. Buddhists do not believe in an afterlife, but instead in an endless cycle that finally comes to a stop because suffering (wanting things you cannot have) has been released from your soul.
I think that we in the Western culture, in our busy everyday lives, should adopt a few of these wellbeing and self-awareness practices more often. They can make us feel healthy mentally as well as physically, and for some people they are of the utmost importance. Buddhism is a whole new perspective of how life is given, brought, and taken away. It can help people through hard times in their lives as well.
How often is it that we all just stop and think? Penny Le Maistre, Yr7
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