One of the defining features of the Buddhist way of life is a belief in karma, which is simply an understanding that our actions have consequences. There is nothing more damaging to a person’s well being than to go through life believing his actions don’t matter.
But to varying degrees, most of us suffer from a similar affliction. Typically our actions are motivated by short term desires even though we know intellectually that those actions are not really in our long-term best interest. The cause of this difficulty is therefore not a lack of intellect or knowledge in the conventional sense but rather this problem is due to a lack of understanding in a spiritual sense.
By spiritual understanding I mean the deeply held views and thoughts that determine our everyday habits and reactions. If we want to change so that we are predisposed by nature to do what is conducive to our long-term well being, then we have to do some work that will have an impact on this spiritual level. If we correct the underlying problem, our character traits will begin to change fundamentally. Instead of being attracted to doing and saying things that cause us to suffer, we will become interested in and attracted to thoughts and actions that result in happiness both for ourselves and for those around us.
When we make changes that align our view of the world with the way the world actually is, our actions will also begin to align with the laws of nature. As we begin to experience how this alignment leads us toward a better way of life, we will become more happy and satisfied with our present circumstance.
The path that one needs to take to make spiritual progress is elegant and well understood among insight meditation practitioners and teachers. It is to train the mind to persistently return to present moment awareness. For the technique to work, we need to train with an experienced teacher to ensure that our mindfulness is limited to just knowing what is happening and not tainted by an attempt to change the situation. This subtle and unique quality of mindfulness can be experienced in a short period of time and then strengthened over successive longer periods so that we are always moving in the right direction.