Blog
Hello and welcome to my blog!
This blog will be about Buddhism. ‘Oh! not another one,’ I hear you say. Well, yes but…
There are many great blogs on Buddhism as a religion and even more on Buddhism as a philosophy. I am writing 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 follow and practical. I use the Buddha’s early teachings as the blogs foundation, and explain them in a way that is relevant to your life today. You will find some of what I am going to write about in my books, ‘The Best Way To Catch A Snake’ and ‘Life’s Meandering Path.’ You may also follow Buddhism Guide on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you enjoy the blog. Feel free to give me feedback, as I love to hear other people’s views.
Mangala Sutra – Part Eleven
You do not have to study Buddha’s teachings for very long to understand that the very heart of his teachings centre around the mind. Sometimes the essence of his teachings is reduced to three points: Help everyone; If you cannot help, at least do not harm them; And...
Mangala Sutra – Part Ten
In this blog, we will be looking at the Buddhist concept of nonself. This is a difficult subject for many of us to grasp because we have invested so much time and effort into building and reinforcing a sense of self. However, Buddha stated that what we call a self is...
Mangala Sutra – Part Nine
Impermanence is one of the most important topics Buddha taught. In the Dhammapada it states this: ‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ ‘All conditioned things are unsatisfactory’ ‘All things are nonself’ …when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from...
Mangala Sutra – Part Eight
In Buddhism, the ten fetters are ten things that shackle us to a life of suffering. If we cut through these fetters, we will be able to start to alleviate our suffering. I have mentioned various ways of reducing our suffering throughout this series on the Mangala...
Mangala Sutra Part Seven
All our actions of body and speech stem from our mind, so it is vitally important to have a strategy whereby we can have some control over our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Mindfulness and carrying out a day of observance are two good ways to practice...
Mangala Sutra – Part Six
In part six of the Mangala Sutra, we look at the importance of having a teacher, guide, or spiritual friend. We are obviously going to face obstacles and hindrances on the path, so having someone with experience to support us is essential. You may be a secular...
Mangala Sutra – Part Five
The following principles are all concerned with characteristics and patterns of behaviour we should all try to cultivate. Diligent Buddha’s last words were along the lines of ‘attain the goal by diligence’. Now he could have said some inspiring words about...
Mangala Sutra – Part Four
In part four of the Mangala Sutra we continue to look at the social principles. This covers how we can refrain from harmful acts and how we need to put great effort into developing beneficial acts and avoiding destructive ones. Refrain from Harmful Acts If we do not...
Mangala Sutra – Part Three
In this third part of the Mangala Sutra, we will look at the Social Principles. These social principles take us further into our journey of becoming more responsible and reducing our mental suffering. By implementing these principles, we will also be reducing the...
Open Hearted Joy
This is the fourth part of the four immeasurables and in this practice we're going to be talking about open hearted joy. I think out of all the immeasurables I like this one the best because it's something we can all do every day. Open hearted Joy means appreciating...