(Photo above by Tim Gouw / Pexels)
How can I stop comparing myself to others? According to research published in the Harvard Business Review, the more you use social media, the worse you feel about yourself. This is because social media encourages unfavorable social comparisons that erode self-esteem.
What does Buddhism have to say about this?
It’s not important how you compare yourself to others but how you compare yourself to whom you were yesterday.
Discussions on Youth, new edition, p. 6
Bora Colak is a psychiatrist in Brooklyn who struggled with depression for years after graduating from Harvard. When he started to practice Buddhism, something changed deep in his life.
2 Reasons Why Buddhism Says You Should Appreciate Who You Are
1. According to the Lotus Sutra, each person possesses the Buddha nature, or limitless courage, wisdom and compassion.
Our twice daily practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting two parts of the Lotus Sutra, referred to as gongyo, gives us the energy we need to confidently move forward. When you first start chanting, there may be something in particular you want to see change in your life.
But just setting aside time in the morning and evening to chant is an expression of the love you have for yourself. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a phrase that essentially says, just as you are, you are a Buddha with incredible ability.
2. To practice Buddhism is to celebrate ourselves just as we are.
Consider our personality like a river. Once it’s set into the earth, it doesn’t really change its course or path. Though the river is set, the water in the river is changeable. Maybe at one point it’s polluted or filled with waste, but it can be cleaned up and made clear and beautiful. Our life operates the same way.
We can’t change our personality, but through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and studying Buddhism, we clean out the pollution that is our negativity, fear and doubt. Then the river of our life runs clear, and the personality traits we once considered weaknesses become our strengths.