Episode 186 - Change your view and everything changes
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Release Date: 12/05/2023
Episode 202 - Beyond Good and Bad
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
What if you could instantly reduce stress, anxiety, and worry—not by changing your circumstances, but by changing how you see them? So much of our discomfort comes from labeling things as "good" or "bad," clinging to what we want and resisting what we don't. But what if these labels aren't inherently true? In this episode of Buddhism for Everyone, we'll explore the Buddhist teaching that nothing is truly good or bad on its own—it only appears that way based on our perspective. By understanding this, we gain the ability to meet life's challenges with wisdom, flexibility, and peace. So, if...
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Episode 201 - Welcome Everything
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode, we dive into the very heart of Buddhist wisdom: the Four Noble Truths. These foundational teachings illuminate why we experience suffering and dissatisfaction and the path to inner peace and freedom. Buddha explained that dukkha, translated as suffering or dissatisfaction, arises from craving (attachment) fueled by ignorance. To use these Truths in daily life, Buddhist Teacher JoAnn Fox suggests a powerful practice for letting go of attachment: “Welcome Everything.” Welcome Everything What does it mean to truly embrace life as it unfolds, without clinging or resistance? We...
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Episode 200 - Living Generously
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
What does it mean to live generously? In this episode of Buddhism for Everyone, we explore the subtle ways we can practice abandoning stealing—not just materially, but in the countless small ways we might take without realizing it, like stealing time, being late, or complaining. Living generously is about cultivating a mindset of abundance and integrity. In daily practice, it means transforming our actions into gifts of kindness, consideration, and fairness. Small, mindful shifts can make a big impact on the way we live and interact with the world. Through Buddha's teachings, stories, and...
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Episode 199 - A Disciplined Mind Brings Happiness
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Buddha taught that "A disciplined mind brings happiness." In this episode, we explore how shedding the habits of mind that are harmful to ourselves or others is the key to our own happiness. In the stillness of reflection, we may notice how easily the mind clings to habits that bring harm—to ourselves, to others, to the fragile beauty of our relationships. Perhaps it is anger, rising like a sudden storm, that steals our peace. Or it could be an endless loop of self-criticism that pains us. These are habits of mind that obscure our happiness. When we take up the work of letting go—of...
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Episode 198 - The Five Gatekeepers of Speech
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...
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Episode 197 - Metta Practice
Buddhism 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...
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Episode 196 - Making mindful choices
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...
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Episode 195 - Feel before you act
Buddhism 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...
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Episode 194 - Enjoying without attachment
Buddhism 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...
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Episode 193: Compassion as antidote to anger
Buddhism 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_outlineWithin Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhists are sometimes referred to as "inner beings." What this means is that we turn inward. We learn to cultivate happiness and solve problems by changing our thoughts and actions. Like a sculptor with clay, our mind shapes our experiences. By observing thoughts, feelings, and habits, we gain insight into the workings of the mind. With this awareness, we can transform mental mental states to alleviate suffering.
Understanding that the source of a problem is inside a person doesn't imply blame but highlights our potential for growth and transformation. Recognizing internal causes allows us to engage in practices like mindfulness and meditation to address the root of problems and make real change.
For example, the mind of anger distorts the way a person appears to us. Anger makes a person we normally love seem full of faults and unpleasant. Seeing our loved one through the lens of anger, causes us to see an enemy. By understanding the nature of anger and that its causes are thoughts, feelings, and the habit of anger, we can change these inputs. We could change our angry thoughts that focus on their faults to thoughts of appreciation for them. We can change our feeling to one of compassion for them. Ultimately, through practice, we can change our underlying habit of anger and live in a much more peaceful world. This process holds true for all our habits of mind. When we accept responsibility for our actions, feelings, and mental states, we take a huge step towards addressing the root causes of our problems.
Not by matted hair, not by clan,
Not by birth does one become a brahmin.
The one in whom there is truth and Dharma
Is the one who is pure, is a brahmin (Fronsdale, 2011)
—Buddha, The Dhammapada, Verse 393
References with Links
Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011, pp. 78 (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=393
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