Fun fact: the word Buddha means enlightened. The original Buddha was never considered a God or Deity, he was simply thought of as extraordinary. Who is he though? Siddhartha Guatama was actually a Nepal Prince back in 5th Century BCE. 

While he personally didn’t experience the hardships of poverty growing up, he was so moved by the plight of his fellow man that he changed his lifestyle. He experienced poverty for a time, but changed his ways to a middle class (not extravagant or lacking). 

 He supposedly spent six years searching for spiritual enlightenment before obtaining it through meditation under a Bodhi tree. From there, he dedicated his life to showing others the path. Siddhartha’s followers began developing the movement for Buddhism after his death (483 BCE). It became the official religion of India by King Ashoka in the 3rd Century BCE and many monasteries were erected. 

Followers established different interpretations of the teachings over time and there are three main branches now. As it goes, everything changes over time and after the Huns invaded (eventually pushed out), and Islam entered the country, Buddhism took a back seat. Now, there are whole other subsects to Buddhism and multiple teachings within teachings. 

For example, there’s the eight-fold path, dharma, and the four noble truths. It also discusses human suffering, impermanence and no-self. All of these are meant to help people progress to the final stage: enlightenment.

Black also notes that bodily functions (growth, digestion, reproduction) decrease in activity when the stress response cycle is turned on. 

 Fun fact: extreme amounts of cortisol actually “kills” the area of the brain that creates new brain cells… When this high level of hormone occurs, toxins build up within the body and causes devastating effects on the mental, emotional and physical health of these individuals, according to Vital Living – Calm by Becky Dickinson. 

 In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded by stress, which means the amygdala is constantly activated and prepared to fight or flee. The brain scans the situation and helps base whether or not to activate on our memories, or stories we’ve told ourself, to determine whether or not we’re safe. In other words, if we’ve had a bad experience walking the street alone at night we’re more likely to experience anxiety, fear and increased heartrate (induced by the amygdala). 

 However, we can help all of these aspects in our body and mind by practicing mindfulness. How, you might ask? It actually “desensitizes” the triggers for stress and allows the body to return to a state of balance. 

Black refers to a study conducted by Richard Davidson who examined participants of an MSBR program and realized there was a noticeable change in the brain activity which allowed them to better cope with hard emotions. Former NHL player turned sexual abuse advocate, Theo Fleury (see IINTA Magazine’s September 2021 edition for exclusive), says that sitting in one’s “shit” is helpful in the healing process, even if we can’t recognize what emotion is tumbling through our bodies and minds in the moment. “Formal practices offer an opportunity to practice being with difficult emotions in a place of relative safety,” writes Black in her book. 

 She goes on to explain that the more aware of our thoughts we become, the more people realize their unhappiness is created by our stories. Davidson even states emotional health plays into at least half of medical problems people face. I suppose the saying, “laughter is the best medicine,” has merit after all.