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This Ancient Buddhist Term Will Change Your Life

Liberating the mind

By Nira MisaPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Niramisa: A term that is likely a key to unlocking humanities full potential of happiness in today’s modern age, although unknown by most.

To fully understand niramisa, we must first discuss its lesser opposite, amisa.

The two terms are used in contrast throughout various topics in Buddhist teachings. For this article, we will be using these terms to explain the difference between an ordinary mind and a liberated mind.

Amisa is used to describe a mental state in which one is attached to and controlled by material pleasures. Due to the economical, overly stimulated world we currently live in, most people are stuck in this mindset.

The constant spikes and drops in our dopamine levels due to activities like scrolling through Instagram, eating sugary foods, or buying a new outfit have caused us to become dependent on these cheap thrills for happiness. The question then is do these dopamine driven activities really make us happier?

Unfortunately, they do not. Since the effects of these happy triggers are so short lived, we are constantly seeking our next thrill instead of being content in the present moment.

Here’s an example:

  • You get home from work and immediately pull out your phone to start scrolling through Instagram. You notice you have a new direct message from one of your friends and the happiness sensors in your brain go off. The feeling quickly fades as you become disinterested, so you open Twitter, then Facebook, and the cycle continues.

To feel relaxed and wind down after a long day, you turned to your phone. This example highlights a brain that relies on material means for pleasure. Not only is long-term happiness impossible in this situation, but because you are outsourcing your sense of joy to distract yourself from your inner struggle, it actually leads to a greater sense of dissatisfaction.

If this sounds like something you are dealing with, don’t worry, Buddha's teaching of the word niramisa can free us all from this modern-day mental agony.

Niramisa is essentially used to describe a state of mind in which one finds complete contentedness within themselves. A person with this mindset is seen as free from all restrictions caused by material gain i.e. greed, lust, hatred, ignorance, stress. It is a level of peace obtained by the most advanced, highly regarded Buddhist monks.

By now you’re probably thinking “I understand the concept, but how am I going to implement this into my life? I'm not a monk!” Well...

Heres a step-by-step guide to obtaining a niramisa mindset:

1. Understand that feelings (emotional and physical) are constantly fleeting.

  • Instead of reacting to positive and negative emotions and reaching for stimulus to control them, choose to sit and observe how they feel inside of you. After a few moments I guarantee they will pass.

2. Detach from material pleasures to free yourself from their control.

  • Fasting is an awesome way to do this. You may want to abstain from eating unhealthy foods, using your phone, or shopping for some time. Find what really makes your happiness sensors tingle.
  • This does not mean that you can’t enjoy a good movie or gourmet dessert ever again, it simply means that those activities are not what you rely on to be content anymore.

3. Meditate, meditate, meditate.

  • Just sit with yourself, close your eyes, and observe your thoughts and feelings. Detach them from your identity and simply observe them. If you do this, they cannot control you anymore.
  • Reflect on your experience.

4. Know that achieving this is going to involve consistency and effort.

  • Do not be discouraged, as we are all striving for this sense of freedom (myself included) and as time progresses you will notice the effects of your work increase more and more.

I hope this message helps you to live a more fulfilling, joyful version of your life!

mental health
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About the Creator

Nira Misa

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