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It may surprise you to learn Homer is a closet Buddhist — but he is. In many ways, he demonstrates the awesome power of Buddha’s teachings (when he’s not downing Duff beer).

Here’s Homer’s basic guide to finding your inner Buddha in the modern world.

See the Simplicity in Life
“Greater simplicity comes with simplicity than with complexity”

One of the first things we have to realize is that we make everything complex. According to Buddha, complexity leads to unhappiness and an unfulfilling life path. It confuses our senses, jumbles our thoughts, and prevents us from letting go of negative feelings.

The funny thing about Homer is that he’s somehow managed to master the state of simplicity; he lives in the moment. Dogs and children have this ability too. It’s amazing to see how much happiness it brings!

Find Your Grateful Spirit
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough”

Sure, Duff beer is great, but at the end of the day, Homer is deeply loyal to his family and grateful for their presence. How many people forget about what they have in pursuit of something they are infatuated with? To really be able see what you have in front of you is one of the greatest blessings in the world.

Recognize Anger never Fulfills Us
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger”

The truth is, when we indulge in anger we harm ourselves. That state of simplicity at the very top of this list? You can kiss that goodbye when you express that anger! One thing is true, even though Homer does get angry, he always seems to find his balance in the end. This is the key to success in life — you have to learn that balance.

Express Compassion
“One is meant to forgive and be compassionate.”

One thing’s for sure: Homer is one of the most deceivingly compassionate characters on TV. He loves to help others in his own way, and is always there to listen to his family when they need to be heard.

Simplicity always brings more compassion!

Sometimes Life isn’t Easy, and that’s Ok!
“Learn to let go — this is the secret of happiness.”

Life doesn’t always give you what you’re looking for! Sometimes it’s just hard. That’s when you have to take it in stride and let go. Notice how short Homer’s disappointment is…they’re like ‘blips’ that leave him in less than a minute. This is a similar principle to Buddhism.

Learning to let go of disappointments helps us to stay happy and content.

Matt Caron

http://blog.sivanaspirit.com/bd-sc-homer-simpsons-guide-buddhism/

Matt is the content manager of the Sivana blog (http://blog.sivanaspirit.com), an enthusiastic Yoga teacher, and life voyager. He strives to inspire conscious living and conscious dialogue- not only for others but for himself.