The outer world is nothing but
The outer world is nothing but a true reflection of our inner world
We are what we think. All that we are arises from our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. Thus, spoke the Lord Buddha around 2,500 years ago. In a very real sense, we are active participants in the creation of reality around us. If our mind is filled with negativity, anger, and fearful thoughts and feelings, we attract similar conditions from the outside reality.
Likewise, if we are joyful and full of positivity, the world will look pleasant and cheerful. The outer world is nothing but a reflection, a mirror image of our inner state of mind.
The universal law, “As within, so without,” puts it more succinctly. That is why our spiritual teachers say that the key to eliminating something from our external world is to eliminate it from our internal world of thought and feeling. It is well said that there is no reality outside of the mind. Everything we perceive in the world has its roots in our inner world of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
Tranquillity and serenity of mind will make the world wonderful, with friendliness all around. Similarly, if our mind is in turmoil, then we are certain to see a tumultuous outer world. Buddhist Zen masters say that the reality in the mind is displayed in our outer world. We try to fight the external reality without realizing that we first need to address our own thoughts, inner feelings, and the conflicts arising within the mind.
Fighting the external world is like breaking the mirror; it serves no purpose and only reflects more negativity
The reason is simple and straightforward: The outer world is a true copy of our inner world. In fact, not only our external reality, even life, in general, is a reflection of our inner world. Our thoughts, choices we make and actions we take from time to time are all in a way that becomes part of our life. These very actions in totality translate to our destiny.
Ernest Holmes, an American New Thought writer very rightly said, “Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.”
Life is a reflection of our thoughts, in totality. If we want to make our life happy, joyful, and successful, throw all negativity of thoughts and embrace a positive mindset and attitude.
It was Anais Nin who further said, “You do not see the world as it is. You see it as you are.”
Life is a mirror, a reflection of our inner world. We all perceive this world in our own way, depending on our state of mind. That is why our mind sees only partial reality, determined by what we are most interested in, or want to experience.
The world around us has no dearth of good people and pleasant things full of beauty, joy, and happiness, but they are perceptible only if we are good at heart, and share love, affection, and compassion with others. Otherwise, plenty of negativity – that appears to be in the outside world – does not allow our minds to be at peace.
Hence, when we look at hostility and negativity around us and allow that to influence our thinking and behavior, we are unintentionally expanding the scope of negativity. It is, therefore, necessary to first sort out our inner feelings and thought processes before blaming the outer world.
The outer world is nothing but a true reflection of our inner world…
There is a constant loop of energy connecting us and the world around us. It is extremely important that we become aware of what we are sharing with the world because whatever we are giving to the outside reality is coming back to us in one form or another. If we share negativity with the outer world, we must expect more energy of a similar nature to be coming back to us. In other words, all that negativity that we think is coming at us from the outside environment is actually the same energy that we have earlier shared with the world.
The reverse is equally true. That is why people who engage in philanthropic activities are found to be happier and more contented than those who do not; they are getting far more in return from the outer world. Ancient spiritual texts teach us that if we want to see changes in our life and the surrounding world, then we must start from the inside.
Once again, this means that if we change and reform ourselves internally, these changes will naturally be reflected back to us. Though it is difficult to think how such a shift would be possible, many of us have succeeded in demonstrating this principle.
Life can be far more peaceful and enjoyable by adopting this simple mantra:
If we want happiness in our life and the surrounding world, we must inculcate happy and pleasant feelings inside.
If we love others, we will see that love in our reality mirror, which is our perceived external world
Rather than changing the forces operating in the outside world, we must follow this simple mantra. It’s abundantly clear that what we are experiencing inside is reflected in the outer reality. If we are creating heavenly feelings inside ourselves by way of positivity and happiness, we are living in heaven.
The reverse is equally true. If we are trapped in a loop of hellish thoughts and feelings, we are living in hell. Both heaven and hell are human constructs. We create reality through our thoughts and intentions.
The choice is ours: heaven or hell. Our ancient scriptures convincingly explain that we will go to heaven if we do good deeds and make good karma. Otherwise, our front-row seat is reserved in hell. This belief in the Law of Karma continues to be widely accepted to this day.
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To live well, learn to suffer
