Dharma Practice

The more I study and practice Dharma, the more I realize how it really is more of an ingenious cognitive psychological and ethical practice than a religious practice. For most of my life I thought Buddha was considered a god and his teachings a religion. I am seeing more and more how his teachings are a way of living from a positive and powerful perspective of acceptance and kindness- to oneself, others and all experiences. The difficulty in practicing and adapting this perspective is most of what I know and have learned in Western Culture which is a very results oriented and difficulty-avoiding type of perspective.
We exert so much energy suppressing and avoiding certain feelings and experiences if they are not pleasant instead of sitting with them an accepting them as a natural part of existence - pleasure , pain & neutrality.
It is strange "buying into" such a foreign and ancient practice that seems almost idyllic but somehow it really makes sense to me and I enjoy the ongoing challenge and rewards of a new outlook on life with less fear, more general connection to life and people, and more hope - something I have been in desperate need of for as long as I can remember.

Be well.