Question: “Hi, What are your thoughts on the Law of Attraction? I’ve done some research and noticed that it primarily focuses on Positive thinking and attracting the things you want in your life, instead of negative things. It seems as if it’s a change in attitude and how you see things. Its tricky because it also states that you must Ask(Fully know what you want), Believe(Have faith that you will get it) and Receive(Act as if you already have it and be thankful) What would you say about this?”
I would say that it sounds a lot like a Buddhist teaching! Buddhism is a mind-centered practice, right? So our objective in life is to seek and find happiness from within instead of external circumstances. We all know that one person who is always happy, energetic, positive and just loves everything about life – what’s the difference between them and most people? They see the beauty in life even when they are surrounded by chaos disappointment.
For example, if you allowed someone to verbally hurt you (they called you names or talked behind your back) or if you didn’t get your dream job that you for sure thought you had, does sobbing around, hating and being angry help you or anyone around you? No! If someone called you an ugly horse, does thatactually make you an ugly horse? Last time I checked, horses can’t get on Tumblr and ask questions! It’s all about your attitude and the way youchoose to look at and react to things.
I’m not saying that positively thinking on winning the lottery is going to make you win the lottery, but it will help you cope with the inevitable loss. We all have this intrinsic value, this Buddha Nature, though we can’t see it yet, we have to believe that it’s there, because we’re all bound to become Buddhas eventually. We practice Buddhism because we want to become a Buddha, we have that faith in ourselves that if we practice this moral and good life, our good actions will bring us good results.
Instead of the “law of attraction,” Buddhism would be the “law of the state of the mind.” With a positive mind, a positive outlook on life is seen and when bad things happen, it isn’t seen as bad, but simply life walking its course.
Smile and be well!