- Solitude: Its Advantages and Drawbacks in Buddhist Practice
The Buddha praised solitude as highly beneficial, but he also warned of its dangers. How can we best balance solitude and community in our practice, and how can we cultivate solitude even in our busy everyday lives?
- How To Be A Good Friend: Early Buddhist Teachings On Friendship
Friendship was very important in early Buddhism. I'll discuss what the Buddha had to say about friendship, as well as some key differences between true and false friends.
- Buddhism and Loneliness
We'll look at what the Buddha had to say about solitude and living an uncrowded life, and then turn to how the Buddha's advice can help us to reframe the problem of loneliness. Then we'll turn to two major problems associated with…
- How Buddhist Practice Helps Nurture Happiness
How can we nurture happiness? We'll look at one psychologist's account and how the Buddhist dharma can help us to nurture happiness in our own lives.
- Kindness is Central to Practice!
In difficult times, kindness and friendliness can make a real difference. We'll discuss how kindness is a central part of practice, and how even if we can't make as much of a difference in the world as we would like, there is plenty we…
- Finding Contentment
Can we find a practice that allows us to find contentment with our present life, particularly in the light of the Coronavirus and its effects? We will look at some discussions of the early Buddhist dharma that highlight contentment and…
- Should You Practice Non-Attachment With Those Closest to You?
The practice of non-attachment to all things is at the heart of Buddhism. How can we work with such a practice though when it comes to those closest to us: our friends and family? We will consider this problem and how in fact a…
- Buddhism and Happiness
Do you come to Buddhist practices in order to find greater happiness? We'll discuss what happiness might be, and some pitfalls with it, then turn to some early Buddhist ideas of happiness, and how they might impact our lives today.…
- No Local Meditation Group? Six Solutions.
What should you do if you're having trouble finding a local meditation group? It's one of my most asked questions. I have six different things you might consider doing.