How I can live longer as well as peaceful by doing practices taught by Buddhism?

Question

How I can live longer and healthier as well as peaceful by following practices taught by Buddha, Buddhism and Sanga? I like to live long as a normal person (not being a monk). Live long here, I means if possible 100 years. If not, 90s. If not I like live longer than average of people at least. I like to live longer but I don't want to lose the opportunities of -

1. Having many things to see which make me cheerful and pleasing.
2. Listening music which make me pleasing.
3. Smelling good things and fragrances.
4. Savour what I like and people says the best things I can have in life.
5. Touch of aesthetically pleasing woman, touch of delicate fabrics

I would like to follow the practices, rules, dos and don'ts said by Buddha or Buddha's teachings or from Sanga or from a Buddhist monk. The goal I like to achieve is to live longer and heathy (practically live much more longer than current generation like 100 years, 90-100 years). Is it possible instance that I can achieve if I am passing my teenage years? Or If I am not, is it possible for age of child or new born baby by applying teachings, guidance, practices and care by Buddhism, he/she can live longer and healthy for the rest of his/her life? Can you point me out any reference about living longer and healthier from Buddhism teachings, book of monk, audio/video recording, web link or Suttas?

Answer 1

Here is a list of a few things you can do to live a longer and healthier life.

• Meditate: Stress will make you age quicker and die younger.
• Eat vegetarian meals: Most meats will cause inflammation which lowers your life-span.
• Intermittent fasting or only eating for the first half of the day. This will help you keep thin, slow down your metabolism (the idea is animals who have slower metabolisms live longer than those with faster), and your body has the chance to clean out it's system.
• Put aside yourself and help others. Helping other people makes you active, social, younger, and happier.
• Simplify your lifestyle. Buddha always encouraged his followers to live a simpler life, why? Because it helps you live longer by lowering your stress and finding happiness.
• Finish all your work in the morning so you can rest in the afternoon. This is a pretty common practice in the monasteries.
• Don't Procrastinate! Buddha encourages us to keep up with our work so we don't add unnecessary stress to our lives.
• Buddha gave us a purpose in life which helps you live longer. We're not just piles of flesh waiting to die.
• Many Buddhist sects believe in early to bed, and early rising. Life becomes much easier when following this pattern of living. Stress decreases significantly! Less stress means a healthy body.

This is but a few practical tips given by Buddha, with external sources (supporting) the reasons for why you should follow them. I hope this helps and have a wonderful day!

Answer 2

It's simple, if you like a long life, abstain from killing any living being.

This is the way, student, that leads to long life, namely, abandoning the killing of living beings, one abstains from killing living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides compassionate to all living beings. MN135

If you want a healthy life, abstain from harming any living being.

This is the way, student, that leads to health, namely, one is not given to injuring beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife. MN135

Answer 3

A long live doesn't necessarily mean being happy all the time. Moreover, you can't control how long your live will be ("Live is uncertain, Death is certain."). So being concerned about how long your going to live isn't that useful, because it's not really up to you. If you want to know how to live most healthy, you'd need to ask a doctor or somebody else. But even then you have no assurance.

If you want to use the Buddha's approach, you might need to reconsider your goals. You say you want to live as long as possible and to have as much pleasure in your live as possible. Your actual question probably is something like "How to live as happy and peaceful as possible?", but you're already assuming that having a long and pleasant live is what leads to happiness and peace.

According to Buddhism it is wrong view to believe that the more pleasant experiences you have, the happier you will become. The hard truth is that pleasant things don't lead to lasting happiness. You can test this out: If you're listening to music it's quite pleasant, there is no doubt that this pleasure is a kind of happiness. But try listening to the same music for 3 hours (or longer), are you then still happy? If nice music was the cause of happiness, then the more you listen to it, the happier you should get, because this is how cause and effect work, right? But in reality it's not like this. In fact you probably would get quite agitated and frustrated after listening that long to the same music without break.

The whole point of Buddhist teaching is that if you make your happiness dependent upon the things you experience (pleasantness of sights, sounds, smells, touches, tastes and thoughts), then suffering will follow you inevitable. Because pleasant feelings change and you can't control what's pleasant and what's not.

Answer 4

from Āyussa Suttaṃ AN 5:125-126 , this sutta is straight forward teaching us how to have longevity. i haven't found English translation that I totally agree with but here is my best:

5 dhamma for longevity for here and now.

• know to add some comfort to life.
• Moderation in that comfort.
• consume food that are easily digested (no details given. Probably varied from person to person)
• move within right time (IMO, know your body'schedules and keep it regular, like when to exercise, when to sleep, when to eat etc.. ) other words, keep routine schedules that are agreeable with your body.
• practice like Bhrama god (stay with equanimity as much as you can). (minimize stress level)

Answer 5

Nyanaponika Thera said (I don't know if he's quoting the Suttas or not),

Non-delusion is a condition of longevity, because one who is undeluded will know what is beneficial and what is harmful, and by avoiding the harmful and resorting to the beneficial one will have a long life.

See also this Transcript: Amitayus Sadhana practice (which is Tibetan long life practice).

Answer 6

The Dhammapada says:

"Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss." (Dhammapada, Verse 204)

If you want to live long (as long as the aeon or kappa) you should try to develop concentration (iddhi power).

And the Blessed One said: "Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and brought to perfection the four constituents of iddhi power could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the end of it. (Maha-parinibbana Sutta, DN 16)

Scientists claim that there is no theoretical limit to how long humans can live (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_life_span#In_humans).

For me personally what I do is concentrate and hold the feeling that "really in reality I'm fully completely healed of all negative health conditions".

What happens is after a few seconds of holding this feeling my nose becomes unstuffed, vision improves, and I feel tingling vibrations coming out of my body.

Of course the majority of humans can't hold a feeling or thought uninterrupted for even 5 seconds, let alone, a minute, 10 minutes, or an hour, but The Buddha claimed to be able to for up to seven days (168 hours) (MN 14).

If you don't want to lose opportunities then become well-developed in body, virtue, mind, discernment:

"Now, a trifling evil deed done by what sort of individual is experienced in the here & now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment?

There is the case where a certain individual is developed in [contemplating] the body, developed in virtue, developed in mind, developed in discernment: unrestricted, large-hearted, dwelling with the immeasurable.

A trifling evil deed done by this sort of individual is experienced in the here & now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment." (Lonaphala Sutta, AN 3.99)

Realistically everyone in general has intentionally or unintentionally done evil deeds, so it's best to develop those four things.