Did you know that the Buddha actually had two mothers?  His mother, Maya, passed away just a few days after he was born.  His aunt became his stepmother and raised him as her own.  At a basic level, this doesn't speak much about Buddhism until you realize how important these two women were.  One gave birth to the Buddha of our era (in a very supernatural way), and the other helped create the conditions for young Siddhartha to eventually become the Buddha.  And his stepmother would be the one that pushed for female monastics (and became the first nun).  Learn more in this Mother's Day episode to two amazing mothers of the Buddha.

Read the Article:  https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddha-mothers-day/

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Easter is celebrated by Christians around the world.  But does Buddhism have a similar resurrection story?  Yes and no.  While Jesus and the Buddha were two different people, religions, and paths, we can find some similarities between their stories and "resurrection".

Read the article here:  https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-easter/

In order for Siddhartha Gautama to become the Buddha, his belief in “self” needed to die.  When this occurred, his true natural state of Nirvana was resurrected.

Nirvana is within all of us, but we fail to see it. Siddhartha's enlightenment is celebrated by Buddhists as an inspiration for us to continue our efforts towards that same goal.

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If you live in a country where Buddhism is not the major religion, it can be overwhelming to begin with for many.  However, if you just follow three straightforward steps you can correctly begin your journey in the religion!

Episode Time Bookmarks:

1:25 - Understanding Buddhism

8:05 - Practicing Buddhism

18:00 - Triple Gem Refuge (Becoming a Buddhist)

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When challenging times happen to us, we can easily become overwhelmed with the situation.  While we are following the advice of professionals during these times, we can sometimes lose our Buddhist practice.  We may feel that there isn't a way to practice Buddhism, or perhaps it is the furthest thing from your mind.

As Buddhists, we can and should practice Buddhism even during these challenging times.  In this episode, I'll explain three parts to continue practicing:  Faith, Effort, and an adaptive Practice to meet the needs of the situation.

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

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One of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha is that we do not have a permanent, unchanging, and independent "self".  However, we believe we do have such a "self", and as a result, we engage in karmic actions that trap us in the cycle of rebirth, which means continual rebecoming in new existences, which is suffering because they are impermanent.  Buddhist practice is focused on breaking down this illusionary belief in a self so we can encounter our true self and existence which is impermanent, ever-changing, and interdependent on other phenomena.  When we do this, we can live in our natural state of Nirvana free of the Three Fires/Poisons of ignorance, greed, and anger.

Have a question or comment?  Send me a message via my site at alanpeto.com/contact

Karma can be a misunderstood term in our world since it has crept into our everyday conversations with "good karma" and "bad karma".  But for Buddhists, it is an important part of the religion because it is something one wants to both transform, and ultimately end creating karma that keeps them bound to the cycle of rebirth.  Enlightened beings, such as the Buddha, created Karma 'without outflows' meaning it is the karma of an enlightened being who is no longer creating karmic actions that are unskillful and reinforcing (and binding) the false idea of a permanent 'self'.  Instead, it is karma where one has a clear and fundamental understanding of the world and how to properly interact in it.  

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The "Threefold Training" is based upon the Buddha's Eightfold Path to practice Buddhism that leads to enlightenment and Nirvana.  It is the way to end the Three Fires of greed, anger, and ignorance/delusion which would then lead to your true state of Nirvana (which is devoid of the Three Fires).  The Threefold Training is practiced by the different Buddhist traditions in different ways but can ultimately be found in all the different practices, rituals, ceremonies, and other things found within them.

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The world-famous Buddhist monk Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in January 2022 at the age of 95.  He left behind a legacy of monasteries, local groups, books, and millions of followers.  In this episode, I'd like to reflect on what I feel is some of his key teachings and some things that are often overlooked by Westerners about him.  If you are new to him and would like a book recommendation, "The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings" (https://amzn.to/3rDtSGJ) is one of his most popular introductory books on Buddhism.  The other book I mentioned in this podcast about Pure Land Buddhism is called "Finding Our True Home" (https://amzn.to/3slw4Sg).

Read my article on Thich Nhat Hanh:  https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/thich-nhat-hanh-life-lessons/

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As an Amazon Associate, the link to the books above is on Amazon and provides Alan a small commission if you choose to purchase.  This does not affect the price to you.