True Change Comes From Within! Make Conscious Changes In Life The Zen Buddhism Way

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True change comes from within. Change starts from within you. Let's explore how to make conscious changes in life the Zen way.

True change comes from within! A Zen story

There is a humorous Zen story yet packed with thought regarding change in our day to day lives. A Zen master once made his way to a hot dog cart and asked the vendor to make him a hot dog with everything. The vendor obliged and handed over the hot dog to the Zen master.

The master paid him for the hot dog, which the vendor put in his drawer and closed it. The surprised Zen master asked him, "Where is my change?" The vendor responded, "Change must come from within!" Unless we choose to consciously change from within it's difficult for things outside to change.

Why true change comes from within?

Change comes from within because change in life is determined by our actions that bring about it. The type of action that we undertake to do is determined by our thoughts. Unless there is a paradigm shift in the thought pattern primarily, there can be no change in our lives. The Buddha says "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." So we ought to be conscious of our thinking pattern.

How to make conscious changes in day to day life the Zen way

Focus on the now:

Focusing on the now helps make conscious decisions in life, which in turn brings about the much needed change in ourselves, which will reflect in our lives.

Overcome the resistance of the mind:

When you want to bring about a change in day to day life, the mind may initially resist. Simply associate it with something else that you faithfully do, which will help you remember and make it a habit, which inturn will bring about the change. For example, tell yourself you will have your tea only after you have your bath in the morning. Having your bath is the thing that you faithfully do and associating it with tea will help form the habit and bring about the change.

Take small steps:

"A jug fills drop by drop," says the Buddha. Start humbly. Try to bring about change in one habit at a time and do not think of changing multiple things at the same time, for it will not be crowned with success. Create space between the things you undertake to do so that you have the time and attention to do them well

Enjoy the process:

Enjoy the process of doing things rather than anchoring your thoughts on the outcome, as concentrating on the goal and not on the process will draw you out of focus. The Buddha says, "It is better to travel well than to arrive."

Make time:

Make time everyday for the change that you want to bring about. For example if you want to form the habit of meditating, fix a time for it. It will help you regularise it and bring about the change. The Buddha says, "Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most."

Choose someone to whom you can be accountable:

Get a family member or a friend into the loop to whom you can be accountable to bring about the habit change. Having someone to watch over will help form a routine, which will bring about the change.
Let us thus try to follow these Zen habits to consciously bring about changes in life.