- What I Got Wrong About Buddhism (And What Changed Everything)
Doug reflects on five key lessons he wishes he had understood earlier in his Buddhist practice: misconceptions about meditation, the importance of testing teachings rather than accepting them on faith, treating the Dhamma as tools rather…
- Practicing Buddhist Right Concentration: Encountering the Esoteric
How do we practice Right Concentration in Buddhism? We'll look at various uses of the term "samādhi" (concentration) in early suttas, and then turn to perhaps the main practice of deep meditation that is indicated by Right Concentration.…
- Practicing Buddhist Right Mindfulness: Touching Bedrock
How do we practice Right Mindfulness in Buddhism? We'll look at the traditional Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and what the point is of living a mindful life.
- Practicing Buddhist Right Effort: the Path Has to Be Walked
What is Right Effort in Buddhism, and how is it key to practicing the Eightfold Path? We'll look at the four types of Right Effort, picking out one practice that illustrates each.
- Practicing Buddhist Right Livelihood: Surprisingly Beneficial
What is Right Livelihood in Buddhism? We'll consider the five traditional "wrong livelihoods", and then turn to other manifestations of wrong livelihood mentioned in the early texts. That will help us understand what Right Livelihood…
- Practicing Buddhist Right Action: Avoiding Regret
What does Right Action mean in Buddhist practice? We'll consider the various aspects of Right Action along with difficult or nuanced cases, some from the Buddhist tradition itself.
- Practicing Buddhist Right Speech: Pervasive, Wise, and Difficult
How can we practice Right Speech in Buddhism? We'll consider the four aspects of Right Speech as well as several important nuances suggested by the Buddha's own example that we should consider when putting them into practice in our daily…
- How Does Buddhism Help Us Accept Mortality?
One aim of Buddhism is to help us accept our mortality and so come to terms with death. We'll look at how his mortality was the Buddha's concern when he began his search, how coming to terms with mortality functions in various forms of…
- Discovering the Path of Right Effort: Buddha's Surprising Recommendation to Preserve
Right Effort in Buddhist practice has four aspects. The fourth aspect is that of "preservation", and it has some shocking aspects. What does it mean, and how can we practice with it?
- The Hierarchy of Pleasures in Early Buddhism
What role did pleasure have to play in the Buddha's teaching? We'll look at the hierarchy of pleasures that the Buddha described, some of its paradoxes, and where it might lead us to understand the dharma better.
- The Fourth Jhana in Early Buddhism
We'll look at what the fourth jhana is in early Buddhism by considering its definition and the simile the Buddha provides to illustrate its character. We'll also consider some of the paradoxical nature of the early Buddhist approach to…
- The Third Jhana in Early Buddhism
We'll look at what the third jhana is in early Buddhism by considering its definition and the simile the Buddha provides to illustrate its character. We'll also consider some of the controversies over the jhana similes.
- The Second Jhana in Early Buddhism
We'll look at what the second jhana is in early Buddhism by considering its definition and the simile provided to illustrate its character.
- The First Jhana in Early Buddhism
What is the first jhana of early Buddhism? We'll look first at the idea of jhana and its role in the Buddha's search for enlightenment. Then we'll turn to the definition of the first jhana, what its various terms might mean, and finally…
- The Five Precepts of Buddhism: Historical Roots in Early Teachings
What are the five precepts of Buddhism? Where did they come from and why should we practice them? We will look at these questions in this video.
- Buddhist Right Speech and Promoting Social Justice
The Buddhist ideal of right speech counsels us to avoid harsh or divisive speech, but sometimes when pursuing social justice we may need to speak out. We will also look at the related topic of so-called "tone policing" online and how it…
- Buddhist Right Speech: How Does it Relate to Free Speech?
How do Buddhist right speech and ideals of free speech interrelate? We will look at a little of the history of free speech in the West, in particular how aspects of speech are not really free. We will then compare that to right speech,…