Episode 1 How to Create a Happy Reality
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Release Date: 11/02/2018
Episode 170 - Freedom from Envy
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In Buddhism, envy is considered a painful state of mind because it arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of reality and the origin of happiness. Envy is rooted in the belief that one's own happiness and well-being are dependent on the possessions, achievements, or circumstances of others. This belief leads to comparison with others and a sense of inadequacy or lack, which actually causes the suffering of envy. Happiness and suffering both depend on the mind Envy is one of the 16 defilements of the mind. Envy can lead to negative actions and harmful behaviors towards others....
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Episode 169 - Transforming Ordinary Life Into Spiritual Training
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Many of us may have a spiritual practice but often struggle to maintain it amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily routines. Whether it's work, family, or simply the demands of modern life, it can be challenging to find the time and space for our spiritual practice. In this episode, we focus on the practice of lovingkindness, also known as Metta, and explore how it can help us integrate our spiritual practice into our daily lives. Lovingkindness is a meditation practice that involves sending love, kindness, and goodwill to ourselves, loved ones, acquaintances, and even strangers. The...
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Episode - 168
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Episode 167 - How Not To Cause Harm
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
One of the principle tenets of Buddhism is to try to avoid harming living beings. To avoid harming others we generally need to practice restraint out of lovingkindness. It’s just too easy to inadvertently hurt others, or not foresee the consequences of our actions. Even spiritual practitioners, wishing not to cause harm, have to mindfully practice restraint motivated by kindness. The story of the monk who killed a swan “Once there was a bhikkhu [monk] who was very skilful in throwing stones; he could even hit fast-moving objects without fail. One day, while sitting with another...
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Episode 166 - Restraint
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
The practice of restraint is a crucial part of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. It involves abstaining from harmful thoughts, speech, and actions that lead to suffering for oneself and others. In this episode, we look at the practice of restraint to protect and help ourselves. The Buddha speaks so much about the wisdom of guarding the sense doors and practicing restraint. For if we don't practice restraint at all, we have no control over where our life is headed. We are like a wheel spinning out of control. Guarding the sense doors: ...
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Episode 165 - The Jewel of Spiritual Community
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Wealth destroys those who lack in wisdom, But not those who seek the beyond. Craving wealth, those lacking wisdom Destroy themselves As well as others. (355) Weeds are the ruin of fields; Passion is the ruin of people. So offerings to those free of passion Bear great fruit. (356) Weeds are the ruin of fields; Ill will is the ruin of people. So offerings to those free of ill will Bear great fruit. (357) Weeds are the ruin of fields; Delusion is the ruin of people. So offerings to those free of delusion Bear great fruit. (358) Weeds are the...
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Episode 164 - Taking Refuge in Dharma
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Taking refuge in the Dharma means we turn to the spiritual teaching of Buddha to help us solve our problems to alleviate pain. It means we commit to working on ourselves. Having taken refuge in the Dharma, reality itself becomes our greatest teacher. If we see everything as an opportunity for learning and growth, everything we experience becomes usable on our path toward freedom. We find solutions to our problems inside. People turn to many sources of false refuge: drugs or alcohol, relationships, television, food…the list of possibilities is endless. You find that false sources...
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Episode 163 - Refuge in Buddha
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
At the start of this three part series on Refuge, this episode explores what it means to take refuge in Buddha. The most simple way to take refuge in Buddha means relying on Buddha as a teacher. This requires studying and applying dharma in daily life, which leads to an understanding that dharma and daily life are inseparable. To take refuge to a deeper level, what is called ultimate refuge in Buddha, means to identity with our Buddha-nature, to take inspiration from beings who were once just like us but are now enlightened, and follow their teachings. At this point, we start...
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Episode 162 - Overcoming Fear
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Fearlessness is much talked about in Buddhism, particularly the idea of becoming fearless. In this episode we look at that which causes us fear, antidotes to fear, and tapping into our own bravery. It’s important to begin a discussion on fear according to Buddhism, to understand that Buddha distinguished between skillful fear and unskillful fear. Skillful fear can be a helpful tool to motivate us towards skillful action, like a person who sees a train barreling down the track and feels fear of sitting on the tracks. If the fear is unskillful, however, it leads us to unskillful action...
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Episode 161: Manifesting Dreams and Goals
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Sometimes we find it hard to reach goals or put effort into things we desperately want to improve. Why is this—when the wish is there? Attachment to what is meaningless or nonvirtuous might be the obstacle when the wish to change is there but effort is lacking. For example, someone might want to improve their health, but they’re also attached to relaxing on the couch after work rather than exercising. Someone might deeply wish to improve their relationship, but they’re also attached to playing videos games rather than spending time with their loved one. We only have a...
info_outlineBuddha taught that our mind creates our reality. Our mind creates our life and whether we are happy or unhappy. In this episode, we delve deep into HOW our minds create our reality.
Here we begin the study of the Dhammapada, the oldest text in the Buddhist canon. It is a collection of things Buddha actually said 2600 years ago, written down by his followers.
The mechanics of the creation of every moment of your consciousness involve the five all- accompanying mental factors.
- Contact - making contact with an object
- Feeling - a mental factor that experiences a pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling. * Feeling functions to experience OUR karma
- Discrimination - identifies the object
- Intention - Moves our mind to the object. Function to CREATE karma
- Attention - Focuses on specific attributes of an object. We either focus on something with "appropriate attention" that gives rise to peace, or inappropriate attention that gives rise to suffering.
An example of the creation of a moment of suffering is this: We experience an unpleasant feeling (due to our karma), but we discriminate the person in front of us as the cause of the pain and as "bad". Then we focus on the faults of the person with inappropriate attention, which generates our anger. Anger causes us to have the intention to harm that person because we are feeling upset. If we continue to dwell on the faults of the person (aka inappropriate attention) will continue to be angry and feel bad. No fun!
We also learned three methods to create a happier reality for ourselves, particularly in a very difficult situation or in regards to a person that cause us pain or frustration. The meditation and daily practice is as follows.
Step 1: Bring to mind a situation that regularly causes you pain. Or bring to mind a person that causes you pain, irritation, or frustration.
Step 2: Try to think about this situation or person with gratitude for a few minutes. What are you grateful for? Try to think of at least five things you are grateful for.
Step 3: Are there good qualities about this situation or person? Please contemplate at least a few good qualities you sincerely observe.
Step 4: Try to generate compassion for the person, or for yourself. Compassion is a mind that really sees the suffering that is there, and, out of love, Wishes to take that suffering away so happiness remains. Remember that happy people don't go around making other people unhappy. Unhappy people inadvertently cause other people to suffer.
Step 5: Choose which of these three methods (gratitude, contemplating their good quailiteis, or compassion) that most moved your mind toward peace. Determine toput this method into practice in the coming week; let it be like a swaord of mindfulness, cutting through pain.
Step 6: Make a strong determination that, whenever unpleasant feelings start to arise in this partilcar situation, you will put your chosen method into practice. Generate this determination and hold it in your heart for a few moments.
Daily Mindfullnes Practice: Whenever unpleasant feelings start to arise about this partilcar situation, remember the method you chose and put it into practice. Feel compassion for the person, contemplate their good qualities, or try to feel gratitude. You can do it! Let me know how it goes...Leave a message, question, or comment and I'll try to respond via:
In this episode we study Chapter One, Verse 1 - 2 of the Dhammapada:
“All experience is created by mind
Led by mind,
Made by mind.
Speak or act with a corrupted mind
And suffering follows,
As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of an ox.
All experience is created by mind
Led by mind,
Made by mind.
Speak or act with a peaceful mind,
And happiness follows
Like a never-departing shadow.”
-Buddha, The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations, by Gil Fronsdale
Other References:
Abhidharmasamuccaya (The Compendium of Higher Training) by Asanga. Originally translated into French by Warhol Rahula; translated from French into English by Sara Boin-Webb