Buddhism Guide

Episode 7, 7 December 2014, The Spark That Fires Us Into Action. Intro: Welcome to Buddhism Guide’s Audio blog. A contemporary look at Gautama Buddha’s Teachings, from Karma Yeshe Rabgye. Find out more, at http://www.buddhismguide.org A transcript of this episode is available at http://buddhismguide.org/audio-blog-archive/audio-blog-transcripts/episode-7-transcript-the-spark-that-fires-us-into-action This Episode: The Spark That Fires Us Into Action. [00:17] 1. Right Intention. [00:24] Right Intention is divided into three parts: Letting Go, Good Will and Harmlessness. 2. Letting Go. [00:47] What we are letting go of, is attachment to, or craving for, objects of desire. How much we let go is a personal thing, but the more we loosen our grip on objects of desire the less we suffer. Because Gautama Buddha stated that clinging to desire is one of the causes of our suffering. Until we are able to let go of this craving, we will never reach a place where there is no more suffering. So contemplating impermanence is one of the best ways of letting go of our clinging to objects of desire. It takes time to change our perceptions and it isn't going to be easy, but if we don't start we will never finish. A wise person is able to let go. To let go is actually to receive; to receive boundless happiness. 2. Good Will. [03:12] This is the opposite of ill will and is a mental state. When we have good will towards others, we wish them well, and do not want any harm to befall them. One of the best methods of building good will is to do the Meta Bhavana Meditation. 3. Harmlessness. [05:22] This is the intention to not harm anyone, either physically, mentally or verbally. We have to realise that we are not the only ones suffering; everyone wishes to be free of suffering but is still gripped by pain, despair, anguish, dissatisfaction, and other kinds of suffering. We must understand that we play our parts in other people's suffering, by not having compassion for them, not caring for their well-being, and not seeing that, like us, they want to be free of all kinds of suffering. Outro. [08:04] You can find more information about this subject in Karma Yeshe Rabgye’s books at http://www.buddhismguide.org/books/ The best way to catch a snake – A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Teachings; Life’s meandering path – A Secular Approach to Gautama Buddha’s Guide to Living; Ripples in the stream – A Pragmatic Journey Through Gautama Buddha’s Teachings. They’re available now, from Amazon and Kindle. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed this blog post.

Episode 5, 5 December 2014, Gautama Buddha's Third Truth Intro Welcome to Buddhism Guide’s Audio blog. A contemporary look at Gautama Buddha’s Teachings, from Karma Yeshe Rabgye. Find out more, at http://www.buddhismguide.org A transcript of this episode is available at http://www.buddhismguide.org/audio-blog-archive/audio-blog-transcripts/episode-5-transcript-gautama-buddhas-third-truth This Episode: Gautama Buddha's Third Truth. [00:17] 1. This Truth is called Nirvana, liberation, enlightenment, and so on [00:22] Some think, that if you reach Nirvana you will never be born again, others think you will be reborn, but you can pick where. For people who do not believe in rebirth, they see it as something we can achieve in this lifetime. 2. The Highest Happiness. [01:46] Gautama Buddha said that Nirvana is the highest happiness, but he wasn't talking about mundane happiness we strive for in our everyday lives. He was talking about absolute freedom from evil, freedom from craving, attachment, desire, hatred and unawareness. All of this we can achieve in this very lifetime by truly understanding the Four Nobel Truths, and following the Eight-fold Path. Once we start mediating on these teachings and turning them from knowledge to wisdom, we will start to change our actions of body, speech and mind. Remember, knowledge is something learned, something intellectual, whereas wisdom is a part of our very lives. 3. The first bit of good news. [02:39] So this is the first bit of good news. Nirvana can be reached by anyone, whether they call themselves Buddhist or not. You just have to put in the work. 4. A Second Bit of Good News. [04:02] So this is a second bit of good news. We do not have to die to attain Nirvana. It can be obtained during this lifetime. 5. We do not have to die to realise Nirvana. [04:54] So in a nutshell I believe Nirvana isn't a metaphysical thing, it isn't a place to go to, and we do not have to die to realise Nirvana. It is an extinguishing of our afflictive states of mind and can be reached by anyone in this very lifetime. Outro. [05:14] You can find more information about this subject in Karma Yeshe Rabgye’s books at http://www.buddhismguide.org/books/ The best way to catch a snake – A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Teachings; Life’s meandering path – A Secular Approach to Gautama Buddha’s Guide to Living; Ripples in the stream – A Pragmatic Journey Through Gautama Buddha’s Teachings. They’re available now, from Amazon and Kindle. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed this blog post.

Episode 3, 3 December 2014, Gautama Buddha’s Second Truth Intro Welcome to Buddhism Guide’s Audio blog A contemporary look at Gautama Buddha’s Teachings, from Karma Yeshe Rabgye. Find out more, at http://www.buddhismguide.org A transcript of this episode can be found at http://buddhismguide.org/audio-blog-archive/audio-blog-transcripts This Episode: Gautama Buddha’s Second Truth. [00:17] In the First Truth, Gautama Buddha encouraged us to fully understand that there is suffering in every corner of our lives. In his Second Truth, he tells us what causes these sufferings. 1. Desire [01:05] Our desires are never-ending. Once we have something new, we start wanting something else. So, if we understand this we will not become attached to things, which in turn will end that particular type of suffering. 2. Anger and Aversion. [02:37] Aversion is the opposite to attachment, and Anger leads to hatred, discrimination, aggression, and a lack of compassion. 3. Unawareness [05:41] Here unawareness means: lack of understanding of the true nature of things. Outro [08:04] You can find more information about this subject in Karma Yeshe Rabgye’s books at http://www.buddhismguide.org/books/ The best way to catch a snake – A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Teachings; Life’s meandering path – A Secular Approach to Gautama Buddha’s Guide to Living; Ripples in the stream – A Pragmatic Journey Through Gautama Buddha’s Teachings. They’re available now, from Amazon and Kindle. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed this blog post.

Episode 11, 19 January 2015, Mindfulness - The Bottom Line. [11:11] Intro: Welcome to Buddhism Guide’s Audio blog. A contemporary look at Gautama Buddha’s Teachings, from Karma Yeshe Rabgye. For more information, visit: http://www.buddhismguide.org You can find more episodes of this audio blog on iTunes and Stitcher Podcasts. A transcript of this episode is available at http://buddhismguide.org/audio-blog-archive/audio-blog-transcripts/episode-11-transcript-mindfulness-the-bottom-line Episode 11: Mindfulness - The Bottom Line. [00:45] 1. Mindfulness. Gautama Buddha stated in various Sutras that there are Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of body; Mindfulness of feelings; Mindfulness of mind; Mindfulness of mental states. 2. Mindfulness of Body. [02:45] This means being aware of your body and all the actions carried out by it. 3. Mindfulness of Feelings. [05:03] There are Three Types of Feelings: Pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. 4. Mindfulness of Mind. [06:10] Mindfulness of Mind is looking at the mind as though you are looking in a mirror. Ask yourself, how is my mind at the moment? Is it full of desire, full of anger, full of ignorance? Is it present in the moment, or distracted? In a guide to the Bodhisattva way of life Shantideva says: Whenever I have the desire to move my body, or to say something, first of all, I should examine my mind, and then with steadiness, act in a proper way. 5. Mindfulness of Mental States. [07:55] When we begin to be mindful of mental states, we start to see obstacles arise in the form of the Five Hindrances. These hindrances are mental states that can lead us astray; take us away from responsible living. The Five Hindrances are: Being gripped by desire; Feelings of ill will; Lack of interest; Restlessness, and Doubt. 6. Right Mindfulness - The Bottom Line. [09:45] If we are going to be Mindful, and Live a Responsible Life we have to be fully aware of, but not tangled up in, our bodies, feelings, minds and mental states. By being mindful we'll be able to take full responsibility for all our actions. This will ensure that our minds become more calm and we travel through life in the present moment. Not being tossed backwards and forwards from the past to the future. Being mindful means being conscious of every thought, feeling, emotion, physical sensation, and action. So, the bottom line is, become aware of the present moment, but not engaged with it. Outro. [10:40] You can find more information about this subject in Karma Yeshe Rabgye’s books at http://www.buddhismguide.org/books/ The best way to catch a snake – A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Teachings; Life’s meandering path – A Secular Approach to Gautama Buddha’s Guide to Living; Ripples in the stream – A Pragmatic Journey Through Gautama Buddha’s Teachings. They’re available now, from Amazon and Kindle. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed Buddhism Guide's audio blog. Until the next time, remember: "The only person we can ever truly know, is ourselves".

There are many great podcasts on Buddhism as a religion and even more on Buddhism as a philosophy. This podcast is about Buddhism as a way of life, which means there is no Buddhist jargon or dogma. It is not based in the metaphysical world, but has its feet planted firmly on this planet. It is easy to understand and practical. I use the Buddha’s early teachings as the foundation for the podcast, and explain them in a way that is relevant to your life today.