Buddhist Path

Seeking refuge and protection from suffering with the 3 jewels Taking refuge is a fundamental Buddhist practice. It may be considered the initial practice because it signifies that we want to engage with Buddhism. We have in some way decided that Buddhism is the set of tools, if you like, that we want to live [...]

In Buddhism and other ancient traditions, including yoga, training in morality is considered a precursor to meditation practice. At the same time, it’s understood that meditating can strengthen our capacity to act in an ethical manner. Meditation and morality go hand in hand, and each supports the practice of the other. The practice and development [...]

Multiple times throughout the course of his life, the Buddha taught the four noble truths. The first of these is that life is suffering. Fortunately, this is followed by the truth that suffering has a cause, can be ended, and that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering. But what is [...]

Understanding the Four Noble Truths (Path to the End of Suffering) The 4 noble truths of Buddhism are central to the Theravada tradition, yet recognized by all schools of Buddhism as illuminating the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. These four facts introduce us to the truth that yes, there is great pain in life. But [...]

Blind Faith is Discouraged (What We Can Learn from The Buddha?) Some people have difficulty with the word faith, and understandably so. It’s ok to be cautious of blind faith, which can leave us vulnerable to getting duped or disappointed by people or ideas who may not be worthy of our trust. And yet, faith [...]

Taking Refuge in the 3 Jewels Of Buddhism When we’re suffering, it’s natural to try and seek refuge, or shelter from our pain. Until we’ve found a spiritual path, we might seek refuge in medication, therapy, material objects, food, other people, or in particular places. None of these things, however, is capable of offering us [...]

Every authentic spiritual tradition offers us some form of guidance for ethical living. The ten non-virtues of Buddhism teach us which activities to avoid if we want to live a life of greater peace, happiness and ease. Why Ethical Behavior Matters At the foundation of any spiritual path you’ll find some type of mandated ethical [...]

What Is Spiritual Bypassing? Definition, Levels, and Examples Most people turn towards meditation and a more spiritual life because they want to feel better. They desire a life of less stress, discomfort and pain, and want to connect to greater ease, wellbeing, joy and abundance. This is a very good reason to meditate. But [...]

The 3 wisdoms of attentive listening, contemplating and meditating Have you ever read or heard something you found fascinating, eye-opening and potentially life-changing, only to forget about it the next day? As you resumed your usual daily activities, that information went by the wayside, and it was back to old habits for you, despite your [...]

Recognizing the law of impermanence: Come back to this present moment What meditation does, to put it very dramatically but, I think, correctly, is allow us to experience birth and death in every moment. Ordinarily, we cling so much to the idea of solidity that we don’t notice that we’re changing right now (whether we [...]

Meditation can change the trajectory of our lives The idea of karma is that what we’ve got on our plate right now has been concocted out of the thousands of choices we’ve made all along the line. These choices then motivated actions that contributed to who we are, with all of our strengths and weaknesses. [...]

Benefits of integrating discipline, meditation and wisdom Many people are initially drawn to meditation because of its proven physical and mental health benefits. Once practice has become a regular part of your life, you may begin to suspect that the anticipated benefits are just the beginning—and you’d be right. Wondering where meditation could lead you? [...]

Meditation teaches us to be generous in our everyday lives. In meditation watching the breath with mindfulness is a very generous way to spend quality time with ourselves. Through this we create lots of space in our minds—simply letting things be as they are is itself a generous act. From meditation, our generosity can expand [...]