The Buddha's Advice to Laypeople

In view of the recent cataclysmic election in the U.S., it’s time to raise this thorny issue. In my view, a number of successful candidates identified the zeitgeist of our time and said, “Enough!” There was identifiably Christian messaging that somehow won over the arrogance and cruelty that had reigned. “Love thy neighbor” has a parallel in Buddhist philosophy and practice, ...

We support ourselves on the path by making joy a regular part of our day. It’s a simple thing to discover new ways of giving that bring us joy. Sometimes if we send money where we think it will relieve suffering it gives us joy, or at least a bit of peace in the knowledge that we’re doing what we can. We have many more opportunities to bring joy into our lives by sharing our ...

We can take joy in knowing that we are on a path that leads to diminishing suffering in this very life. Every time we let go of something we’ve clung to, the release is felt as a little burst of joy. When we stop resisting the fact that someone we know is not likely to change and accept them just as they are; it’s our own unease that melts away. When we forgive (but not neces...

From Rejoicing in Goodness By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

… One means of generating [such] joy is the recollection of generosity. Generosity becomes a basis for joy because it breaks down the barriers we instinctively erect between ourselves and others. Ordinarily, through the influence of greed and delusion, our minds create a wall of separation between our...

One could notice that the more fully one surrenders to music, the more relaxed and present one is. Music can temporarily fill the body and mind in a way that unifies it, creating a period of equanimity. If the mind is busy with thoughts about things remembered or imagined, the attention is divided and therefore restless.

Can this idea of equa...