- The Buddha's 7 Methods for Overcoming Craving
In the Buddha’s view, craving makes us bound to suffer. In MN 2, the Sabbāsava Sutta, he provided seven different strategies we can use to overcome such craving. We’ll look at all seven.
- Why Does the Buddha Emphasize Contentment?
Does searching for contentment in Buddhism mean settling for less out of life? How do we balance contentment with an aspiration for personal growth? We will consider such questions, as well as relate contentment to equanimity in early…
- Buddha's First Sermon: Metaphor, History, Teachings
The sutta on the Rolling Forth of the Wheel of the Dharma is purported to be the Buddha's first sermon. We will consider the relevance of the metaphor of the wheel in this discourse. Then we'll turn to some historical questions and…
- Buddhist Rebirth as Symbol and Metaphor
How do you approach the concept of Buddhist rebirth? Traditionally it's understood literally, which is how the Buddha saw it. But there is another option open to us, which is to take it as a resonant metaphor for the changeable nature of…
- How Was the Buddha Down-to-Earth? Demythologizing Prayer, Deities, and Devotion
How was the Buddha a down-to-earth, pragmatic teacher? In this second video on the subject (the first is linked below) we'll look at some of the ways the Buddha demythologized many deity practices of his day, as well as his skepticism…
- How Was the Buddha Down-to-Earth? Demythologizing Prayer, Deities, and Devotion
How was the Buddha a down-to-earth, pragmatic teacher? In this second video on the subject (the first is linked below) we'll look at some of the ways the Buddha demythologized many deity practices of his day, as well as his skepticism…
- Did the Buddha Teach No Self?
Did the Buddha teach that there was literally no self? We'll look at that question and see what the Buddha had to say about the claim that there was absolutely no self. We'll also look at his broader picture of the self.
- How We Get Caught By Practice: Clinging to Rules and Rituals in Early Buddhism
One of our unskillful underlying tendencies of mind in early Buddhism is that of clinging to rules and rituals. We'll discuss what that is, as well as its potential historical development, and how it may manifest in us today.
- Why Won't the Buddha Answer You? (The Unanswered Questions)
There were many questions that the Buddha refused to answer. We will look at those questions, many of which may interest us today, and consider why the Buddha wouldn't answer them. Then we will consider what this refusal to answer says…
- Equanimity Through Sense Restraint
One of the key ways the Buddha recommended we aim towards an equanimous outlook on life was through sense restraint, otherwise known as "guarding the sense doors". What was that practice? We will discuss it in this video.
- What Continues?
We'll look at one way that was proposed for understanding what of our selves continues from moment to moment. Then we'll see what the Buddha had to say about that: how past, future, and present relate to the self.
- The Buddha on Self and Non-Self
The Buddha's teachings on the self and on non-self are some of his most subtle, interesting, and unique. We'll take a look at them in this video. We'll also compare the Buddha's view of the self with that of western philosophers David…