Category: Real Life Dharma

What is Karma and What isn't Karma? And Why It Matters. [UPDATED]

9/27/2021

Perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood concepts in all of buddhism and eastern philosophy: karma explained.

What is Karma really? Is our life predetermined or do we have agency? And what does it have to do with who we are or what we experience?

In this short article, we will cover what Karma is and what it isn't; how it relates to destiny and free-will; and, its relationship to your happiness and your peace-of-mind.

Before I start, let me get this out of the way right upfront: Karma is not a universal morality system; it's not a bad behaviour boomerang. In Buddhism, there is no deity watching over anyone, rewarding do-gooders and smiting wrong-doers.

So, what is Karma then?

5 Comments

How to Make Progress Toward Buddhist Enlightenment

5/5/2021

7 Comments

Until you learn how to turn your meditation and dharma practice into progress, you will never experience Buddhist awakening, streamentry, or the benefits of your practice.

In this reply to a student question, I cover the basics of making real progress with your dharma and meditation practice; how to cultivate it; and, why doing so is so important to attaining Awakening and Enlightenment. Because this is an email to a student, it assumes a certain understanding of Buddhism on the part of the reader.

Thank you for your question; it can be easy to learn about Buddhism without actually knowing anything about how to actually turn all this Buddhism stuff into actual practice. And without practice, it follows that we can't actually get good at it, and if we can't get good at it, then peace of mind, happiness, and enlightenment will forever be out of reach. In order to get good at Buddhism, you must learn how to turn every moment into actual practice of the Buddha's teachings. It's shocking how many teachers don't even mention this critical part.

"Practising in every moment" is probably the most important thing I do as a Buddhist. Everything, absolutely everything, must be regarded through the lens of the dhamma; and, every moment must be regarded and leveraged as another opportunity to practice peace, harmony, and compassion. :)

Without understanding how to do this, progress along the Buddhist path is simply not possible, which explains why it is that so many people can be "Buddhists" and yet how so many don't seem to think, speak, or act anything like how Buddhists are expected to behave. It also explains why so many people, despite so much time and effort on- and off-the-cushion, can't seem to calm their minds beyond the confines of those cushions nor develop the virtuous qualities that they spend so much time reading about, and so, they still struggle to apply the teachings and truly practice (to get better) when faced with even trivial challenges in life.

This is a field of practice that I call 'Practical Buddhism.' And practice means pulling Buddhism out of the pages and off of the cushion and thrusting it front-and-center into the real world, such as at work, at home, and in life.

So, how does one practice in "every moment" of life?

Great question, let's dig in!

7 Comments

How to Nurture Your "Buddha Nature" to Develop a Strong Sense of Happiness.

3/8/2021

12 Comments

Each one of us has the seed to be unshakeably happy and peaceful; and you don't have to be a Buddhist to have it.
(Alt. Title: Recognising and connecting with your inner-goodness cultivates happiness)

In this article, we will cover what Buddha Nature is, how to recognise it, nurture it, cultivate it, and leverage it for happiness and Enlightenment.

Buddha nature is not extensively covered in most popular Dharma books and many practitioners have only a loose understanding of the topic.

As with all of the "big" topics in Buddhism, Buddha nature is deep and profound and entire volumes are written on this topic. This article serves to introduce and re-enforce the concept for those who are newer to the idea or would like to learn a bit more about it and how it can benefit their practice. The more you practice, the more you will come to recognise the qualities of Buddha nature flowing from you and the clearer and more practical your Buddha nature will be to you.

So what is "Buddha Nature"?

12 Comments

Practical Guide to Patience & Tolerance for Real Buddhists Practitioners

2/10/2021

0 Comments

Patience isn't a reward that is granted by praying for it, it's a skill that is cultivated by practicing it.

In this Q&A, we will learn about how Buddhists view and approach the teachings on kindness, tolerance, acceptance, and patience with others.

Q1: Unalome tattoos are gaining in popularity among non-Buddhist women, and though it is a beautiful symbol with a very powerful meaning I was wondering if people within the Buddhist community find offence with non-Buddhists getting these sacred symbols tattooed on their bodies?

Q2: I guess I'm wondering where the balance is between personal significance and cultural appropriation for you and if seeing these images on non-Buddhists is offensive?

Hi Lily,

Thank you for your email and your interesting questions. Let's dive right in...

0 Comments

Pity vs Compassion. How to spot the difference - Buddhism Explained Q&A

1/8/2021

7 Comments

Be a compassion expert by learning to stop pity at its root.

Great question, compassion and pity are quite commonly misunderstood. And this is equally relevant to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

While entire schools of Buddhism are anchored on the concept of compassion, and many compendia have been written on the topic, here's an easy way to spot the difference:

7 Comments

The Altruistic Intention: What People Get Wrong About Buddhism, Enlightenment, and Bodhisattvas.

11/2/2020

7 Comments

Dispelling a very common myth about the Altruistic Intention and the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path; and how it applies to your practice and attaining enlightenment.

In this article we will (1) learn about the Buddhist Altruistic Intention: what it is, what it isn't, and how it applies to Bodhisattvas and to your practice. We will also briefly (2) review what Buddhist enlightenment is and what it means to be "enlightened."

Before we start, let's knock down some misbeliefs right now.

Mahayana Bodhisattvas and Nirvana: What People Get Wrong

Three Common Misbeliefs I Hear About Mahayana Bodhisattvas and/or the Mahayana Dharma:

Belief #1: Bodhisattvas vow not to enter into nirvana until they have helped all beings to liberation. This is not true.
Belief #2: Mahayana Buddhists must not directly pursue stream-entry or enlightenment. This is not true.
Belief #3: Being motivated to attain enlightenment-in-this-life is both selfish and Hinayana. This is not true.

These are remarkably common misunderstandings of the Mahayana Bodhisattava Path and the Altruistic Intention to guide others, and spending some time to understand the root texts and commentaries can help us to better understand the intent and esoteric meanings of the teachings on this concept that hold us back from true progress along the Path.

But short of doing that—and before we jump into the concept of the Altruistic Intention—it's helpful to understand at a very high-level what enlightenment is to a Buddhist practitioner and what the implications are of attaining it, even partially.

So let's jump right in and begin!

7 Comments

Buddhist Renunciation for Laypersons Explained (a practical how-to guide)

9/27/2020

3 Comments

Renunciation is about wanting to put an end to Samsara: the endless cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

In this short article, we will cover what Renunciation is and what it isn't for lay-practitioners; how to cultivate it; and, why it's so important to attaining Awakening and Enlightenment.

Buddhist Renunciation isn't about asceticism or giving up pleasures and the finer things of life; believe it or not, you can renounce and still have those things. Rather, genuine Renunciation is about rejecting our unskilful attachments to the things that make us unhappy.

Don't worry, this will all make sense shortly.

So, what is and what isn't Buddhist Renunciation, more specifically?

3 Comments

Stop Meditating on Emptiness: You're Wasting Your Time - Buddhism Explained

6/23/2020

3 Comments

A unique approach to finally understanding sunyata that actually works for practice, growth, and Enlightenment.

I have problems trying to understand Emptiness. I even struggle at finding a better way of putting the idea of Emptiness or No-self as it is explained in dharma books and dharma talks into my own words. I suspect the causes will be in no small part because I am not fully understanding the subject in enough depth and therefore struggle in putting it into my own words, like the bowl with the holes in it, I discover it has all seeped away and just isn’t happening yet! I also don’t want to just parrot back words, I want to understand it enough to understand it with confidence and some insight.

- G.R.

Hi G.R.,

Emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) is an challenging topic for the uninitiated and it presents an almost impossible learning curve to beginners who are just starting to explore the Buddhist path...

3 Comments

The Importance of Thinking About Death (and how it can help you) - Buddhism

5/13/2020

6 Comments

Despite common misconceptions, buddhists are not obsessed with death, they are obsessed with happiness.

What is the point of thinking about death? Is it morbid or is it useful? And how can it be used by non-Buddhists to cope with dying, death, or loss?

Ask a Buddhist what the leading cause of death is, and the Buddhist will say: "birth."

While it's true that Buddhism has a deep interest in the subject of Death, it is just a true to say that Buddhism has a deep interest in a great number of the things that seem to plague the human experience. However, the comfort with which Buddhists can talk about Death seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable and, as a result, it gets over-played in our media and culture.

So why does Buddhism have such a focus on Death?

6 Comments

Analytical Meditation: What is it and how to do it - Buddhism Explained (Q&A Part Two)

4/21/2020

5 Comments

A very powerful, yet simple-to-understand practice.

Hi Michael, it's nice to see you again too. Thank you so much for the help. Let me see if I understand it clearly: what I usually end up doing is re-wording the meaning of the text, mainly so I can work with it in my head using my native language. So should I also meditate on the words longer in order to burn the meaning into my core? Would that would be the right thing to do if I don't need to know the exact words?

- Nadia V.

Hi Nadia,

Thank you for your question to clarify your understanding.

We want to move away from recitations and start down the path of analytical meditation to help you get around your short-term memory issues; and rote memorisation does little for our understanding and insight, memory issues or not.

So how do you meditate analytically? While there is a reason entire books and courses are written on this single topic, here is a simple process that you can use to start doing it today.

First of all, what is "analytical meditation" and how is it used?

5 Comments

Dharma: How to Correctly Practice & Study It

4/18/2020

0 Comments

Proper Mindfulness and Meditation Practices

I have a problem with my ability to meditate, in 2015 something happened to me and my short-term memory has been affected ever since, so now I have a really hard time memorising the texts. So, I decided to just keep the texts with me (in-hand) and read them, but it feels so artificial. I had the exact same problem during a recent retreat and I don’t know how to handle it. Should I just make an extra effort until I memorize it all, allowing myself to just "be peaceful" and read, or should I skip the recitation part entirely?

- N. V.

Hi N.,

So nice to see you again.

I can understand how it can be frustrating or feel limiting to have your short-term memory affect your ability to meditate or memorise the buddhadharma. I have good news: it doesn't have to be! May I offer an alternative to "artificially reading" the texts or skipping the recitation part entirely?

The purpose of the Dharma is neither memorisation nor recitation; at least not in its true sense. However, we can use

0 Comments

Row, Row, Row Your (Dharma) Boat...

4/13/2020

4 Comments

a simple sing-along or chant that can be used as a teaching tool or a reminder practice.

This may seem silly and frivolous, but in these challenging times, it's nice to have more fodder for positive thoughts than negative ones, and I know many people are ruminating a lot on what they see as a pretty negative future-state. :(

I was asked by a student to write a short mantra that she could remember to use with her children (and herself) as she saw fit, so I took a ubiquitous and popular children's song and I tweaked and reinterpreted it with deeper Buddhist meanings.

4 Comments

Forgiveness: it's about our relationship with ourself.

4/6/2020

1 Comment

Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.

Forgiveness is really not about someone else’s harmful behavior; it’s about our relationship with our own past. When we begin to work on forgiveness, it's firstly a self-care practice for ourselves.

Forgiveness and patience are critical to being able to cultivate your ability to develop inner peace-of-mind and happiness.

1 Comment

True Buddhist Compassion: A Purse Snatching in Prague.

3/30/2020

0 Comments

I had intended to write about something else entirely, but I experienced something that reminded me that compassion is seeing beyond actions and understanding that all people have problems and are trying to be happy, and I wanted to share this story.

To set the context to some extent: I am an American expat and Buddhist practitioner currently residing in Prague, the Czech Republic. Prague is known to be one of the safest large-cities on the planet, and certainly ranks near the top of the safest cities in Europe list. I always feel safe in this city, regardless of time of day or location.

0 Comments

The Sagacious Buddhist Blog.
practical dharma teachings. questions|answers. essays.

What is Karma and What isn't Karma? And Why It Matters. [UPDATED]

How to Make Progress Toward Buddhist Enlightenment

How to Nurture Your "Buddha Nature" to Develop a Strong Sense of Happiness.

Practical Guide to Patience & Tolerance for Real Buddhists Practitioners

Pity vs Compassion. How to spot the difference - Buddhism Explained Q&A

The Altruistic Intention: What People Get Wrong About Buddhism, Enlightenment, and Bodhisattvas.

Buddhist Renunciation for Laypersons Explained (a practical how-to guide)

Stop Meditating on Emptiness: You're Wasting Your Time - Buddhism Explained

The Importance of Thinking About Death (and how it can help you) - Buddhism

Analytical Meditation: What is it and how to do it - Buddhism Explained (Q&A Part Two)

Dharma: How to Correctly Practice & Study It

Row, Row, Row Your (Dharma) Boat...

Forgiveness: it's about our relationship with ourself.

True Buddhist Compassion: A Purse Snatching in Prague.

Subscribe.

Categories.
(Spring 2020 and newer only.)

Archives.
(Spring 2020 and newer only.)

Author.

The Sagacious Buddhist Blog.practical dharma teachings. questions|answers. essays.

Subscribe.

Categories.(Spring 2020 and newer only.)

Archives.(Spring 2020 and newer only.)

Author.

The Sagacious Buddhist Blog.
practical dharma teachings. questions|answers. essays.

Categories.
(Spring 2020 and newer only.)

Archives.
(Spring 2020 and newer only.)