How Did Buddha Teach the Law of Assumption?
A Teaching Essay on the Power of Thought and Inner Formation in Buddhism
‘‘This is more than imagination. It is a deep practice of identification. You are reprogramming your consciousness by taking on a new identity,not from the outside in, but from the inside out.’’
The Law of Assumption, as modern spiritual thinkers like Neville Goddard describe it, is the principle that you become what you assume yourself to be. This means your beliefs and persistent inner states shape your reality. While the historical Buddha never used this term, the essential insight behind the Law of Assumption—that inner thought and belief give rise to outer experience—runs deep through the Buddhist path.
Far from being a New Thought innovation, the Law of Assumption is an ancient truth reframed for contemporary minds. In Buddhism, it is taught as a spiritual law rooted in mental causation, karma, and the intentional shaping of consciousness. In this essay, we will explore how Buddha taught the Law of Assumption through his emphasis on mental discipline, right view, the nature of mind, and the transformative power of belief.
The Mind as the Forerunner of All States
Buddha begins one of his foundational teachings, the Dhammapada, with this line:
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.”
This is not just poetry. It is instruction. This statement is the Buddhist version of the Law of Assumption. Your inner world—the assumptions you hold, the thoughts you entertain, the self-image you nurture—leads your entire experience of life. In Buddhism, the mind is not merely reactive, it is causative. The outer world does not create your inner state. Your inner state projects and interprets the outer world.
This view is central to both Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions. Whether one practices early mindfulness or advanced visualization, the message remains: cultivate your inner landscape, because it is the source of your reality.
Right View and Right Intention
Buddha taught the Noble Eightfold Path as the way out of suffering. The first two components are Right View and Right Intention. Both of these involve consciously choosing how to see and what to believe. To walk the Buddhist path, one must first assume the view that liberation is possible. One must also assume the intention to act with compassion and clarity. Without these assumptions, the path does not open.
Right View involves letting go of distorted perceptions—seeing the world as it is, not as our fears or desires color it. It also means assuming that our actions matter, that change is possible, and that suffering can end. Right Intention means directing your will toward ethical, constructive ends. These are not simply moral codes—they are assumptions that mold your inner world.
You cannot practice Buddhism without assuming that your thoughts matter. This is the heart of the Law of Assumption: to enter a new state of being, you must think and feel from that state, not toward it.
Karma and Mental Causation
The Buddha’s teaching on karma is often misunderstood as a kind of moral scoreboard. But in its essence, karma is a law of cause and effect applied to the mental and volitional realm. Karma literally means “action,” and the actions that matter most in Buddhism are mental ones: thoughts, intentions, and beliefs.
What you think, you become. Not because a cosmic referee is rewarding you, but because the structure of reality reflects the content of your mind. If you consistently think from a place of fear, lack, or anger, your life will reflect those assumptions. If you think from compassion, confidence, and peace, your experience shifts.
In this way, the Buddha's teaching on karma functions just like the Law of Assumption. Both stress the primacy of thought, the moral and practical consequences of mental activity, and the way inner states generate outer experiences. The difference is that Buddhism adds ethical clarity: not all assumptions are equally skillful. Right thinking leads to awakening. Wrong assumptions lead to suffering.
Dependent Origination: A Universe of Assumptions
Another central teaching in Buddhism is pratītyasamutpāda, or Dependent Origination. It means that nothing arises independently. Everything comes into being based on conditions. Your mind, your identity, your habits, and even your suffering are not fixed—they are conditioned. Change the conditions, and you change the outcome.
What conditions are most powerful? According to the Buddha, mental formations—thoughts, beliefs, and intentions—are key links in the chain of becoming. If you break the chain at the level of thought, you break the pattern of suffering.
This is why meditation is central. Meditation helps you observe the assumptions that quietly govern your life. As you become aware of them, you realize they are not permanent. They are optional. This is the pivot point. You can drop limiting assumptions and begin assuming liberation, worthiness, love, and peace. With persistence, your outer life changes to match.
In modern language, this is the Law of Assumption: assume a new mental condition and hold to it regardless of appearances. The world, which arises dependently, will conform in time.
Visualization and Becoming the Buddha
In the Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, practitioners are taught to visualize themselves as a Buddha—not in the distant future, but now. You do not pray to an external god. You assume Buddhahood. You see yourself as awakened until the mind conforms to that truth.
This is more than imagination. It is a deep practice of identification. You are reprogramming your consciousness by taking on a new identity—not from the outside in, but from the inside out. This practice reflects Neville Goddard’s exact instruction: live from the state of the wish fulfilled. See yourself as you wish to be, and persist.
Tantric visualization, deity yoga, and even loving-kindness meditation involve the assumption of inner states. You don’t wait to feel love before practicing loving-kindness. You generate it. You don’t wait until you are calm to meditate. You assume calm and meet yourself there.
This training of the mind is not fakery. It is transformation.
Letting Go of False Views
One of the most powerful aspects of the Buddha’s teaching is his insistence that most suffering comes from false views. When we assume we are separate, unworthy, or fixed in identity, we suffer. When we identify with greed, hatred, or delusion, we live in bondage.
Buddhism is not just about adopting new views. It is about letting go of untrue ones. In this way, it is similar to the Law of Assumption but with a focus on release. Instead of layering affirmations on top of trauma, the Buddha teaches us to uproot delusions. The assumptions we let go of are just as important as those we take on.
In practice, this means examining beliefs like:
“I am broken.”
“I cannot change.”
“The world is hostile.”
“I am unworthy of peace.”
Buddhism invites you to see these as temporary, mistaken views. Once you see that, you are free to assume a new reality: “I am awake. I am capable. I am peace.”
The Middle Way: Beyond Positive Thinking
One caution: the Law of Assumption, in the modern West, is sometimes presented as a shortcut to material success. Buddhism invites a more balanced approach. Yes, assume peace, joy, and freedom—but not as ego rewards. Assume them as natural states of your original mind.
The Buddha’s path is not about gaining what you want, but awakening to what you already are. In this sense, the Law of Assumption becomes a tool for spiritual awakening, not just personal gain.
The Middle Way avoids both self-denial and self-indulgence. It encourages us to assume responsibility for our lives, not from craving, but from wisdom. As you walk this path, you no longer ask, “What do I want?” but instead, “What is true?” Then you assume that truth until it takes form.
Conclusion: Buddha and the Law of Assumption
Buddha taught the Law of Assumption by teaching that mind is the builder of reality. He showed us that beliefs matter, that karma begins in thought, and that suffering can end by changing the conditions that give rise to it—especially mental ones.
To live a Buddhist life is to assume that awakening is possible. To follow the path is to persist in that assumption, even in the face of setbacks. The mind, when trained, becomes the tool of liberation. That is the ultimate Law of Assumption: you assume freedom and then walk the path that reveals it.
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Further Reading
The Dhammapada (translations by Eknath Easwaran or Gil Fronsdal)
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness
Bhikkhu Bodhi, In the Buddha’s Words
Neville Goddard, Feeling Is the Secret
Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening