Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox

For the average person, Moments of anger are inevitable. They can flare up in response to various triggers, from personal frustrations to global injustices. However, according to the Buddha's teachings, there is a powerful antidote to this destructive emotion: compassion. In Buddhism, compassion is revered as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards healing and awakening.

At the heart of Buddhist philosophy lies the understanding of interconnectedness. Understanding interconnectedness leads to an awareness that everything we do as an individual affects the rest of humanity. It is also the idea that all beings are deeply interconnected by sharing a common desire for happiness and freedom from suffering. This fundamental principle forms the basis for cultivating compassion to overcome anger.

Compassion is not merely a lofty ideal but a practical tool for navigating the complexities of human emotions. Buddha invites us to embrace the humanity in others, even in moments of conflict and turmoil. Through the lens of compassion, Buddha reminds us that every soul carries its burdens, and every heart yearns for solace and peace.

In the face of anger, Buddha encourages us to pause and breathe. Witness the storm raging within with gentleness and understanding. Like a fragile bloom breaking through rocks, we can nurture the seeds of compassion within our hearts, even in the harshest environment.

Buddha's teachings invite us to reclaim our power from the clutches of anger. No one benefits more from our patience and compassion than we do!

Compassion can be like a warm embrace—soothing our weariness as we acknowledge the pain and struggles everyone faces. By extending compassion to others, we dissolve the barriers that separate us.

Relying on compassion as an antidote to anger requires daily mindfulness—the awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and actions in the present moment. Through mindfulness, we observe the arising of anger without becoming consumed by it. Instead of feeding our painful feelings with angry thoughts, we feed them with thoughts of compassion towards that person. Rather than suppressing our emotions, we acknowledge them with compassion and guide them to pass without causing harm.

By cultivating compassion, we can overcome the grip of anger and replace the habit with a sense of connection and harmony with all beings. In a world filled with turmoil and conflict, may we each strive to embody compassion and sow the seeds of peace and understanding wherever we go.

In this episode, JoAnn Fox guides a meditation called taking and giving that helps us develop compassion toward someone who makes us angry or that we have some resentment toward.

To practice taking and giving meditation with someone you feel anger toward:

1. Begin by visualizing the person in front of you.
2. Try to recognize their humanity, acknowledge that they experience suffering and desire happiness just like you.
3. Consider the ways in which this person suffers.
4. Imagine a day walking in their shoes. What causes them pain or frustration?
5. Contemplate how you make them suffer.

This meditation not only transforms your relationship with this person, but it also creates inner peace and harmony in your life.

Him I call a brahmana, who is free from anger, who practises austerity, who is virtuous and free from craving, who is controlled in his senses and for whom this body (i.e., existence) is the very last.

--Buddha, The Dammapada, Verse 400

References with Links

Buddha (1986).The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories. Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A. (Website). Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon. Courtesy .of Nibbana.com. For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma. Retrieved from https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=400

Je Tsongkhapa (2014). Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhapa, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Kindle). Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor.

Find us at the links below:

To learn about the Buddhist Study Group or Courses, visit our Website: BuddhismforEveryone.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone

Facebook Group: Join our private group at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhism.with.joann.fox

In this episode, we explore the antidotes to the three poisons — greed, anger, and ignorance. The three poisons are the fundamental sources of suffering. Join us to discover how generosity counters greed, loving-kindness conquers anger, and the realization of emptiness opposes ignorance. Explore the transformative power of applying ancient wisdom to today's busy life.

Anger blinds individuals to compassion and disrupts our inner peace. Anger is also the most potent destroyer of good karma. Greed, or attachment, arises from the craving for possessions, experiences, or people. Attachment leads to a perpetual cycle of desire and dissatisfaction. Ignorance is a lack of understanding of the true nature of reality, which causes the poisons of anger, attachment, and all other delusions, such as jealousy, pride, etc. Overcoming these three poisons through mindfulness, wisdom, and ethical conduct is crucial for attaining enlightenment and freeing oneself from cycles of suffering.

The three mental poisons explained by Buddha:

• ignorance
• attachment (also called craving)
• anger (also called hatred or ill will)

The practices that act as antidotes to the three mental poisons:

• Wisdom opposes ignorance
• Generosity opposes attachment
• Loving-kindness opposes anger

1. Generosity opposes Greed/Attachment

Giving without expecting something in return loosens the grip of attachment (also referred to as greed or craving in Buddhism). Attachment arises from a misperception of scarcity. We may think we don't have enough love, money, success, beauty, etc., to be happy. The belief that there's not enough leads us to cling to possessions, relationships, or experiences out of fear of lacking. Generosity changes this perception of scarcity in several ways.

Generosity is a powerful antidote to attachment by helping us accept impermanence, cultivate gratitude, and embrace simplicity. Through these practices, we transform our relationship with material possessions and move towards a simpler and more content way of life.

1. Loving-kindness Opposes Anger

Hatred, or aversion, is rooted in the delusion that some people or groups are separate from us. This can be remedied with the practice of loving-kindness, or metta. By consciously cultivating goodwill for both ourselves and our “enemies,” we neutralize the impact of this poison and open a space in which we can become aware of the true roots of hatred in our own wounds. As James Baldwin said, “One of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”

1. Wisdom Realising Emptiness Oppeses Ignorance

The cultivation of wisdom, particularly the realization of emptiness (Shunyata), stands in opposition to ignorance. Ignorance is the root cause of suffering (dukkha). The cultivation of wisdom realizing emptiness opposes ignorance by challenging misconceptions about the nature of reality. Embracing the concept of emptiness leads to an understanding of interdependence, the impermanent nature of all phenomena, and the absence of inherent existence. This wisdom is a transformative force that liberates us from the cycle of suffering.

I do not call him a brahmana just because he is born from the womb of a brahmana mother.

He is just a bhovadi brahmin if he is not free from moral defilements.

Him I call a brahmana, who is free from moral defilements and from attachment. (Verse 396)

--Buddha, the Dhammapada

References with Links

Buddha (1986).The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories. Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A. (Website). Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon. Courtesy .of Nibbana.com. For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma. Retrieved from https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=396

Je Tsongkhapa (2014). Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhapa, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Kindle). Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor.

Find us at the links below:

Website: BuddhismforEveryone.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone

Facebook Group: Join our private group at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhism.with.joann.fox

This episode explores the art of ethical living, guided by the practice of restraint. Restraint involves intentionally moderating and controlling one's actions, speech, and thoughts. We cultivate restraint to minimize the harm we cause and to build the foundation for spiritual development. A good guide for our practice of restraint is the Five Precepts. The Five Precepts were given to his lay (not ordained) followers as ethical guidelines that include the vow to abstain from killing, stealing, engaging in sexual misconduct, lying, and becoming intoxicated.

How to practice the ethical discipline of restraint: Generate the motivation to practice restraint with some action Decide we're going to do it Use mindfulness to remember that we've decided to practice restraint Put this decision into practice

Whoever does no ill Through body, speech, and mind, And is restrained in these three areas, I call a brahmin. (Verse 391) --Buddha, The Dhammapada

Reference with Link: Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011. (Link)

Find us at the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone

Facebook Group: Join our private group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhism.with.joann.fox

Website: Buddhismforeveryone.com

This episode explores the question “Where does anger come from?” Buddhist teacher, JoAnn Fox, also provides several practical ways to prevent anger from arising (when it typically would)!

Anger doesn’t come from another person or a situation. Anger comes from our thoughts. Specifically, when we pay inappropriate attention to an unpleasant object and dwell on its faults, we work ourselves up until anger arises. That point at which anger is manifest is when the mind is unpeaceful and uncontrolled.

A very sad aspect of anger is that this mental state has the wish to harm. The intention to harm is the nature of anger, just as the nature of fire is to burn. We don’t want to harm those we love and cherish, but when we’re angry that mind wants to harm them. That makes Buddha’s advice to turn “ away from the intent to harm” and not “set anger loose” so important for all our relationships.

The first step in solving an anger problem is to admit we have one and decide we must do something about it. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this advice to a person who worked as a driver for a Dharma center. The driver complained of being very angry with his family and asked Rinpoche for some mantras to help him. Lama Zopa’s response began:

“My dear one,

You have recognized that anger arising is not good and that you must do something about it. You’re responsible for stopping that problem. Even this is progression toward peace and happiness.”

How beautiful and powerful is this first discovery and the wish to change!

One should not strike a brahmin

And a brahmin should not set [anger] loose.

Shame on the one who hits a brahmin

And greater shame on the one who sets [anger] loose. (389)*

For the brahmin, nothing is better

Than restraining the mind

From what it cherishes.

Whenever one turns away from the intent to harm,

Suffering is allayed. (390)

—Buddha, The Dhammapada

Reference with Link

Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011, pp. 78 (Link)

Find us at the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone

Facebook Group: Join our private group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhism.with.joann.fox

Website: Buddhismforeveryone.com

What if we could tune our body and mind, like a fine instrument, to peacefulness? What if we could be calm, relaxed and peaceful all the time? In this episode we return to a simple, effective mindfulness practice to de-stress. We also try to strengthen our motivation to become a peaceful person beyond ourselves alone.

Mindfulness Practice to De-stress

1. Aspire to become a calm and peaceful person, even in challenging situations.
2. Try to be mindful of whether you’re feeling calm and when you start to become tense.
3. Calm yourself. When you start to feel tension or stress, turn toward calming yourself—rather than doing anything to affect the situation. This is vital.
4. When you notice tension and stress, start breathing deeply from the diaphragm, feeling your stomach expand. Or, if possible, close your eyes and begin a brief breathing meditation (see below).
5. Breathe deeply and say to yourself “calm” “relaxed”. Try to tune your body to these feelings...calm...relaxed.
6. Continue this Diaphragmatic breathing or a breathing meditation until you feel relaxed. This might take only a minute or it might take much longer.
7. Remember the world is empty and dreamlike.
8. Put a little smile on your face. Try to have fun and find joy in things.
9. Keep trying this mindfulness practice and calming technique whenever you need it. You’ll get better at with practice, and eventually you will be able to tame your mind and be calm all day.

Relaxing Meditation

If you find yourself getting stressed—and have time and space for a five minute meditation—this can help you reset your state to calm and relaxed.

1. Close your eyes.
2. Check that you have a nice straight back.
3. Breathe through nostrils.
4. You can put your hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise. Place your hands in your lap, the right hand resting in the left, and the thumbs gently touching forming a bridge.
5. Breathe deeply from your diaphragm.
6. Count, starting at one, as you breathe in. 1....2....3....4....5
7. Count as you exhale, but exhale more slowly as your breathe out. 1....2....3....4....5....6.....7....8.....9....10
8. You can meditate for only as long as it takes your body and mind to enter a more peaceful state.
9. When you arise from your meditation, look at your experiences as a projection of your mind, like a dream.
10. Try to stay peaceful. Relax. Enjoy.

Hunger is the foremost illness;

Saṇkhāras the foremost suffering.

For one who knows this as it really is,

Nirvana is the foremost happiness. (203)*

References

Buddha. The Dhammapada, translated by Gil Fronsdale. (2011). Shambala, pp. 54.