What did the Buddha "awaken" to 2,600 years ago? It was "Dependent Origination"! This teaching is so fundamental to Buddhism, that it is where all the other things we focus on, such as karma, rebirth, five aggregates/skandhas, not self, etc., come from.

Learn more about Dependent Origination in this episode!

Want to try something special for your Buddhist practice this year? Mix in a monthly focus that compliments your daily practice! Join me in incorporating the Threefold Training throughout the year and be exposed to different Buddhist practices.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:30 The Eightfold Path & Threefold Training

02:00 The 12 Month Plan

03:27 Wisdom

11:26 Conduct & Morality

19:00 Concentration

28:12 Conclusion

Get the 12 Month Practice Graphic: https://alanpeto.gumroad.com/l/BuddhismGraphics

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Can a Western Buddhist participate in Western holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving? What about Buddhist or country specific holidays? Let's explore in this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:05 Western Buddhism and Western holidays

00:30 should I engage in Western holidays?

01:22 finding Buddhism in western holidays

01:55 the path as a Buddhist with western holidays

03:15 Buddhist qualities, beliefs, ethics

04:00 engaging in the world as it is

06:07 going to church

08:40 doing complimentary activities

08:59 what about Thanksgiving or 4th of July?

11:54 you don't have to be the outlier

12:44 Buddhist and country/culture specific holidays

16:25 Conclusion

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How can you, as a lay-Buddhist, "be like The Buddha" in your daily life? Here are my five observations about the Buddha and his life that we can incorporate into our life!

00:00 - Introduction

05:00 - Mindfulness

10:18 - Generosity

13:08 - Precepts

18:00 - Compassion

21:22 - Concentration

25:18 - Conclusion

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The most chanted, studied, and copied sutra in the Buddhist world is the Heart Sutra. Found in most traditions that follow Mahayana Buddhism (the path of the Bodhisattva) chant this sutra daily. It teaches the profound nature of Prajna or supreme wisdom into the nature of "emptiness" and the teaching of not-self so that fear is ended, enlightenment achieved, and Nirvana realized.

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Mahayana Buddhism makes up the largest branch of Buddhism, and they follow the "Bodhisattva Path". What is that and why is it so important to them? A Bodhisattva is an enlightened being that practices for themselves and others and makes great vows to eventually become a Buddha. It provided a way for all people, not just monastics, to actively progress on the Buddhist path.

Read the article: https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhism-hard-times/

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Impermanence in Buddhism is so important and central to our practice that we can't ignore it. However, it is also a very hard concept to understand. The Buddha essentially said that all conditioned things (that includes you and me) are every changing, impermanent, and interdependent on other things to exist. Because our existence is temporary in nature, thus impermanence, it is of the nature to be dukkha or suffering. This continual forced rebirth is the problem. But, when we fundamentally understand impermanence and our impermanent nature (and that of other things) we can be freed from the Three Fires/Poisons that create karma, force continued rebirth. Then can we reside in our true state of Nirvana and no longer have forced rebirth - breaking the cycle.

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Do Buddhists "repent"? Yes! And it's not what you think. Repentance in Buddhism is a fundamental part of Buddhist practice because it helps us "get out" the misdeed/transgression of the five precepts we created so that we can understand why, ask for help, and set an aspiration of action and cultivation of good deeds. This is important because morality/conduct is part of the Buddha's teachings and essential for enlightenment. As human beings, we sometimes go "off the path" in Buddhism and as we repent, we make ourselves aware of that so we can prevent it in the future. It's a wholesome practice that is firmly rooted in Buddhism.

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Check out episode three (3) of this podcast for the first part! In this new episode, I talk about more misconceptions you may have heard about Buddhism in the West. Here are the misconceptions covered in this episode: "The Buddha was just a regular guy", "There are no gods in Buddhism", "The Pali Canon in Theravada is the oldest", "Zen is not part of Mahayana", and "There is only one Buddha".

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