{"id":31357,"date":"2021-04-05T06:03:37","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T10:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=31357"},"modified":"2021-04-10T19:17:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-10T23:17:54","slug":"first-noble-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/first-noble-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Noble Truth: Selfishness Triggers Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Buddha’s first noble truth? How are anxiety and selfishness related? How can you learn to accept yourself<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddha’s first noble truth is that suffering is universal. Feelings of “selfness” can make you feel trapped, anxious, and always wanting more<\/a>. But if you let go of the “I”, your personal suffering becomes universal and you can understand that there is nothing wrong with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue on to learn about the first noble truth and letting go of selfishness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Anxiety Stems From Selfishness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Legend has it that the Buddha<\/a> attained enlightenment while meditating under the Bodhi tree. While he would go on to teach many lessons about spirituality and religion, his teachings all begin with what is called the first noble truth: Suffering is universal, and understanding it is the first step toward enlightenment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his meditation<\/a>, the Buddha examined his own suffering and discovered that it came from the false belief that he was a distinct person, separate and apart from the universe. This sense of \u201cselfness\u201d had him trapped in endless cycles of desire and aversion.<\/strong> He\u2014like all people\u2014was fruitlessly chasing what he thought he wanted, and running from what he perceived as painful or unwelcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dualism and the Self<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This sense of individuality goes back to the very earliest forms of life: single-celled organisms whose membranes created barriers between them and the rest of the world. This was the beginning of dualism<\/em>, the belief that your own self is separate from the world around you. Desires and aversions are also part of evolution, millions of years\u2019 worth of history guiding us toward what will help us and away from what will hurt us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when those wants and fears become the core of how we see ourselves<\/a>, we lose our larger identities. When we perceive our experiences through a lens of \u201cI\u201d and \u201cmine,\u201d the universal suffering becomes personal; the sense that \u201csomething is wrong\u201d becomes \u201csomething is wrong with me<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may help to understand what the self truly is: It\u2019s nothing but a collection of our most habitual thoughts<\/a>, feelings, and behaviors.<\/strong> Consciousness is the mind telling itself a story about what it\u2019s experiencing. Isolating yourself, believing that you are somehow different and distinct from what\u2019s around you, separates you from the world and leaves you insecure, needy, and afraid. It disconnects you from the love that unites all living things, your deepest, truest self\u2014what the Dalai Lama calls your \u201cBuddha nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha taught a lesson that\u2019s in sharp contrast with Western ideas of sin: Being born human is a precious gift.<\/strong> It\u2019s a chance to recognize the love and awareness that is the true nature of every creature. Or, as the Dalai Lama once said, \u201cWe all have Buddha nature<\/a>.\u201d In other words, people are inherently good, not bad. We don\u2019t need to constantly strive to prove and improve ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let Go of Perfection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Zen master Seng-tsan said that to be free is to live without worrying about imperfection<\/strong>. Imperfections\u2014in yourself or in the world\u2014don\u2019t mean that there\u2019s something wrong with you. They\u2019re a natural and inescapable part of existence. Therefore, it\u2019s much better to accept yourself, others, and life as they are, rather than chasing some impossible dream of how they should be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By becoming so focused on ourselves, and chasing what we think we want, we cut ourselves off from the things that fulfill our greatest needs: Those things that keep us connected and reaffirm our natural goodness, our Buddha nature. Our greatest needs are met when we relate to each other, when we are fully present in every moment instead of worrying about the past or future, and when we accept and revel in the beauty\u2014and the pain\u2014that\u2019s always around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decenter yourself. Remember that it\u2019s not all about you; it just <\/strong>is<\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>This is the key to Radical Acceptance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is Buddha’s first noble truth? How are anxiety and selfishness related? How can you learn to accept yourself? Buddha’s first noble truth is that suffering is universal. Feelings of “selfness” can make you feel trapped, anxious, and always wanting more. But if you let go of the “I”, your personal suffering becomes universal and you can understand that there is nothing wrong with you. Continue on to learn about the first noble truth and letting go of selfishness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":31381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6],"tags":[255],"class_list":["post-31357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-spiritual","tag-radical-acceptance","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe First Noble Truth: Selfishness Triggers Anxiety - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How is Buddha's first noble truth about anxiety? 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