Buddhism

Awareness

Why Buddhism?

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the thoughts, distractions, and worries that run around in your head, you’ve experienced what Buddhists call the “Monkey Mind.” Though Buddhism’s primary goal is not to cure you of your monkey mind, its practices, specifically, mindfulness, can help you become far more aware of the monkey in your head and with enough practice, learn to live with it. | Expand

Buddhism

History

  • There are 488–535 million followers worldwide
  • Founded by Gautama Buddha around 500 BC
  • According to legend, Buddha was a prince who rejected the life of wealth and nobility for the life of an ascetic, ultimately deciding that the path to enlightenment lies somewhere in between
  • Buddhist philosophy begins with The Four Noble Truths, which says that suffering exists, it has its roots in cravings and ignorance, and that there is a way out of suffering.
  • Mindfulness is not simply a stress-reduction technique, as the Silicon Valley crowd thinks it is, but rather a tool to achieve nirvana. It’s a way to understand that there aren’t any narratives or a true “future,” simply a series of present moments that can only be experienced

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Buddhism for Dummies

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This is a great reference, even if you’re a not a dummy.

 

 

Siddhartha

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This is a novel loosely based on the life of the Buddha. Excellent for getting a sense for what Buddhism is all about.

 

 

The Heart of Buddha’s Teachings

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A monk gives an excellent lesson on the core Buddhist teachings and why they are still relevant in modern life.

In a Modern World...

Modernity is constantly telling us to “do something” to become more productive. There are countless articles about productivity systems and fancy software applications that will block out internet sites and other techniques that promise to help you get things done in a timely manner. Our “do something” mentality exacerbates our monkey minds that constantly need a fix.

Buddhism, on the other hand, seems intent on observing the monkey and making note of its behavior, trying to understand why it moves from shiny objects to bananas and back to shiny objects again.

Buddhist Wisdom

  • Acceptance, Not Escape: How to Stop Disappointing Yourself
  • When you are envious of your friend’s success
  • A letter to someone on the internet who is getting old and feels lost
  • Mindfulness is not (only) about stress relief
  • The art of wanting
  • My 30 Day Experiment

    My Practice: Meditating for at least 15 minutes per day

  • Introduction to Month 5: Curing Monkey Mind with Buddhism
  • Is distraction the natural state of mind? (Do we all have ADD?)
  • Your Cravings are Making You Miserable
  • Is Running the Ultimate Meditation Exercise?
  • Lessons Learned from Meditating for One Week
  • The Palace of Ignorance
  • To avoid groupthink, become religious
  • Do religions have personalities?
  • Week 2 Recap: Meditation is Still Really Hard
  • Are we too obsessed with progress?
  • What going home can teach you about mindfulness
  • Does travel increase mindfulness?
  • Week 3 Recap: Is mindfulness more painful than electro shocks?
  • Should you believe in re-incarnation?
  • What you should want in life
  • What does it mean to have faith?
  • Why you should think about death
  • Buddhism: Day 30 and Month 5 Wrap-Up