As we head out of the week of Thanksgiving we consider eating and food in the context of early Buddhist practices.   For those of who are used to eating three meals a day--a very western European way-- the notion of eating on the early Buddhist monastic schedule  of one basic meal a day before noon would seem rather strange if not impossible to hold to.  Of course, we don't go out for alms rounds to obtain our food and our daily schedules are quite different.   There is also the question of our attitude toward food and eating.    In this episode Doug and Jon explore eating as a practice and how meditation and Buddhism impacts (or not!) their food habits.

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For our listeners in the US, we are beginning Thanksgiving week. It's a perfect time to consider gratitude and how it integrates into our lives.  And if you're not in the US it's still a good time!  

As always, thank you all for listening, and for your continued support!

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Perception is one of the Five Aggregates of Clinging and critical to our understanding of self and the world we live in.   It is through mindfulness and our meditation practice that we start to see through the trap of our own perceptions.  We don't see things as they are, we things as we are" (attributed to Anais Nin).

Bhante Gunaratana's book is: Meditation on Perception.

Sutta:
https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato 

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With the upcoming election in the US we will look at politics and Buddhism. Should we allow our Buddhist ideals to influence our voting? What would the Buddha himself have said in the midst of so much partisanship and how do the teachings on "holding to fixed views" fit into our own political dialogues?  Jon and Doug have an animated discussion on this important topic without implying how you should vote.  But you should vote!

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As we record this episode, Elon Musk has recently purchased Twitter. His purchase raises all sorts of questions relevant to Buddhist practice, perhaps most importantly of Right Speech. What should be allowed online? How should we practice on Twitter or other social media platforms?  Does our written communication actually inline with our intent and do we have a sense of how it might land with others?  This is where our mindfulness practice truly makes a difference.

Someone is wrong on the Internet! https://xkcd.com/386/
Key and Peele Text Gone Wrong

Small Kindnesses

By Danusha Laméris

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”

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The Buddha  became a pretty famous guy, but what did fame mean to him?   Did he even think about it?   Fame was not something he sought.  He just taught and became well known through his teachings.   If he had access to social media would he have used it?    Fame and renown is certainly not the secret to happiness but so many strive for it.  Join us as we discuss this interesting topic and what it means to us.

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Doug and Jon discuss the five hindrances that the Buddha had to overcome on the night of his enlightenment. We find them not only cropping up in our formal meditation practice, but in our everyday lives as well. How should we deal with them? We have lots of tips.

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The Five Reflections are a teaching which confronts us directly with the realities of life.   These reflections are the great equalizer-- no matter your status in life,  your income, your age, your race,  your sex, or any of your identities, these Five Reflections are a reminder of what's really true.   
This podcast is a perfect follow-up to Dying before you Dye!

A link to the sutta in which the reflections occur:
https://suttacentral.net/an5.57/en/sujato

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Turning toward death through various meditation practices can be transformative and liberative.   In this episode Doug and Jon discuss how they practice with this and the impact it has had on their lives.

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People often think of Buddhism as a very austere and all about renunciation.  In this episode we discuss the difference between worldly and unworldly pleasures and perhaps can dispel some of these mis-understandings.  

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