BELLA Thoughts

23/09/2025

18/09/2025

What is samsara, and the truth of suffering?
"In terms of their nature, true sufferings (duḥkha) are the polluted aggregates that are principally caused by afflictions and polluted karma. More broadly, true duḥkha consists of polluted bodies, minds, environments, and the things we use and enjoy.

In Compendium of Knowledge Asaṅga says, “If one asks what is true duḥkha, it is to be understood both in terms of the sentient beings who are born as well as the habitats in which they are born.”

The body and mind are internal true duḥkha because they are in the continuum of a person; the environment and the things around us are external true duḥkha, which are not part of a person’s continuum.

All true origins are also true duḥkha, although not all true duḥkha is true origins. All afflictions are unsatisfactory, but our bodies and our habitats, which are unsatisfactory, are not causes of saṃsāra.

What propels this process of uncontrollably and repeatedly taking the psychophysical aggregates of a being of one of the three realms? It is the true origins of duḥkha — afflictions and polluted karma (actions).

The chief affliction that is the root of saṃsāra is the ignorance grasping inherent existence — a mental factor that apprehends phenomena as existing in the opposite way than they actually exist. Whereas all phenomena exist dependently, ignorance apprehends them as existing independently.

The Tibetan term for ignorance — ma rig pa — means not knowing. Even its name implies something undesirable that disturbs the mind and interferes with happiness and fulfillment.

Since the cause of cyclic existence is inauspicious, its effect — our bodies, habitats, and experiences in cyclic existence — will not bring stable joy.
Ignorance narrows the mind, obscuring it from seeing the multifarious factors involved in existence.

From ignorance stems various distorted conceptualizations that foster the arising of all other afflictions — especially the “three poisons” of confusion, attachment, and animosity. Afflictions in turn create karma that propels saṃsāric rebirth. In the context of the four truths, the Buddha identified craving as the principal example of the origin of duḥkha to highlight its prominent role."

From the book Samsara, Nirvana and Buddha Nature by the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and Bikshuni Thubten Chodron.

Links to sources in comments.

16/09/2025

15/09/2025

29/08/2025

Before Romeo and Juliet, before Tristan and Isolde, there was Apollo and Hyacinthus - a love story between a god and a mortal prince that was celebrated across ancient Greece. Apollo, the mighty god of sun, music, and poetry, found himself completely enchanted by the beautiful young Prince Hyacinthus.
So deep was their love that Apollo - who commanded the sun itself - would leave his divine duties just to spend his days on Earth with Hyacinthus. They would train together in athletics, hunt through forests, and make music so beautiful it made the mountains weep. For the first time in his immortal life, Apollo knew what it meant to truly love someone.
But the gods can be jealous creatures. Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, watched their happiness with growing bitterness. One day, as Apollo was teaching Hyacinthus to throw the discus, Zephyrus sent a cruel wind that drove the disc back, striking the young prince.
As Hyacinthus lay dying in his lover's arms, Apollo's grief shook the heavens. Rather than let death take his beloved, the god transformed Hyacinthus's spilled blood into a flower of deepest purple - the first hyacinth.

🌸 Apollo's grief was so profound that the other gods agreed to write his cries of anguish ("AI AI") on the hyacinth's petals, where some say they can still be seen today
🌸 Unlike many tragic Greek myths, their love was celebrated and honored, never portrayed as scandalous or wrong

14/08/2025

07/08/2025

He doesn’t want a real relationship with you. What he wants is convenience.... to have you close enough so that when he’s lonely, bored, or simply wants attention, you’re there. But never close enough to demand the loyalty, respect, or commitment that comes with being fully present in someone’s life.

He thrives in the space between. Close enough to keep you waiting, hoping, and making excuses for him. Far enough to keep his options open, to talk to other women without guilt, and to avoid the responsibility that a true relationship requires.

You’re not the priority.... you’re the backup plan. The one he calls when no one else is available or when he needs a reminder that someone cares. He’s not interested in building something real, in showing up consistently, or in making you feel truly seen and valued.
This kind of “relationship” is a slow erosion. It chips away at your confidence, your peace, and your self-worth. Because it keeps you in limbo.... always questioning, always doubting, always hoping for more from someone who’s never going to give it.

Don’t mistake his presence for commitment. Don’t confuse his attention with affection. And don’t settle for being the person he uses when it’s convenient but ignores when it’s not.
You deserve a love that’s whole, a man who chooses you openly, proudly, and without hesitation.
Not someone who keeps you on the sidelines while he chases after everything else.
Recognize your worth. Protect your heart. And don’t waste your energy on someone who only wants to be close enough to take, but never close enough to truly give.

03/06/2025

🙂

29/05/2025

❤️❤️❤️

01/05/2025

When doors close, build your own stage.

At 19, Lady Gaga was still just Stefani Germanotta, performing in dark New York City bars. She spent her savings recording demos, carrying them from label to label. The feedback was always the same:

"Your music is too weird."

"You don’t have the right image."

"Why not just write songs for other artists?"

Finally, when she got a contract offer from Island Def Jam, she thought her big break had come.
Three months later, they fired her — over the phone.

She locked herself away and cried for days. But she didn't quit.

Gaga went back to writing, performing, and pushing the limits of art and fashion.
Years later, standing on the Grammy stage, a journalist asked her:
"What would you say to all the record labels that rejected you?"

Her answer was simple and powerful:
"Tell them thank you. If they hadn’t slammed those doors, I would never have built my own stage."

Rejection isn’t the end. Sometimes, it’s the beginning of something greater.

06/01/2025