In the first blog post of “How to reinvent life after 40, 50, 60? Part 1”, I touched on why we should reinvent our life after 40, 50 or 60.
In the second blog post of “How to reinvent life after 40, 50, 60? Part 2”, physical health and relationship were discussed.
In this blog, I shall go into the third account of our life accounts, i.e. mental/spiritual being.
Before we delve into how to cultivate good mental being, it should be proper to know that there are eight worldly conditions which we experience on a day-to-day basis:
- Gain and loss
- Fame and ill-fame
- Praise and blame
- Happiness and pain
We live in a world of duality and before we reach 40, 50 or 60, we might have experienced some kind of gain or loss. Do you remember how do you feel when you get a fat bonus? But then how do you feel when you lose something, for example some money in stock market? It is the same when one day you become famous and another when you become infamous?
We feel very happy when someone praises us. What if when you are being blamed? We feel elated when praised but depressed when blamed.
Getting what you want is sure happiness and what are the pains in life? Old age, sickness, separation form loved ones, death and not getting what you want are the pains of life.
The above four sets of worldly conditions are like our shadows, following us everywhere we go! We should constantly reflect on them to build up our mental strength and cope much better when they come again. Like the natural 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter, they will pass as well. Learn not to be overwhelmed and get sucked into whirlwind of these conditions.
As you enter middle age, you could have a fair share of the above conditions in one way or another. But are you well prepared to face them again in life after 40, 50 or 60s?
Generally there are two types of people: those with a religion and those without a religion. However, how best you cope with life after 40, 50, or 60 MENTALLY is such an important aspect that many often overlook.
With or without religion, how a person choose to react to the 8 conditions will determine your quality of life in middle age, at least mentally.
My opinion is in order to cultivate our spiritual being we could do things that purify our mind (or calm our mind), do a lot of good deeds (like donating to charity, helping those unfortunate ones) and avoid doing evil things (cheating, stealing, bad-mouthing people, etc.)
I would like to end this blog with a quote from HH Dalai Lama:
“Spiritual practice is difficult in the beginning. You wonder how on earth you can ever do it. But as you get used to it, the practice gradually becomes easier. Do not be too stubborn or push yourself too hard. If you practice in accord with your individual capacity, little by little you will find more pleasure and joy in it. As you gain inner strength, your positive actions will gain in profundity and scope.”
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Tags: avoid evil, being, blame, do good, fame, gain, happiness, ill-fame, loss, mental, mind, pain, praise, purify, religion, spiritual
