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The 7 Lessons 2,500 Years Ago that You Must Know

Siddhartha Gautama lived in North-Eastern India 2,500 years ago. After he discovered the Truth (called Dharmma), he taught for 45 years until the age of 80, where he passed on. Today many Western philosophers (like Wayne Dyner, Stephen Covey and Dan Millman) and even NLP Gurus teach many of the concepts found in Gautama's teachings.  To me there are 7 important lessons that we all must know or we shall perish:

1. It's Your Action That Counts  
Talk is cheap, and mere talk will not lead you to Greatness.  To be great you must act great. Gautama said, “I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.”

2. Conquer Yourself
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours as it cannot be taken from you.  He who can conquer himself is greater than the mighty. 

To conquer yourself you must conquer your mind. You must control your thinking. Your thoughts cannot be tossed to and fro like the waves of the sea. 

3. Thoughts Become Things
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him

The mind is everything. What you think you become. In order to live rightly, you must fill your mind with “right” thoughts.

Your thinking determines your actions; your actions determine your outcome. Right thinking will grant you everything you desire; wrong thinking is a vice that will eventually destroy you.


4.  Be True to What You Know
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

We know a lot, but we don’t always do what we know. If you fail, it won’t be because you did not know; it will be because you did not do what you knew to do. 


Work to do what you know to do. Don’t just consume information, but ponder on thoughts that are conducive to what you desire to become until you have a burning desire to manifest it.

5.  Seek to Understand
Seek first to understand, then to be understood, so said Dr Stephen Covey.  You must labour to understand the other person’s perspective. Listen to others, understand their perspective, and you will have more peace. Be more concerned with being happy, than being right. 

6. It's Okay to Start Small
A jug fills drop by drop.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every artist was once an amateur.”

We all start small, do not despise small beginnings. If you’re consistent, and if you’re patient, you will succeed! No one succeeds over night; success belongs to those who are willing to start small and patiently work until their jug is filled.


7. Live in Peace
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Don’t look without for something that can only be found within. Many times we may look without only to distract ourselves from the reality we know is true. That reality is that peace can only be found within. Peace is not a new job, peace is not a new car, or a new spouse.  Peace is a new perspective, and that new perspective begins with you.
Compiled by Andy Ng, whose training programs are listed here.  Note: Siddhartha Gautama is also known as The Buddha, who founded Buddhism as a Religion.  Today Buddhism is found in many countries with over 340 million followers.  If this Dharmma is good for you, please pass it on.  Thanks. Related articles:
  1. How saving money end you up wasting money
  2. How to Massively Increase Your Retention of Learning
  3. Buddhism as an Education
  4. Believe Nothing, including the top 10 things taught by the Buddha
  5. It All Starts with your Right View
  6. Three Things that Make a Difference in Education
  7. Why are People that Stupid to be easily Deluded and Disappointed?
  8. The Best Communication you can have in this World
  9. Where does Management Start with and End Up with?
  10. Lead Yourself to Success first before Leading Others
  11. You'll Realize how silly you were once you know this simple scientific truth
  12. Be Instantly Happy in 3 Instant Ways

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