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Episode 190 - Renunciation: This is the way

Release Date: 02/02/2024

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

Episode 192 - Solving Anger with Dharma

Buddhism 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...

Important Announcement

Buddhism 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...

More Episodes

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.)

Renunciation, therefore, is not a denial of happiness but a liberation from the cycle of suffering caused by our grasping, exaggerating, and distorting attitude toward pleasure and happiness.

Renunciation creates a profound shift in perspective where we no longer rely on sensory pleasures for happiness. When we realize renunciation, we awake to an unlimited, internal source of happiness.

Whoever, having cut off every fetter,

Does not tremble,

Is unbound and beyond attachment,

I call a brahman

--Buddha, The Dhammapada (Verse 397)

References with 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. Retrieved from https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=396

Je Tsongkhapa (2014). Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhapa, Volume 1 (Kindle). Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor.

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