Bhante Y. Wimala

Dear friends and students,

The new year 2019 has arrived. It is that time again to take a few moments to relax, reflect and make some positive choices.

Following are my affirmations for 2019. Please join me.

1. I will not allow the negativity of others to pollute my mind or disturb me.

Every negative thought is a painful thought. Negativity breeds suffering. We often run into and sometimes we are surrounded by people who are frustrated, angry, and bitter about politicians, injustice, violence in the world and one thing or another. If we are not prepared and do not have clear guidelines for ourselves, it is so easy for them to pollute our minds and disturb us with their negativity.
Be prepared to stop yourself from getting drawn into such dialogues or situations. Be prepared to walk away politely. Be prepared to disconnect or find a reason to change the topic. If everything else fails, remind yourself of the power of your own mind to control your reactions and positively engage them. Refuse to allow the anxiety  of others to disturb you.
2. I will try my best to become a more kind and loving person.

The warmth of kindness and love is universal. When you feel truly loving or kind, you do not even have to tell others. They feel it. Not only humans — even animals and plants — can feel your loving kind thoughts. Whenever you feel genuine love or kindness, you feel a sense of comfort and fulfilment inside you, a kind of comfort that nobody can give you.
By becoming more kind and loving, you nurture yourself while nurturing others around you. The kindness and love help you to bring the best of you into the day. Remember to be kind as often as you can. Ask yourself, am I a loving person? How can I become a more loving person? So your second affirmation is I will remember to try my best to nurture the love and kindness in my heart in the year 2019.”

3. I will try my best to face all my challenges and problems calmly and patiently.

Challenges and problems are a normal part of normal life. You know very well that you do not solve any problem by worrying about it. Worrying about anything simply adds more burden to the problem or challenge. Then why worry? It is simply a habit, a habitual trigger in your mind. The affirmation above will help you to train the mind not to worry and understand that worrying about a problem or challenge does not solve any problem. By remaining calm and becoming patient in the midst of challenges or problems, you can carefully choose an appropriate action and avoid getting stressed.

Thought alone is not enough. Let us bring these thoughts into action and get results in the year 2019. I wish you success in your efforts to bring positive changes into your life.

May you be well and happy.

Bhante Y. Wimala