Blog
Hello and welcome to my blog!
This blog will be about Buddhism. ‘Oh! not another one,’ I hear you say. Well, yes but…
There are many great blogs on Buddhism as a religion and even more on Buddhism as a philosophy. I am writing about Buddhism as a way of life, which means there is no Buddhist jargon or dogma. It is not based in the metaphysical world, but has its feet planted firmly on this planet. It is easy to follow and practical. I use the Buddha’s early teachings as the blogs foundation, and explain them in a way that is relevant to your life today. You will find some of what I am going to write about in my books, ‘The Best Way To Catch A Snake’ and ‘Life’s Meandering Path.’ You may also follow Buddhism Guide on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you enjoy the blog. Feel free to give me feedback, as I love to hear other people’s views.
Seven Ingredients for a Good Meditation
I suppose, I should firstly say that we should not be characterising our meditation practice as good and bad, even though comparisons come easy to us. What I am actually talking about here are seven ingredients that will make your practice more productive and make it...
The Seven Factors of Awakening
The seven factors of awakening are qualities that lead us to awakening and also describe the awakened mind. These seven factors are considered the most important qualities in helping us along our spiritual path towards awakening our minds. So, we begin to see things...
A Sense of Self
In Buddhism, one of the most difficult teachings for people to understand is anatman or non-self. The doctrine states that in humans there is no permanent entity that can be called a self or a soul. This denial of "any Soul or Self" is what distinguishes Buddhism from...
Can we forgive the unforgivable?
When you have lost a loved one through a terrorist act, a drunken driver or an act of violence, how do you forgive the unforgivable? Does forgiveness mean we just accept what has happened and we surrender to defeat? No, forgiveness is not about helplessly accepting,...
Eight Verses of Thought Transformation – Part Four
This is the fourth, and final, part of ‘Eight Verses of Thought Transformation.’ In this blog, I discuss verses 7 and 8. 7. In short, I will offer directly and indirectly Every benefit and happiness to all beings. I will practice quietly taking upon myself All their...
Eight Verses of Thought Transformation – Part Three
This is the third part of ‘Eight Verses of Thought transformation.’ In this blog, I discuss verses 5 and 6. 5. When others, out of jealousy, Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on, I will practice accepting defeat And offering the victory to them. Usually, we would...
Eight Verses of Thought Transformation – Part Two
This is the second part of ‘Eight Verses of Thought transformation.’ In this blog, I discuss verses 3 and 4. 3. In all actions, I will examine my mind And the moment a disturbing attitude arises, Endangering myself and others, I will firmly confront and avert it. It...
Eight Verses of Thought Transformation – Part One
The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation is an important text from Tibetan spiritual writings known as lojong (mind training). The root text was written by the eleventh-century meditator Langri Tangpa Dorje Senghe. These verses explain how we can see life through...
The five spiritual strengths
To enhance and accelerate your progress on your spiritual path, you should train and develop these five strengths and implement them into your daily life. The strengths are taken from the seven-point mind training practice, and they will help build true and lasting...
Being a Better Human
Recently, someone asked me how they could become a good Buddhist and this got me thinking. I believe our goal shouldn't be how to become the best Buddhist, but the best whomever we already are. We were born humans and at our very core we are all the same, so it seems...