how to live with a stable mind

My new year resolution is to live with a peaceful mind like the spring ocean.  It might sound kind of weird in English but it sounds perfect in Japanese: 春の海のような穏やかさ  So how do I do that?

This essay I read recently summarizes the answer I reached last year while I was away from writing:

戻るべき場所に帰る
Returning to where you belong

In daily life, you get angry, there are people you don't get along with, and sudden illness and disasters seem to attack you.  You feel somewhat lonely and anxious; you want to forget about the past but it somehow sticks around.  There seems to be no solution.  It's difficult to live with a strong and stable mind.

In Buddhism, there is a particular way of thinking and that is "not to judge".  We all tend to judge what is in front of us:  Is it good?  Is it bad?  Do I like it?  Do I hate it?  When we encounter a bad event, we think we have to do something about it -- that we have to "fight".  The more we try to fight, the more we feel exhausted, angry, and irritated.

These judgements, however, are reactions created by our ego.  Buddhism tries to move away from that ego and look at things the way they are.  We try not to judge, and call the process "sha（捨）" = 手放す(to let go).  Everything starts from confirming the facts.  Take a deep breath and feel what is happening in your heart.  1. anger (complaints), 2. desire and anticipation, 3. delusions such as anxiety and suspicion -- Buddhism calls these feelings "san-doku (three toxins)".  They are the reasons of suffering and why we feel unstable.  It's important to observe these feelings every day with an accepting heart.

The principle of a stable life Buddhism teaches is to look at things the way they are and to "return".  "Returning" means returning to a particular belief or thought that is your foundation.  In Buddhism, we call this "kie（帰依）".  Our mind is unstable, but if we had a place we could always go back to, that would make things easier.

So where do we return to?  In Buddhism, there's only one answer: love and affection -- the heart that wishes happiness to everyone around us -- our family, friends, people we will meet in the future, and everyone living in this world.

We all tend to get trapped in our own desires and complaints.  But clinging on to our feelings takes us nowhere.  Buddhism teaches us to live our life for the happiness of others, that that is the way to happiness.  When I came back from India and had nowhere to go, I had a great anxiety attack, but when I returned to my principle, I was reminded that all I had to do was to work -- do anything -- for someone's happiness.  I wished this life I was given would serve as some kind of help for someone.  And my fear disappeared and I was calm again.

What is important is to look carefully at our own minds and start from love.  The slightest wind can disturb us, but as long as there's a place where we can return, we will never lose track of ourselves.

It's difficult to live with a stable mind, but it's possible.  We live our days, get disturbed, and sometimes lose track of ourselves.  We then remind ourselves to start from love and compassion.  If there's something negative in our minds, we let go.  We return to where we belong and make another small step forward.  Then maybe one day, when we look back, we might find a somewhat straight path formed behind us.

-Ryushun Kusanagi （草薙龍瞬）
(edited and translated by me)