Can Positive Thinking Change Your Situation?
Question: “Can positive thinking change your situation?”Answer: Unfortunately, it is not always possible to change a situation. There are those who must cope with chronic illness, chronic pain or the death of a loved one. These are situations that can’t be changed, but what we can change is how we relate to those situations, and that can make all the difference, because the way that we view our world affects our experience. There are three universal principles that affect our view of the world:
• Reality is created in the moment.
• In each moment there are multiple realities.
• What we choose to focus upon becomes our reality.
The Buddha expressed this concept when he said, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.” Meditation can also affect how we view the world. A daily meditation practice awakens our compassion and introduces us to a far larger view of reality. When we see the world in a more spacious way, it opens us to new possibilities. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “If we have a positive mental attitude, then even when surrounded by hostility, we shall not lack inner peace. On the other hand, if our mental attitude is more negative… then even when surrounded by our best friends, in a nice atmosphere and comfortable surroundings, we shall not be happy.”
All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means for commercial purposes or mass circulation without prior written permission from Lama Chuck Stamford. You're welcome to download for your own personal reading.
