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The Bodhisattva Vow: A Path to Compassion and Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhist views on the significance and practice of the Bodhisattva Vow. Embracing the Buddhist path requires letting go of this life’s attachments to focus on improving future lives. Interestingly, by doing so, one often finds that their current life is enhanced significantly, a fact that helps motivate continued practice. To attain tranquility in the…
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Exploring the Six Perfections: Transforming Mind and Spirit by Embracing Buddhist Virtues
Daily life for a Buddhist practitioner is following the Six Perfections in pursuit of enlightenment. The Six Perfections include generosity, ethical conduct, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. They are called Perfections because these practices are all motivated by Bodhichitta, the desire to obtain enlightenment for the sake of others. Similar actions and behaviors that are…
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How to Create a Dry Float Sensory Deprivation Enclosure at Home for Meditation
A dry float tent was far more practical than installing an at-home float tank, and it’s nearly as good for meditation. The call of the mystic When I was in my early teens, I watched the movie Altered States, a horror film based loosely on the life of John C. Lilly, who, among other accomplishments,…
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Turning Anger into Peace: The Transformative Practice of Patient Acceptance
Identifying the causes of anger and mastering the art of patient acceptance to conquer anger. In the Buddha’s Third Noble Truth, he taught that true cessation of human suffering exists. The suffering of jealousy ceases with the practice of rejoicing. See: The Joyful Cure: How Rejoicing Leads to the Cessation of Jealousy The suffering of…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: The Intermediate Scope
A comprehensive overview of the practices associated with the intermediate scope in the Lamrim teachings. The Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim teachings on the intermediate scope focus on progressing beyond the initial stages of spiritual practice and aspiring for liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara). Lamrim teachings emphasize a deeper understanding of the suffering…
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Suffering and Salvation: Understanding the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths were the key insights and first teachings of the Buddha. The Four Noble Truths are foundational teachings in Buddhism, expounded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. They form the core of Buddhist philosophy and provide a framework for understanding the nature of suffering and the path to liberation. Below are…
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Autism Parenting: Replacing Self-Pity with Joy
Parenting special needs children is difficult, but it need not be a lifelong pity party over a burdensome road we must travel. If you are a special needs parent reading this post, what were you looking for? What is it you seek when you read the stories of how other special needs parents coped with…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Developing Renunciation for Samsara
To be happy in this life, you must work toward improving your next one. Developing renunciation for samsara is a fundamental aspect of Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim teachings. Renunciation in this context refers to a sincere and strong desire to be free from the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara) due to its inherent suffering and…
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Right Living, Right Mindfulness: Navigating the Fourth Noble Truth
True spiritual paths lead to true cessations of suffering and complete peace of mind. Siddhārtha Gautama became the Buddha, the awakened one. His first teachings were the Four Noble Truths. The first noble truth in Buddhism acknowledges the fundamental reality of suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) in human existence. It’s important to note that the term…