Buddhism in Relationships

Buddha taught his followers to lead a simple life that will allow them to reach enlightenment. The basic tenets of Buddhism are known as four noble truths. Dukkha is the first truth of human life as it means human suffering; the cause of this suffering is Trishna which means attachments and cravings. When humans start to let go of these cravings and attachments then they receive Nirvana and the path that leads them to nirvana is called the Eightfold Path. Today many people follow Buddhist teachings regardless of their religious beliefs as these teachings help them in making their life simpler. The teachings help the individuals to de-clutter their lives, learn to let go of which does not serve and come to know themselves. Buddhism allows people to connect with themselves and gain an understanding of their existence. It is through this understanding that they can understand the world around them.

In the age of the internet, everyone’s lives are displayed on social media and everyone is trying to present his lives as perfect. These facades are shallow and cause harm to the mental health of humans as pretending to be something they are not; this can be extremely exhausting. In this case, the relationships suffer and do not last long. Everyone lacks patience and has false expectations from the people around them. This has caused an increase in toxic relationships that are shallow and destructive. Social media is also messing up with everyone’s perception of realistic relationships and they aim to be the next big social media couple. It is even affecting families with family channels forcing their family members to do activities that are horrible for their mental health. Buddhist teachings help a person understand that healthy love and attachment is not self-serving but understanding the other person and creating a strong bond. By letting go of toxic attachments, we can have meaningful relationships (Barret, 2018).