Once upon a time, a person went to Gautama Buddha. He asked Gautama Buddha- Buddha, how can I overcome my laziness. The Buddha asked the man, “How do you know that you are lazy?” The man replied, “It is not only me, but my family members also say that I am lazy. The Buddha then asked the man, “Can you prove that you are lazy?” The lazy person said, “I know that getting up in the morning is beneficial for both, my health and my mind, but my laziness does not let me wake up early in the morning.” The Buddha asked the man, “Do you know what laziness is and how it happens?” The man replied- No. Buddha said, “I will tell you what laziness is and for what reason it happens.
Laziness is a mental state. Laziness is a feeling, an idea. There are two reasons for laziness.
- The first reason is physical and
- The second reason is mental.
Physical laziness: The first reason is when we consume a food that has no life in it, then this food becomes a burden for our body and it creates laziness in us because our body runs on the energy from food. So if you want to avoid laziness, include some of the easily digestible and natural foods in your diet.
The second reason at the level of the body is to walk the wrong way, sit the wrong way and lie down the wrong way. Gautam Buddha pointed to the disciples of the ashram and said to the lazy man, “If you look carefully, you will see a special kind of pattern in the walking, sitting and resting conditions of these disciples.” When they walk, there is a synergy between their legs. When they sit, their back bone is very straight and the neck is a little higher. Whenever they rest, their body is very relaxed. There is no tension on any part of their body. Due to which they get a restful sleep. The lazy man asked, “Is it equally important to get enough sleep?” The Buddha said, “Neither less nor more.” If you don’t get enough sleep tonight, your whole day tomorrow will be full of fatigue and laziness. That’s why adequate sleep is equally important. The lazy man said, “Yes, I have also felt it.
Buddha said that the third reason at the level of the body is not getting up early in the morning. The lazy man said, “I can’t get up early in the morning.” The Buddha said, “You will be able to get up early in the morning when you go to sleep early at night.” Set a certain time to sleep so that you will be able to get up early in the morning every day. Everyone has to follow discipline. Discipline brings balance to your life. Some people consider discipline as a bond. They feel that discipline binds them. But the truth is that discipline does not bind us but liberates us. So if you want to get rid of laziness on a physical level, then put yourself in discipline. Follow a certain routine. That lazy person said, but from where to start. By eating the right kind of food, from sitting in good posture, lying down and walking, or getting up early in the morning. Buddha said, start now. Do what you’re doing at the moment with full attention.
Mental laziness: The first cause of laziness at the level of the mind is our old misconceptions. When we do not consider ourselves capable of a job, laziness arises within us. If we believe in our minds that like last time, this time too I will fail in this work, then we will be lazy to do that work. While we can’t convince ourselves that there is a lot of difference between the last time and this time. We are no longer mentally what we were before. We’ve learned a lot from the last defeat. So to avoid mental laziness, first of all learn to believe in yourself.
The second reason for mental laziness is to accompany small-minded and lazy people. Many times it happens that we ourselves are not lazy, but while living with some lazy people, we ourselves become lazy.
The third reason for mental laziness is to avoid work. Procrastination is the biggest cause of laziness and mental stress. In the beginning, we do not know, but gradually this become habit becomes and this one single habit is enough to ruin the life of any human being. So never put the work that can be done today, on tomorrow.
The fourth reason for mental laziness is the lack of clarity on the goal. Suppose you are trapped in a big desert and you are thirsty for a lot. What will you do then? The lazy man said, “I will look for water.” I will try to reach the village near the desert as soon as possible. Buddha said, “But even if you do not get water after trying a lot.” The man said, “I will keep trying even then because I will have no other option.” Gautama Buddha smiled and said that laziness surrounds a person only when he does not have a clear goal or he has many options available before him, so he is not able to decide what to do. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to have a goal. If you are not able to get up in the morning and exercise, it is because of your lack of vision. You are clearly not able to feel the diseases that occur in the future and the pain caused by those diseases.
Buddha further said that the fifth reason for laziness at the level of the mind is that there is no major reason to do any work. Suppose you are going through a deserted path with many precious ornaments. You are very tired while you are walking and you feel like sitting down and you sit down to rest under a big tree. You are just sitting when you saw some robbers coming towards you from a distance. So, will your laziness prevent you from escaping even in such a situation? No. So understand one thing, your laziness can only prevent you from doing things that you have no great reason to do. That lazy person says, “Thank you very much, i have understood the whole game of laziness. Gautam Buddha says: “I always remember one thing where there is fairness and there is a big reason to do the work, there can be no laziness at all.
Conclusion: Laziness can be overcome by removing the physical and mental barriers.