Buddha on Worrying
Don’t Worry. Be Present.
Last weekend I stayed with a friend in a wellness resort.
There was a lovely tunnel through which we could walk from the hotel towards the wellness area.
On the walls of the tunnel on both sides it had beautiful pictures of all the elements (water, fire, earth, wind) and quotes of wisdom.
One of the quotes was from Shantideva and addressed the topic of worrying:
If you can solve the problem,
Then what is the need of worrying?
If you cannot solve it,
Then what is the use of worrying?-Shantideva
I sat down on the bench in front of the text to meditate and ponder on it. Afterwards, I started reading Buddhists teachings about worrying. It gave me insights to start looking at worrying through a different lens.
In Buddhism, worrying is a form of suffering. An essential topic in Buddhist teachings which are aimed at ending suffering.
Suffering in Buddhist’s philosophy includes all sorts of forms of unhappiness. Like worries, depression, anger, regrets. Anything, no matter how subtle, that prevents you from living a happy and fulfilled life. And prevents you from ultimately reaching a…
