Why is suffering such an essential teaching in Buddhism? When I embarked on my spiritual path, I turned away from Buddhism. My mother was a Buddhist, but she didn't seem all that Buddhist to me. The concept of suffering and the serious nature of my Vietnamese culture did not fit my American identity. I've returned to Buddhism, and now I understand why suffering was good for me. In this episode, Nicole and I talk about how our past suffering shaped who we are today. We go deep. We talk about three layers of suffering. The first layer of suffering is superficial inconveniences that make us anxious, impatient, or angry at that moment. The second layer of suffering comes from things that are not within our control, like diseases or divorce, which are still life altering but manageable. The third layer of suffering is war, death, and suicide. We talked about all of it in twenty-five minutes! It was a two-hour conversation, but we edited down to the nitty-gritty stuff. I hope you enjoy the show. If you want to learn more about how you can manage your mind through Buddhism and NLP, make an appointment with me at [email protected] or visit my website at goodthoughtsnlp.com Want to join Nicole's newsletter for tips and tricks to get rid of your pain naturally? Sign up here: https://natural-health-center.mykajabi.com/opt-in-newsletter. #acne #johhnydepp #suicide #suffering #buddhism #buddhismforwesterners #thichnhathanh #mentalhealth #selfhelp #mindfulness #buddha #buddhistnewbie #venerabletridoa #war #ptsd #viet #vietnamwar

During this episode, Nicole Lentfer and I (Linda O'Neal) revisit Thich Nhat Hanh's Book, Being Present. In the last chapter, he writes 14 Buddhist Principles for Westerners to simplify Buddhism for the modern masses who are new to Buddhism. In our last episode, we tackled Buddhist Principle 1: Be aware of fanatical teachings.

During that episode, I discovered she was an Anti-Vaxxer, which in my opinion, is pretty fanatical. Her view was that public policies surrounding the Covid-Vaccines and other vaccines were too fanatical. I'm not going to lie; I was shook when I learned that she didn't believe in the science behind vaccines. I understood the public's apprehension about the Covid vaccine, but I believe that the vaccine worked. Myself, I've had a Covid shot plus several boosters.

In this episode, we attempt to discuss our viewpoint about vaccines using Buddhist Principle number 2 and 3. Buddhist Principle 2: Be aware of how attached you are to your views. Becoming non-attached to your present views allows you to be open to other people’s insights and experiences.

In short, keep an open mind. Even the most progressive mind can be narrow-minded. Buddhist Principle 3: Do not force your views on others, not even your children. Respect the right of others to be different. Allow people to believe what they want to believe. However, try to help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness through compassionate dialogue.

Compassionate dialogue uses language that brings people together. Our goal was to sway the other person to our perspective without forcing our views on each other. Let us know how we did and how you navigate hard conversations that are politically divisive without offending the other person.

Interested in working with me, Linda O'Neal? I am a trained NLP Practitioner and Mindfulness coach. Call for an appointment: 512-680-7000 Interested in making an appointment with Nicole Lentfer, L.Ac. Acupuncturist? Call for an appointment: (512) 892-3366

Linda O'Neal (goodthoughtsnlp.com) and Nicole Lentfer (Natural Health Center of Austin) discuss Thích Nhất Hạnh's book, Being Present. Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist and the Father of Mindfulness. In his book, there is a chapter called the 14 Principles of Buddhism for Westerners. The first Buddhist principle he writes about is to stay away from fanatical teachings. Nicole is an acupuncturist and a holistic doctor in natural medicine. Linda is an NLP therapist and Mindfulness coach. And while they are very similar in many areas, they find that during their deep dive into this first principle about fanaticism, they are worlds apart in their opinion on vaccines. Linda firmly believes in vaccines and supported mandatory vaccines, and Nicole believes that vaccines, not just the COVID vaccine but all vaccines, should be a choice.

Looking for a counselor? Schedule an appointment with Linda or email: [email protected]

Looking to cure what ails you naturally? Visit Nicole's website 

Download Nicole's PDF about 5 things you can do to get better results from your acupuncture.

Download Linda's PDF about 14 Buddhist Principles for Westerners

Rapper Low Key Moneyy discusses how he kept his head high and his dream alive despite adversity. 

I knew Low Key Moneyy as Montrell. He was in my US history class in 2010. He was a bright kid, very sweet. He had a big heart and an easy laugh.

His father was in prison, he was a homeless teen, and after graduation, he was shot in the head.

How did he survive these traumatic experiences while becoming a successful musician?  Never heard of Low Key Moneyy? He's got fans all over the world. 

Find out what gave him the strength to never give up on his dream. 

And never give up on yours.

Download this free Manifestation worksheet! Make sure you are manifesting good thoughts for a better reality: https://www.goodthoughtsnlp.com/pl/2147591375

Going through a breakup can radically change a person's outlook on life. My friend Jaja and I were supposed to talk about dating apps but our talk took a radical turn when Jaja started talking about the hypocrisy of people on these apps. After his breakup with Ki-Ki, his happy-go-lucky demeanor became dark. When he and Ki-Ki got back together, he still struggled with trust. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ki-Ki, he trusted no one. For him, there was only good or bad and very little in-between. Today we worked through his rigid outlook so that he becomes more accepting of perceived flaws.

Music Credits:

1:20 0:26 Chemistry Makaih Beats Airbit

1:59 0:11 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

2:11 0:31 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

3:34 0:14 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

3:47 0:18 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

4:15 0:35 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

8:06 0:14 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

8:20 1:30 Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - Times 9

At what point did religion in your life did you question or find religion. Our spiritual journeys can be prolific, horrific, or just plain funny. My friend Josie emigrated to the U.S. when she was five. Florida was very different from Denmark. The very first question she had to answer to her peers was, what church do you go to? Here's her story.