Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
This episode explores how to make mindful choices that lead to happiness and well-being in the future. We can learn how to distinguish between virtuous actions and nonvirtuous actions Virtuous actions are those that lead to positive outcomes, both for oneself and others. They are rooted in wholesome mental states such as generosity, compassion, and wisdom. With mindfulness, we can detect whether our mind is in a virtuous mental state. Virtuous states of mind feel, like loving-kindness, feel pleasant and peaceful. Conversely, non-virtuous actions are those that lead to negative...
info_outline Episode 195 - Feel before you actBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode we explore one of the core teachings of the Buddha—the Five Aggregates and their connection to our problems and suffering. The Buddha taught that life is pervaded by dukkha, which means dissatisfaction or suffering. More specifically, in the First Noble Truth, Buddha taught that “The five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.” These aggregates—form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—are the parts that make our self. When our five aggregates, including our consciousness, are conditioned by ignorance, we experience an unenlightened life...
info_outline Episode 194 - Enjoying without attachmentBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Joy and pleasures are woven into the fabric of our lives. The teachings of Buddha invite us to dance with moments of delight without the chains of attachment. In this episode, we explore how to savor the pleasures of life while releasing the grip of attachment. Way to enjoy life's pleasures without the pain of attachment: Enjoy the Moment Accept what is Let go of the past and future Enjoy the moment We discover a world of joy by fully immersing ourselves in each moment. Instead of fixating on the past or yearning for the future, let's learn to be present, allowing joy to...
info_outline Episode 193: Compassion as antidote to angerBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
For the average person, Moments of anger are inevitable. They can flare up in response to various triggers, from personal frustrations to global injustices. However, according to the Buddha's teachings, there is a powerful antidote to this destructive emotion: compassion. In Buddhism, compassion is revered as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards healing and awakening. At the heart of Buddhist philosophy lies the understanding of interconnectedness. Understanding interconnectedness leads to an awareness that everything we do as an individual affects the rest of humanity....
info_outline Episode 192 - Solving Anger with DharmaBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode, we delve into a universal human experience: anger. But fear not! We're not just exploring the problem; we're diving into solutions. Get ready for an enlightening journey as we uncover practical strategies rooted in Buddhist wisdom to tame the flames of anger and cultivate inner peace. We can learn how to transform the energy of anger into understanding and compassion. Through understanding and compassion we can heal ourselves and be a refuge of peace for others. In fact, in the story associated with the following verse, Buddha said: ‘Because I am patient and do...
info_outline Important AnnouncementBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Virtual Classes with JoAnn Fox start this Saturday, March 2nd! You can enroll any time! What: An ongoing study program to practice the entire path of Buddhism. Join us at any point! When: Saturdays 10 am EST Why: People often have to study Buddhism in a piecemeal fashion. JoAnn participated in a virtual teacher training program for over ten years that presented the whole path of Buddhism. This systematic approach makes the path very clear. It makes it much easier to practice and creates deeper inner change. JoAnn wants others to have the...
info_outline Episode 191 - Got problems? Buddha has solutions.Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Renunciation is the determination to be free from our own cycle of suffering and dissatisfaction. Renunciation is a state of mind, like patience, compassion, or contentment. Much like these virtuous states of mind, developing renunciation leads us to deeper and deeper levels of inner peace. In this episode, we explore how renunciation directs our focus toward spiritual development, creates happiness, and how we can develop this state of mind. Normally, we're always looking for something...something to ease discomfort, abate dissatisfaction or boredom, or give us pleasure. If we're...
info_outline Episode 190 - Renunciation: This is the wayBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In today's episode, we explore the profound concept of renunciation in Buddhism. True renunciation isn't about abandoning pleasure but transforming our relationship with it. Join us as we unravel the complexities of renunciation and explore a path to genuine contentment. Renunciation is the wish to break free from the cycle of suffering (samsara) by overcoming our deeply ingrained mental habits of ignorance and attachment. We begin by realizing the futility of expecting lasting satisfaction from transient phenomena (material things, people, opinions, expectations of others, etc.) ...
info_outline Episode 189 - Transforming the Three PoisonsBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode, we explore the antidotes to the three poisons — greed, anger, and ignorance. The three poisons are the fundamental sources of suffering. Join us to discover how generosity counters greed, loving-kindness conquers anger, and the realization of emptiness opposes ignorance. Explore the transformative power of applying ancient wisdom to today's busy life. Anger blinds individuals to compassion and disrupts our inner peace. Anger is also the most potent destroyer of good karma. Greed, or attachment, arises from the craving for possessions, experiences, or people. Attachment leads...
info_outline Episode 188 - Practicing ImpermanenceBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Buddha's teachings on impermanence empower practitioners to develop a mindset far less prone to suffering, anxiety, and worry. By embracing the ever-changing nature of existence, we create a wise and resilient approach to life's challenges. In this episode, listeners are encouraged to apply impermanence to something causing them to suffer. Practical ways to apply impermanence to alleviate our suffering: Accepting Change: Impermanence teaches that all phenomena are transient and subject to change. Nothing in this world--including our emotions, relationships, material...
info_outlineAt 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 identifying ourselves with the enlightened beings of the past, present, and future. We see them as examples of what we can become and as guides to that same state of awakening. Right now awakening is just a seed, but this seed is indestructible. Awakening is in our nature, indestructible, just as sleeping and waking are irrevocably part of our daily rhythm.
To say, “I take refuge in Buddha” means I put my faith in my Buddha-nature, not a man who lived in India 2500 years ago. The meaning of the man who attained enlightenment in ancient India is that he points to what we can do and what he can teach us. This is similar to what we do when we take any teacher. If we want to learn to paint with watercolors, we find a teacher whose skill we believe in, and we learn from them. What we’re trying to learn from Buddha is how to experience our real nature. And to have faith in Buddha is to have faith in our pure nature and potential.
When we take refuge in Buddha this way, as revealing our Buddha-nature, we identify with our indestructible seed of enlightenment. At the moment it may seem like that seed is dormant in a field of weeds, with thorny trees and patches burnt to the ground. But if we see examples like Buddha and take refuge in Buddha's teachings by practicing them, that seed begins to sprout and then take root. The more we believe in our basic goodness, the more inspired we are to nurture that pure seed. And soon the seed becomes a sapling and then a great tree of wisdom that shelters other living beings beneath it.
Through refuge in Buddha, great compassion, great wisdom, and great skill will take root in us so that we ourselves come to embody these qualities. Eventually, from refuge in Buddha as a guide, we ourselves become the teacher, the Buddha, and, as such, can give immeasurable help to all beings.
“I am all-conquering, all-knowing,
Stained by nothing.
Letting go of everything,
Released through the destruction of craving
And having known directly on my own,
Whom could I point to [as my teacher]?” (353)*
--Buddha, The Dhammapada
References and Links
Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011, pp. 78 (Link)
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