The Stock Market Gyrations

Checking the stock market too often can feel like riding an emotional rollercoaster — a ride that tugs at our inner peace. When the market surges, we feel elated. When it drops, our hearts sink. This constant fluctuation becomes a kind of mind-altering drug, dictating how we feel, minute by minute.

In recent times, the global uncertainty in the stock market has left many of us feeling vulnerable. But why does this external volatility have such a grip on our internal world?

If we were to turn to the wisdom of the Buddha, he might gently remind us: it is our craving — the deep craving to hold on to what we’ve gained and the hope that it will continue to grow — that creates our suffering. And when reality doesn’t match that desire, we experience what is known as “Dukkha.”

But what does Dukkha mean?

The word Dukkha comes from the roots “Du” (bad) and “kkha” (axle hole). Imagine a wheel that doesn’t fit smoothly into the axle — the ride becomes uneven, bumpy, and uncomfortable. That is what Dukkha feels like: the discord between our expectations and life’s reality.

And where does this Dukkha come from?

According to the Buddha’s teachings, Dukkha is born from craving —

1. The craving to possess and protect what we’ve accumulated;

2. The craving for identity, to exist in a particular form;

3. Or the craving to escape, to cease to be.

   
   

In the realm of the stock market, it’s often the craving to hold on to our hard-earned money — and the distress of watching it seemingly vanish — that triggers Dukkha. For those approaching retirement, the impact feels even more personal and pressing.

So what unfolds when craving takes root?

“With craving,” the Buddha said, “There comes pursuit. With pursuit, acquisition. With acquisition, decision. With decision, desire. With desire, tenacity. With tenacity, possessiveness. From possessiveness, comes aversion. And aversion breeds fear, falsehood, lies, and conflict.”

But here’s the powerful truth:

We are not helpless passengers. We can choose presence over panic, mindfulness over monitoring, wisdom over worry.

And so, today…

✨ I choose not to check the stock market.

✨ I choose not to discuss its daily movements.

✨ I choose to guard my peace and tend to my inner landscape.

The market will rise and fall. But I can remain grounded. My joy does not need to be at the mercy of numbers on a screen.

Today, I choose stillness.

#Stockmarket #dukkha #craving #buddhistteachings #peace