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Navigating Through the Fog: Understanding the Five Hindrances to Peace of Mind
An insightful look into how the classical obstacles of Buddhism relate to modern challenges in meditation and mindfulness. Most people’s minds are a jumble of disturbing thoughts, moods that rise and fall like waves in stormy seas, and high levels of anxiety. This is not a failing; it’s the natural human condition. Peace of mind…
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Reclaiming Spirituality: How Emotional Entitlement Undermines Gratitude and Compassion
Everyone should undergo an entitlement detox and cleanse their spirit to cultivate gratitude and compassion. The Mahayana path in Buddhism focuses a practitioner on developing compassion so that when enlightenment is achieved, the practitioner will not be trapped in personal bliss and instead work to benefit other beings. Without this compassion training, many who find…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: The Advantages of Cherishing Others
In the pursuit of self, we overlook the path to true fulfillment: embracing the joy of cherishing others above ourselves. Self-centeredness and Prioritizing Personal Desires A self-centered person creates a reality that revolves around themselves. Every event, every conversation, every moment of daily life is judged either good, bad, or unimportant based totally on how…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: The Disadvantages of Self-Cherishing
Chasing individual happiness through selfish means always leads to unhappiness and dissatisfaction. The Primordial Error When I first came into existence as pure, aware consciousness, there was just observation. In the first moment of self-awareness, consciousness observes itself and realizes, “I exist.” Buddhists call this the primordial error. In the next moment comes the feeling,…
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The Enlightened Debate: Can Self-Centered Motives Lead to True Awakening?
Hinayana Buddhists seek enlightenment for themselves, whereas Mahayana Buddhists seek enlightenment in order to benefit others. Which approach is superior? People pursue religious or spiritual paths for a variety of reasons, but two reasons tend to stand out. After the initial inspiration, people may embark on a spiritual path or accept baptism into a religion.…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Equalizing Self with Others
Embracing Universal Compassion: Beyond the Golden Rule to True Altruism. Love your neighbor as yourself. Gospel of Mark 12:31 The common interpretation of this passage is to treat others with the same compassion, kindness, and respect that one would want for oneself. Basically, it’s an instruction to follow the Golden Rule. It’s considered a central…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Remembering the Kindness of All Living Beings
We live in a world full of kindness, but for many, it takes conscious effort to recognize the kindness all around us. The Great Scope meditations of Lamrim, the majority in the sequence, serve to deepen feelings of compassion and extend those feelings to all living beings. The first of the meditations provided the groundwork…
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The Traumatic Stress of American Capitalism
We all pay a steep emotional price for the benefits we obtain from our capitalist system. A dog-eat-dog world Modern economic theory tells us that each person acting through their own selfish desire animates the “invisible hand” of the market. Apparently, this is considered a good thing. Economists would have us believe that nobody acts…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Recognizing That all Living Beings Are Our Mothers
Meditation for developing affectionate love for all beings. Buddhism guides us to examine our natural behaviors and responses, assess the pain they cause, and use our insight to choose more wisely, lessening our suffering and that of others. The Buddha’s teachings highlight the importance of developing equanimity, encouraging us to see ourselves as valueless and…