Importance of Training Mind to Find Happiness and Meaning of Life

The depth of human mind allows individuals to use it as a powerful instrument for examining the nature of reality and exploring the human potential. However, our perception of the world alters as soon as we gain more knowledge and experience.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Training Mind to Find Happiness and Meaning of Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The reality, therefore, is a complex set of acquired knowledge about information, as well as unique vision of an individual. It is logical, therefore, for people to cognize the world in different fashion because their attitudes and belief systems rely more on experiential dimension. People should be aware of the importance to control and train our mind in order to understand the objective reality and become much happier. Our mind, therefore, is the major obstacle to become happy and achieve harmony with nature and the surrounding world. Mind is t he main mechanism that permits individuals to interpret reality, but the extent of objectivity and perception depends largely on the level of self-confidence. Training mind reveals much more opportunities for humans to perceive the world. In particular, it blurs the boundaries of consciousness and expands our understanding of how world is represented. According to Buddhist thinking, mind training â€Å"†¦is training in stability in order to â€Å"reveal the mystery† of the ultimate nature of reality, our own and that of other phenomena† (Wallace 80). Buddhism also proposes two approaches to mind training – release and control. The latter implies being able to sustain attention on a specific object which is aimed at taking control of our actions and thoughts.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Focusing attention on a specific object allows an individual to estab lish priorities in case the attention is straightforward. Foci of attention do not only change attitude, but also provide more information about the reality that was hidden due to the established frames of attention. Mind training does not change our outlook or the mechanism we perceive reality. Rather, it can transform our attitudes, which does not imply changing our identity. In this respect, physical and verbal conduct reflecting individual attitudes and perceptions should influence identity and, as a result, certain circumstances entail radical changes. Maintaining the extent of spiritual engagement, but changing the mechanisms of interpreting reality is the key to training and controlling our actions. The models of cognizing reality also depend on our understanding of what reality and experience imply, as well as how it transforms our consciousness. Being aware of these concepts can induce the corresponding shifts. Therefore, mind and consciousness takes responsibility for the way perceive reality.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Training Mind to Find Happiness and Meaning of Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With regard to the above, it is highly important how human mind approaches specific realities, which is the ground of the Buddhist philosophy. Cultivating mind is important for understanding how various processes affect our perception and attitude to the world. In this respect, faith and confidence are key factors affecting belief systems. However, people believe in or accept something because they have confidence in it, but not because it is written in religious scriptures, or because a certain philosophical or religious movement accepts it. In other words, human mind is not subject solely to rational explanation of the world. Many aspects lie beyond the reason and intellectual thinking and can be cognized by emotional faculties. One way or another, blind accep tance is inadmissible because thinking process cannot capture the depth of the processes and activities. There is an assumption that, in order to accept happiness, dissatisfaction is the first step to reach the goal. The idea is slightly congruent with Descartes’s deliberations on the concept of ambivalence and oppositions. A person can conceive the concept of happiness and peace as soon as he/she realizes what it means to be upset, discouraged, and angry. All these aspects are also differently perceived and depend largely on the set of experiences an individual gains in the course of life.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, dissatisfaction, as the ground thesis in Buddhism, entails suffering and endless searching. Individuals should undergo suffering, sorrow, and pain to understand how happiness can be achieved. As a result, being happy means being liberated from sorrow and suffering. Our understanding of happiness is strongly associated with the way our mind approaches reality. People can differently evaluate specific situations. Some individuals might think that happiness is impossible to achieve unless they are bound by stereotypes and prejudices whereas others firmly believe that happiness is possible as soon they found the boundaries of their consciousness. Contextual reality, therefore, is largely constructed by the way we measure external processes. The core sense of mind training does not consist in sustaining firm beliefs and attitudes about various concepts. Indeed, specific vision of reality is largely predetermined by the extent to which individuals focus on self-confidence an d self-development. Self-centered approach to perceiving reality often prevents from interpreting it in an objective way. The point is that people mistakenly think that craving is the key to achieving peace and happiness. In fact, to perceive the reality as it is can be possible through denial and removal of the existence of sel. According to Buddhism, self-delusion is the main cause of unhappiness. At the same time, human mind is capable of achieving happiness by interpreting reality in its own way, which is also a kind of self-delusion. The human mind has the ability to interpret reality differently in the course of gaining experience and evolving. Deep reflection on the transformation of human mind and human consciousness are brightly represented in the Chinese philosophy. In particular, the Chinese philosophers adhere to the evidence of existence of a specific pattern that shapes the ultimate reality and that stands separately from human perception. Therefore, human nature has t he capability of disclosing the reality of thing differently because of a set of factors shaping their vision. In this respect, reality can also be regarded as a combination of individual realities. It is logical to assert, therefore, that reality cannot be perceived as an ultimate representation of things, but the one that is characterized by the presence of individuals. The sense of belonging of the individual to the whole reality is closely connected to the spiritual dimension, as well as to the degree to which a person identifies himself/herself with the reality. In addition, although the way we perceive things stands beyond the ultimate reality of things, human nature is still rooted in the ultimate representation. Thus, individuals originally have knowledge of things and recognize the efforts to cognize the reality. The fact that the mind is the precursor all conditioned things is justified because it predetermines the quality of our life, as well as our future actions. The hu man mind is also the forerunner of all conflicts and misunderstandings because of the previously cultivated perceptions and concepts. Therefore, retraining and controlling the mind is the key to understanding and reconciliation. False images and interpretation of the ultimate reality will not contribute to avoiding ideological confrontations. In order to cognize the ultimate reality, the Buddhist philosophers argue that individuals should know, control, and train their minds to liberate from existing stereotypes. Moreover, asserting that human nature is inherent part of ultimate reality also seems logical. As soon as we become aware of the importance of training and controlling our mind provides new perspectives of setting our consciousness free. There are people who live in the realm of ideas, image, symbols, and concepts. However, this world does not characterize the real state of things. This is where theory is distinguished from empirical experience. Accumulating knowledge from practical experience can be valued because it contributes to resolving and understanding the essence of things. Reluctance to understand reality can lead to conflict because the conditioned dimension implies abiding the things that are not actually presented as we see them. Despite the fact that the reality exists independent from human mind, the conflicts and confusion will still be generated as long as humans stop distorting the ultimate reality. In conclusion, it should be stressed that the human mind should not have ideological and stereotypical boundaries because it prevents them from perceiving objectively the ultimate reality. However, because human nature originates from the objective reality, our belief system, perceptions, and attitudes should also be regarded as representation of this reality. Therefore, people should focus on training, controlling, and cognizing their minds in order to avoid conflict and confusions, as well as achieve happiness and harmony with other peo ple. Work Cited Wallace, Alan B. Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training. US: Snow Lion Publications, 2003, Print. This essay on Importance of Training Mind to Find Happiness and Meaning of Life was written and submitted by user Anders Erickson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Kenyetta Douglas Essays - Self-defense, Free Essays, Term Papers

Kenyetta Douglas Essays - Self-defense, Free Essays, Term Papers Kenyetta Douglas AP Lang and Composition Ayau 14 December 2016 Stand Your Ground Laws Are Failing In a problematic situation, such as an assailant waving a gun at a victim, the victim has the right to protect themselves if they are feeling threatened. How would someone respond if an assailant is waving a gun using a threatening tone? Someone might respond by trying to avoid the situation or by retreating, or the person will take his chance and try to protect his life. This scenario is covered under the Stand Your Ground or SYG law. The question that troubles people is the effectiveness of the Stand Your Ground law. The Stand Your Ground has flaws which affect the validity of the law and shows no sign of protecting the human race. The flaws include, the law protects the guilty, the law is vague, and it gives the right to kill. The Stand Your Ground law states that person has the right to use deadly force if needed and if there is an retreat option the person can do so but they do not have to (Hundley et al, 2) According to Hundley and other writers, the law also addresses that if the victim cannot retreat then he or she may use any force necessary to protect himself.(2) The law first emerged after 9/11 in 2001 when the public safety of society was diminished. The law was later changed in 2005 by Jeb Bush, but it did not have any more detailed specifications than the expansion to the castle doctrine( the law that gives people the right to protect their home and their valuables) (Cohen 3). There are a total of 22 of states who have the Stand Your Ground law, including states Kentucky,Florida, Texas , and Pennsylvania. The statistics show that the SYG law has resulted in an increase in firearm homicides because the assailant believes he can get off unprosecuted in a court. According Walkens duri ng "2007-2009 over 4,900 people in the U.S. died from unintentional shootings"(Walkens 20) Walkens also addresses that the U.S. has the highest gun deaths out of 36 of the wealthiest nations (21). One of the reasons the SYG law is flawed is, because it claims it protect people from bodily harm when they are letting the guilty go free while the innocent person was harmed. Many people can elude the law by simply calling out "self defense" when an victim is dead. In 2004 eight homicides were deemed justifiable as of in the court(Cloud 3). SYG laws allow for people to premeditate what they are going to do to the victim they despise, resulting in usually the death of the victim. No one can prove otherwise that the assailant had attacked the victim making the law seem unfair(National Task Force 30). The jurors' and the judge's judgment of the assailant's plea is debated because the case is biased to the assailant's recollection of the altercation that happened earlier. Statistics show that about 70% of people who claim self defense under the SYG law goes free (Hundley et al., 1). Cloud found out that in 2010,about 5 years after the SYG law was enacted the number of justifiab le homicides increased to 40 from eight homicides (3). In addition to protecting the guilty, the jury is obliged to think on a level where they see that one person was saved from an altercation rather than two casualties(Lave 21-22). The SYG law is strongly based on protection of a life resulting in the bias to be put on the jury in the trial. The bias presented through the SYG law is that the jury is likely to believe the assailant since there is no one to contradict his statement making the judge biased. Another flaw in the SYG law is that the use of deadly force has many factors in determining the force needed to protect someone's life. For example if someone was fighting using physical force then there is no reason for the victim to bring out a gun since the force is minimum. The first factor is the correspondence of the threat to the victim. So in any case where the assailant is trying to just