The Hidden Buddha Within Us Today in America we live in a fast-paced society in which people take on many responsibilities. Taking in too much can lead to stress and physical illness. There are several things people can do to reduce stress, such as exercising and eating healthily. Practicing meditation can affect both a person's physical and mental health. Meditation is… a systematic technique for grasping and concentrating our latent mental power to the highest degree” (Eknath 9). Meditation originated in Southeast Asia over 2,500 years ago from the teachings of the Buddha. Interestingly, the Buddha was not what most artists depict him as today. He was not actually an obese man, and the “fat Buddha” actually represents a Buddhist monk who lived long after the Buddha. The Buddhas were originally taught orally, which is why many of his teachings are listed so they are easier to remember. The Buddha's teachings are followed as a way of life. In Buddhism there are no rules: there are simply steps. The Four Noble Truths are the main teachings of Buddhism, along with the Eightfold Path. The four noble truths are intended to be the steps to end suffering. The first noble truth is that life means suffering. Suffering will come in life and many believe there is nothing you can do about it. Secondly, the origin of suffering is attachment. This means that suffering is caused when people hold on to things, ideas, or even other people. Third, it is possible to achieve the cessation of suffering. Which can be translated to mean that there is a way to end suffering. And finally, there is a path to cessation, which means the path to ending suffering, is meditation and the eightfold path. The Eightfold Path is the way people should live to end suffering... middle of paper... ..., but when in reality this is not the case. Many people make excuses not to meditate because they believe it will interfere with their faith in God, when in most cases this is not true. For example, depending on the person's faith, prayer is a personal thing along with meditation. When people pray they often talk to God or silently think about a prayer. These can also be forms of meditation. Although meditation has its differences. For example, prayer is primarily a type of communication between a “believer” and a God. When in some types of meditation, such as transcendental meditation, there is belief in many gods. Even though meditation is supposed to create a disadvantage for a “believer,” it actually strengthens the relationship between the two. “The aim of Christian meditation will be to realize the unity of the whole personality with the personality of Christ” (Swani 96).