Friday Thought: Stop Your Complaining

In a dharma talk called "My Favorite Pastime: Complaining," Thubten Chodron states that our days are filled with dissatisfactions, blame, and judgments about our bodies, our possessions, our co-workers, our political leaders — you name it, and we have it covered with our disapproval.

Why do we complain? Chodron points to our need to have others recognize our suffering and our desire to vent our emotions and our feelings of powerlessness. Buddhists have antidotes to complaining, including meditating on impermanence, cultivating compassion (empathizing with others), and realizing that we cannot control others and have them conform to our ideas or ideals. Read more in Spirituality and Health here.