Shadowing Practice: Stop Comparing Your Life to Others and Find Peace Within | Buddhist Wisdom for Perfect Life - Learn English Speaking with Video
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imagine you're having a rough day and you're scrolling through social media
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and you see these nice pictures people are celebrating their life having the best days in their life
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celebrating and becoming happy when you see these pictures what do you feel inside
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sometimes we feel even more stressed and we feel like there's no value in our life
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One of the biggest enemies of our happiness is comparing our life with others' lives.
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There is some sort of jealousy and envy that builds up in our life, in our mind.
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That is why becoming envious and jealousy and comparing our lives to others is one of the biggest enemies of our happiness.
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To overcome this, the Buddha introduced a special practice and that is called Mudita.
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Mudita means appreciative joyfulness.
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Always remember, when we compare our lives to others and when you build up that jealousy and envy within yourself,
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it is not going to help in your success, in your life.
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Sometimes, like we stop in a certain place.
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we hold on to one emotion and we stay in that envy and jealousy and thinking about other people's lives
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without making our life successful
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without focusing on our life
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so the Buddha said when you see these successful people in the society
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when people around you living the best days in their life and your life is not having such experience
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always look up to them and think and wish the happiness of them
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okay
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that is called appreciative joyfulness wish the happiness of beings around
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you even though you are going through a tough time
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when we see successful people we should not be jealous at
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them it is not going to help us what we have
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to do we have to wish the success on them when you see someone is having the best days in their life, think of him and say,
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oh may he be happy even more, may he have a prosperous and a happy life forever.
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If you do that, you're not going to give the space for that envy and unhappiness and that negativity in your mind.
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The more you practice this positive mindset, the more you practice this appreciative joyfulness, you can be happy about yourself.
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even on the hard days, even though your life is in a tough place.
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So that is why whenever we see successful people, people having a happy life, we have to wish the happiness of them.
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That is called modhita.
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So when we practice this simple Buddhist practice of modhita,
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or appreciative joyfulness, we can be happy about our life, and also we can be peaceful within.
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Namo Buddhahaya.
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We all seek happiness in this world.
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If I ask from you, would you like to be happy in your life?
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What will be your answer?
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You will say, of course, I want to be happy in my life.
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I want this peaceful state.
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I need to be in that.
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That is your answer.
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That is the answer of all living beings.
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Buddha says that all living beings like to be happy, and they seek the happiness.
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If you really think about our life, we are in a never-ending journey of pursuing happiness.
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Let me tell that again.
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We are in a never-ending journey of pursuing happiness.
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That means we are pursuing happiness, we are chasing and we are seeking for happiness, but yet we have not found it.
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So what is the reason for this not finding happiness?
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Why we don't find happiness in our life?
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We are seeking it, we are finding for it, but we don't find it.
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What is the reason?
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Well, the Buddha teaches us that we are finding
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or we are seeking this happiness from a source
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that the happiness does not exist
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because we are seeking happiness from external world we are seeking happiness from this materialistic things well
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when you seek happiness from materialistic things or external world you get pleasure
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but that is not happiness pleasure is something temporary
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and it gives you this instant gratification but in happiness the happiness is long-lasting
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and it gives you this happiness or the contentment about yourself
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so that is why Buddha teaches us that you're finding the happiness from a source where the happiness does not exist.
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So the more you find it, the more you become frustrated.
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So, will we ever be able to find happiness in our life?
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The Buddha answers this question.
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He says, yes, you can find happiness in your life.
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How to do that?
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If you look closely to the first and the second verses of Dhammapada,
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Buddha says, If one with an impure mind speaks or acts,
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the suffering will follow him like a cartwheel following the ox.
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If with an impure mind one speaks or acts, the suffering will follow him.
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and in the next verse Buddha says if with a pure mind if with a pure mind one speaks or acts
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the happiness will follow him like a shadow following a man
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so that means the happiness and the sadness entirely depends on the purity
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and the impurity of our mind when our mind is pure we can find the happiness.
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So, how can we find or how can we gain this purity in our mind in order to find the happiness?
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Well, Buddha teaches us there are a lot of things that you can do to make your mind pure.
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So today, I'm going to share with you few things that can give you the happiness in your life,
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that you can find the happiness in your life.
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First thing, accepting the reality of life will give you the happiness.
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You know, life is full of ups and downs.
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You sometimes you have good days, sometimes we have bad days, sometimes we have beautiful memories,
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sometimes we also have miserable memories.
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So life is not something that is going equally every day.
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Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
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When you realize this reality, you can face these situations successfully, right?
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It is not always this bad experience makes us frustrated.
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It is our reaction towards this bad experience makes us frustrated.
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Whenever you get a bad experience or a bad day or a bad situation,
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tough situation, difficult situation, you have two choices.
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Either you can focus on the pain and feel miserable about
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that situation or you can focus on the lesson that bad situation
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teaches us and learn from it and start growing your life.
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So if you accept the reality of life, it is not temporary.
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Sometimes the people around us are not in our control.
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We cannot control their reactions.
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We cannot control their opinions.
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So when you realize these situations, you can face those situations successfully.
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That is one thing, accepting reality of the life.
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Number two, Buddha said, be generous.
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Practicing generosity is a major practice in Buddhism.
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Well, in Buddhism, the generosity is known as dhana in dana buddha says
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that you have to give without any expectations we have to give
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and we have to dedicate towards others without expecting anything in return that is one thing that we have to practice
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most of the time we like to hold on to things or gather the things towards us
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that is what people think when you gather more
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when you collect more things you will get rich
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and you will gain happiness but that does not give you the happiness it will give you the pleasure
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but it is temporary so what we have to do
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but the says be generous give help others dedicate a part of your life on behalf of others
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when you do that when you become more generous
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let's say like this you gave some foods to a poor person let's say like that when you see that person
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is having those foods and overcoming his and his hunger and making his life much better
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you can be happy by seeing that when you become happy like that you feel happy about yourself
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right nothing can give you
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that happiness like by eating a good food by dressing a nice dress you cannot gain
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that happiness you don't feel happy about yourself right after let's
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say after hundreds hundreds of years later maybe 10 decades later
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when you think about that that incident i gave this food to this poor person
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when you when you remind that you feel happy even then you feel happy.
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That means happiness is long-lasting.
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So Buddha says, be generous, help people, do something nice every day for a person.
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That is one thing we can do.
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And number three, forgiving.
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Forgiving is one of the most important things that we can do to create happiness in our life.
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We have to forgive ourselves, also we have to forgive others too.
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Because forgiving, when you forgive, it doesn't mean that you are saying okay to others mistakes.
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It's okay.
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No, you're not saying like that.
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When you forgive, you make your heart free.
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So when you forgive, it's not for that person, it is for you.
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And also we have to forgive for ourselves.
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There are so many mistakes that we all have done in the past.
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If you hold on to past and if you make this present moment miserable, that will not give you the happiness.
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So what do we have to do?
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Whatever the bad thing that we have done in the past, we have to have this ability to forgive ourselves and start all over again.
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We all have that ability, right?
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We all have that privilege to start our life again and make it a better one.
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Okay?
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So no one is perfect in this world.
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We all have done mistakes.
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One thing that we have to do is to forgive and start doing good things.
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So these are things that we can do to create happiness in our life.
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And also, there is one happiness that is called the ultimate happiness in this world that the Buddha teaches us.
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That is called Nibbana or Nirvana.
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That is the enlightenment.
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When you realize about the reality of this life, and when you remove this desire or the craving that arises within your mind,
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then buddha says that is the ultimate happiness simply the nibbana means raga kaya dosa kaya moha nibbana
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that means removing of the desire anger
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and the delusion of the mind is called the enlightenment so
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that is the highest level of happiness that we all can reach
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so when you practice these practices all right when you when you engage yourself in wholesome state,
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that will create you the happiness in the life.
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So practice these things and make your life a happier one.
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Namo Buddhahaya.
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Namo Buddhahaya.
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Welcome to another video.
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In today's video, let's talk about the purest love in this world.
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Well, when we love people in a normal life, right, when we make relationships, or when we become kind to people,
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we tend to be kind or we tend to love people on conditions.
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Our love and our kindness based on conditions like this, if you became kind to me, then I will be kind to you.
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If you love me, then only I am going to love you.
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Right?
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So that is based on conditions.
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There is a saying that I have heard that someone is saying,
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if you be kind to someone expecting that person to be kind in return to you, you are not becoming kind to that person.
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You are doing a business Right?
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So, the purest kindness or the purest love in this world is unconditional love and unconditional kindness.
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Or in another word, unbound love or unbound kindness.
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So, how to do this?
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How to practice this?
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Well, the Buddha teaches us about this universal, unconditional and unbound love and kindness.
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He says like this, when a mother loves her only child, she loves that child unconditionally,
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without any exceptions, without any expectations.
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Same like that, you have to spread the same kindness,
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same love and same compassion towards all living beings in this world,
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without any exceptions, without any reservations.
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So the way to do that is, you have to generate a mind of thinking like, May my enemies be well and happy.
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May they live long, may they live a happy life.
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May my friends be happy, may they live long, may they live a happy life.
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May everyone in this world, without any exception, without any bound,
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may all living beings in this world be well and happy.
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May they live long, may they live happily.
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So, when you spread that mind of love and kindness, that is called the purest form of love and kindness in this world.
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All the other loves and kindnesses are based on conditions.
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Based on expectations, it's saying like, if you are loving me only, I'm going to love you.
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But in true love and in pure love, it's not like that.
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He's saying or he or she is saying that I need everyone to be happy.
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I need everyone to be happy in their lives without any expectations.
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That is the purest form of love.
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So you have to have a great practice and great dedication, right?
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And you have to have a great mindset to practice this purest form of love.
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But you can achieve this by practicing it little by little,
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step by step, and applying this love and kindness to your practical life.
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So practice this love and kindness practice as a daily basis.
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Maybe like whenever you get up in the morning, just sit on the bed, just close your eyes, take a deep breath in, let it out and think.
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May everyone in this world be well and happy.
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May my enemies be well and happy.
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I am forgiving them.
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Today I choose to forgive them.
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That is how you practice this little step of pure love and pure kindness.
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So practice it and feel it that you are feeling the peacefulness inside.
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So make your life much more better with love and kindness.
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Namo Baddhaya.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will explore the themes of happiness, contentment, and self-awareness as discussed in the video titled "Stop Comparing Your Life to Others and Find Peace Within | Buddhist Wisdom for Perfect Life." By understanding and practicing the Buddhist concept of mudita, or appreciative joyfulness, you will learn how to stop comparing your life to others. This will help you cultivate a sense of peace within yourself, even during challenging times. As you engage with the content, you will also have opportunities for IELTS speaking practice to boost your confidence in English speaking and improve your overall fluency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Comparing - Evaluating similarities and differences between your life and others' lives.
- Envy - A feeling of discontent or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.
- Mudita - A Buddhist practice meaning appreciative joyfulness towards others' happiness.
- Appreciative joyfulness - Celebrating and wishing success and happiness for others.
- Peace - A state of tranquility and quietness within oneself.
- Happiness - A state of well-being and contentment.
- Success - The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Practice Tips
To enhance your English skills through the themes presented in this video, consider shadowing techniques. As you listen to the transcript, try to repeat phrases immediately after hearing them, a method known as shadowspeak. This activity not only aids in improving your English pronunciation but also allows you to internalize the inspirational messages related to happiness.
Keep in mind the speed of the speaker when you practice. They may speak at a moderate pace, making it easier to follow along. Repeat sections multiple times to build confidence, and use a shadowing app to help track your progress. Shadowing not only improves speaking skills but also enhances listening comprehension, helping you to better understand and reflect on the concepts of contentment and joyfulness discussed in the video. Aim to practice regularly, incorporating these vocabulary words into your speech to further advance your IELTS speaking practice.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.