When I told someone recently about “The Circle” and the concept of the “eight winds” as described by the Buddhists, he said, “Oh, you mean life.” The “eight winds” are a group of juxtaposed influences which include: Prosperity and Decline; Honor and Disgrace; Praise and Censure; and Pleasure and Suffering. While the term “eight winds” might be a Buddhist term, we are all familiar with the “ups and downs” of life. The key, according to Buddhist thought, is not to be so emotionally moved by these winds–that is, not to be overly joyed by gain or overly grieved by decline. By remembering that life is a cycle and that good and bad both pass, come again, and pass again, we can become more accepting of both, and therefore more balanced.