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Crying Buddha

Buddha discovered that self-mortification, the deprivation of food until he was emaciated, caused even more suffering which left him searching for another spiritual path. After renouncing his privileged life, he practiced the contemplative and ascetic arts for six years and found that the feeling of the pleasure of mindless contemplation and the suffering of self-denial were not the answer. In response, he set a spiritual path between the two extremes that became the Middle Way. The Middle Way meant caring for the physical body and physical well-being were both essential for spiritual liberation, the need for balance between the tears of sadness, and smiling happiness. The Buddha believed that mindful meditation did not empty the mind but made the mind more present to the true nature of the world and the self.