Episode 169 - Transforming Ordinary Life Into Spiritual Training
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Release Date: 04/29/2023
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
The Buddha, in his gentle wisdom, offered us a path to mindful speech through what he called "The Five Gatekeepers of Speech." These gatekeepers stand like sentinels, reminding us to pause before we speak. We ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it beneficial? Is it necessary? Is it the right time? Our speech, whether it lands on another's heart or drifts unnoticed through the air, always leaves its karmic mark on us. If we are kind to others with our speech, we create causes for our own happiness. When we are unkind to others, we create suffering for ourselves. Words are the most...
info_outline Episode 197 - Metta PracticeBuddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Metta, or loving-kindness, is a beautiful practice in Buddhism that calls on the heart to soften, to expand, to reach out with the wish for others’s happiness and well-being. It’s about nurturing love, not just for those who easily come to mind, but for everyone—the stranger, the difficult ones, and even ourselves. Metta practice, at its core, is deeply intertwined with non-violence because it cultivates the kind of love that makes harm unthinkable. In a world that so often pushes us towards division, Metta reminds us to see the shared humanity in each person. When you...
info_outline Episode 196 - Making mindful choicesBuddhism 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_outlineMany 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 practice of lovingkindness can be used in various contexts, such as at work, with family and friends, and even with strangers. The benefits of this practice are profound: increased compassion, empathy, and resilience.
The mindfulness practice suggested for the week is to integrate Lovingkindness into the main rivers of our lives. We might choose to practice with our close family in our household, job, extended family, or our neighbors. We contemplate how we can practice lovingkindness with them specifically, imagining what actions or mindsets we can develop toward them. We then use mindfulness to remember our determination to practice Lovingkindness in this way, transforming the rivers of our lives into spiritual training.
Loving Kindness practice:
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.”
The Story of the monk Dhammarama
Upon hearing of the Buddha's upcoming Parinibbana in four months, most of the monks without high realizations were depressed and stayed close to the Buddha. However, the monk called Dhammarama aimed to attain enlightenment before the Buddha's passing. He ardently practiced Insight Meditation in solitude. Some of the other monks, however, misunderstood his behavior..
These monks brought Dhammarama to the Buddha, saying he showed no affection or reverence for him. Dhammarama explained to the Buddha that he aimed to attain enlightenment before Buddha’s Parinibbana and had been alone practicing Insight Meditation. Buddha was very pleased and said, "My son, Dhammarama, you have done very well. A bhikkhu who loves and respects me should act like you. Those who made offerings of flowers, scents and incense to me are not really paying me homage. Only those who practice the Dhamma are the ones who truly pay homage to me." Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
The bhikkhu who abides in the Dhamma,
who delights in the Dhamma,
who meditates on the Dhamma,
and is ever mindful of the Dhamma,
does not fall away from the Dhamma of the virtuous. (Verse 364)
At the end of the discourse Thera Dhammarama attained enlightenment.
References and Links
Buddha (1986).The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories. Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A. (Website). Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon. Courtesy of Nibbana.com. For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma.
https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=364
Je Tsongkhapa. Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhapa, Volume 2. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor, pp 41-43.
Find us at the links below:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone
Facebook Group:Join our private group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhism.with.joann.fox