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_outline"The rain could turn to gold and still your thirst would not be slaked' the Buddha said. In this episode we explore the connection between the Buddhist teachings of emptiness and craving. Understanding this connection is fundamental to understanding the nature of suffering and the path to liberation.
Emptiness (Shunyata)
Emptiness refers to the fundamental nature of reality, which is devoid of inherent, fixed, or independent existence. The empty nature of all things is the opposite of how we normally perceive reality. If we see something as beautiful, we do not think our mind has anything to do with creating that beauty. We see a table, and we naturally think a table has an inherent identity as a table.
According to the Buddha, all phenomena, including physical objects, mental states, and even the self, lack an unchanging essence or self-nature. Emptiness is not a form of nothingness, but rather the absence of inherent, permanent, or self-existing characteristics.
Craving (Tanha) or Thirst
Craving (Tanha) is another crucial concept in Buddhism, often identified as the root cause of suffering. Sometimes Tanha is translated as “greed,” “attachment,” or “thirst.” In this episode, we related to this concept mainly as thirst. Thirst can be understood as a relentless attachment to sensory pleasures, material possessions, and other living beings. Thirst/craving is not merely enjoying these things, but becoming attached to them, so that if we can’t have them or they disappoint us, we suffer. Buddha said attachment is like tasting honey on the razor’s edge; the first taste is sweet, but, inevitably, pain follows.
Understanding the connection between emptiness and craving
At the deepest level, thirst arises due to our ignorance of the true nature of reality, emptiness. According to the teachings of emptiness, nothing arises independently or in isolation. Instead, everything arises in dependence on causes and conditions.
Emptiness means that all things lack inherent existence. For example, all things in reality depend on the name they are given, their function, label, and our mind’s imputation (and more). Craving arises due to ignorance of this interdependent nature of things. We develop attachments and desires based on the mistaken idea of independent and fixed things of beauty or pleasure. We don’t think that our mind is creating the beauty or pleasure we’re craving, but it is!
Cessation of Craving and Liberation
The Buddha taught that the cessation of craving leads to the cessation of suffering. The realization of the emptiness of all phenomena leads to the eradication of ignorance and, consequently, the cessation of craving. When craving is extinguished, suffering ceases, and one attains enlightenment,
O Brahmana, cut off the stream of craving with diligence, and abandon sense desires.
O Brahmana, perceiving the cessation of the conditioned,
be an arahat who realizes Nibbana, the Unconditioned. (Verse 383)
—Buddha, The Dhammapada.
References and Links
Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011. (Link)
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. Retrieved from https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=386
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