Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life. – Buddha
First things first – no, I haven’t converted to Buddhism. There is, however, much wisdom to be learned in his teachings. And many, I believe, coincide with the teachings of Christ. I’d like to believe that if Buddha had lived longer and managed to bump into Jesus, he might have found Jesus to be his path to enlightenment. Buddhism does not claim that Buddha is a god or that he should be prayed to. He is regarded as a great teacher. Buddhists today may believe in God, may be atheists, or may not know. It seems to me that one could respect and learn from some of the teachings of Buddha and still be a Christian.
That said, this quote above is a powerful reminder for me. Last week, I talked about Butwhatiffing all over myself – the tendency I have to worry about what might happen in the future. When I do this, I can’t find any joy in the present. My present life passes me by while I’m worrying about what might happen in my future life.
Last weekend, I attended a Women of Faith conference where Luci Swindoll spoke about this same thing. I don’t have the exact quote, but she said something like this …
It was spring, but I longed for the long, warm days of summer.
Then it was summer, and I wished for the bright colors and cool days of fall.
Then it was fall, and I couldn’t wait for the sparkling snow and holidays of winter.
Then it was winter, and I wanted to see the buds of spring.
There is so much to take in in our lives. If we spend all our time trying to see what lies around the corner or looking in our rear view mirrors, we’ll miss what’s happening right around us. We need to stay in our car. Be where we are. Experience all it has to offer. Yesterday is over. Tomorrow will be here soon enough. Live in today.
~mwe
Ahhhh. I thought I was the only one with the Buddha meets Christ idea. I’m shaking my head. So very glad to know about your blog. I write about AA in mine, although it seems that my other blog is linked to my comments.
Living in the present is something I have to keep reminding myself these days. Good post!
Your press is impress me again. I’m Buddhism, yes we respect Buddha as my great teacher. He tought us to stay with present, it’s the easy word but many people usually ignore. I love this press, let’s stay here and now to get “PRESENT”.
I love this post. I too have often thought about the Buddha and Jesus meeting up over a cup of coffee and me sharing with them. I even did a recent blog on it which drew me to yours. It’s a wonderful saying of the Buddha regarding the future and what your teacher said aboutb the seasons
Awesome! I’m a nostalgic person by nature, so I constantly have to remind myself to stay present, and to stop romanticizing the past. We all do this, every day. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Great post!
Fabulous post. And after a weird couple of days feeling a bit rubbish about my 9to 5you’ve reminded me what is important. Thank you. I appreciate it a lot.
Rubbish days happen. Glad it helped 🙂
truth be told, Malinda! Great blog. I am receiving so much needed insight from you today! Thanks for sharing your insights. They are most helpful.
Val
I love this! It’s so easy to constantly look ahead to the next thing… difficult to stay in the moment. When I remember to be present it is beautiful!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I’m looking to following you from now on.