How To Be Positive

Ajahn Brahm shares an anecdote about a walk he took and how he experienced a positive attitude by going slow. He explains how this is related to meditation and how appreciating beauty can be found in unexpected places. Ajahn Brahm also tells a story of a heavenly being who tries to save their worm friend stuck in a pile of dung, but the worm refuses to leave because it is comfortable there. Positive psychology is the study of happiness and well-being. In the story, a heavenly being tried to pull a worm out of a pile of excrement and bring it to heaven, but the worm preferred to stay in its familiar environment. The lesson is that we can't just think ourselves out of negative emotions, we have to feel and experience positivity. This can be achieved by slowing down and being more mindful, so that we can fully experience and appreciate the beauty in everything around us.

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This dhamma talk was originally recorded in 17th October 2008. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Ko-fi page.