Viewing Obstacles As Challenges
"Though worldly troubles may arise, never let them disturb you.
No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies.
" "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy.
Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life.
" These are two of my favorite quotes from The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and they happen to also be two of the most famous quotes from his writings.
Nichiren Daishonin was a man who devoted his whole life to showing mankind how to overcome their struggles and challenges and to show that is possible for anyone to achieve enlightenment in this lifetime.
He believed we should challenge the obstacles in our lives with the "courage of a lion king" and fight to overcome them, refusing to be defeated or give in.
He says, "It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being.
When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha.
"His writings have taught me many things about challenging and overcoming my problems, and I would like to share some of them with you.
I often reflect on the words "No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies.
"Those words alone tell me that struggles and challenges are unavoidable as long as we are living on this earth.
If we honestly look at problems and struggles and the purposes they serve in our lives, we can readily see that problems and struggles are of great benefit to us and necessary to our growth as spiritual people.
It also helps us to realize that struggles and challenges are not always a reflection of how much farther we have to go, but can also be a reminder of how far we have come.
For example, by evaluating a problem when it arises, we can ask ourselves a simple question:How would I have reacted in the past?By examining our current reactions to the situation we are faced with and comparing them to how we would have handled it in the past, gives us a lot of information concerning our growth, the strength of our spiritual faith, how much confidence we have in ourselves concerning our ability to overcome problems and challenges, and also the areas where we need to do some more work.
We are not forced to grow in easy times, but when faced with obstacles we are challenged to stand up and fight.
It is important that we not allow ourselves to be defeated by our problems, but that we work that much harder to overcome and defeat them.
It is this very attitude that defines the difference between victims and survivors, winners and losers.
When faced with a problem, we only have two options, winning or losing.
For a person grounded or growing spiritually and in faith, losing is not an option.
Changing the way we choose to view obstacles can make a huge difference in how we approach them and in our success in overcoming them.
I have learned to view problems as blessings.
I have learned that all challenges and struggles are a result of the law of cause and effect; that I have had some part in causing them, either through my actions in this life or a past one, and that I can view obstacles as challenges to be overcome, not irresolvable situations that defeat me and render me powerless.
Nichiren Daishonin also says that the deeper the challenge or struggle you face, the deeper the lesson you will learn.
A friend once gave me what I considered to be some very enlightening advice.
She told me to be grateful for the problems and struggles that I have in my life, because they would be the very fuel that would eventually awaken my fighting spirit and enable me to stand up and fight rather than be defeated by them.
It is of the utmost importance that we never allow ourselves to give in or be defeated by our problems.
There is great benefit in standing up and facing our challenges and in overcoming the obstacles in our lives.
The first thing it teaches us is that we are all responsible for our own lives and for taking control and changing the things in our lives that challenge us the most and cause us our deepest suffering.
We, and we alone, are each solely responsible for our lives and the events that take place in them.
Taking responsibility for resolving our problems forces us to stand up and fight, to rely on our own inner power and wisdom instead of looking outside of ourselves for the answers.
It allows each of us to commune with the God within, creating deeper spiritual connections and a stronger spiritual faith in our lives.
It is in the exact moment that we decide to take responsibility for our lives that our focus shifts from a place of blame to a divine state of self-empowerment and self-love.
The overcoming process will also result in our having a more positive attitude about life.
It will give us a stronger sense of our abilities to deal with whatever life throws our way.
By knowing that we survived it the last time, we are empowered with a sense that we can survive it once again, lessening the fear that arises when obstacles come to awaken our fighting spirits, yet once more.
No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies.
" "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy.
Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life.
" These are two of my favorite quotes from The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and they happen to also be two of the most famous quotes from his writings.
Nichiren Daishonin was a man who devoted his whole life to showing mankind how to overcome their struggles and challenges and to show that is possible for anyone to achieve enlightenment in this lifetime.
He believed we should challenge the obstacles in our lives with the "courage of a lion king" and fight to overcome them, refusing to be defeated or give in.
He says, "It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being.
When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha.
"His writings have taught me many things about challenging and overcoming my problems, and I would like to share some of them with you.
I often reflect on the words "No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies.
"Those words alone tell me that struggles and challenges are unavoidable as long as we are living on this earth.
If we honestly look at problems and struggles and the purposes they serve in our lives, we can readily see that problems and struggles are of great benefit to us and necessary to our growth as spiritual people.
It also helps us to realize that struggles and challenges are not always a reflection of how much farther we have to go, but can also be a reminder of how far we have come.
For example, by evaluating a problem when it arises, we can ask ourselves a simple question:How would I have reacted in the past?By examining our current reactions to the situation we are faced with and comparing them to how we would have handled it in the past, gives us a lot of information concerning our growth, the strength of our spiritual faith, how much confidence we have in ourselves concerning our ability to overcome problems and challenges, and also the areas where we need to do some more work.
We are not forced to grow in easy times, but when faced with obstacles we are challenged to stand up and fight.
It is important that we not allow ourselves to be defeated by our problems, but that we work that much harder to overcome and defeat them.
It is this very attitude that defines the difference between victims and survivors, winners and losers.
When faced with a problem, we only have two options, winning or losing.
For a person grounded or growing spiritually and in faith, losing is not an option.
Changing the way we choose to view obstacles can make a huge difference in how we approach them and in our success in overcoming them.
I have learned to view problems as blessings.
I have learned that all challenges and struggles are a result of the law of cause and effect; that I have had some part in causing them, either through my actions in this life or a past one, and that I can view obstacles as challenges to be overcome, not irresolvable situations that defeat me and render me powerless.
Nichiren Daishonin also says that the deeper the challenge or struggle you face, the deeper the lesson you will learn.
A friend once gave me what I considered to be some very enlightening advice.
She told me to be grateful for the problems and struggles that I have in my life, because they would be the very fuel that would eventually awaken my fighting spirit and enable me to stand up and fight rather than be defeated by them.
It is of the utmost importance that we never allow ourselves to give in or be defeated by our problems.
There is great benefit in standing up and facing our challenges and in overcoming the obstacles in our lives.
The first thing it teaches us is that we are all responsible for our own lives and for taking control and changing the things in our lives that challenge us the most and cause us our deepest suffering.
We, and we alone, are each solely responsible for our lives and the events that take place in them.
Taking responsibility for resolving our problems forces us to stand up and fight, to rely on our own inner power and wisdom instead of looking outside of ourselves for the answers.
It allows each of us to commune with the God within, creating deeper spiritual connections and a stronger spiritual faith in our lives.
It is in the exact moment that we decide to take responsibility for our lives that our focus shifts from a place of blame to a divine state of self-empowerment and self-love.
The overcoming process will also result in our having a more positive attitude about life.
It will give us a stronger sense of our abilities to deal with whatever life throws our way.
By knowing that we survived it the last time, we are empowered with a sense that we can survive it once again, lessening the fear that arises when obstacles come to awaken our fighting spirits, yet once more.
Source...