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 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...
Mangala Sutra – Part Two
In part two of this series on the Mangala sutra, we will look at the supporting principles. The first principle is: Have good learning skills For us to be able to follow a path in life, we must first learn about it. If we do not put our full effort into learning, we...
Mangala Sutra – Part One
For centuries people have been indulging in superstitions, lucky charms, omens, divinations, and fortune-telling. They have used these things to help them make decisions and keep them from taking responsibility for their own actions. The list of superstitions and...
The Twelve Links of Dependent Arising
Wheel of Life - Dharmachakra A central teaching in traditional Buddhism is the principle of dependent arising, which states that all things happen through cause and conditions and that they are interdependent. No phenomenon, whether outer or inner, occurs except...
Are We Born with Compassion?
It is widely believed these days that compassion is an innate phenomenon. We have a natural, automatic desire to help others who are suffering. We have a built-in urge to engage in compassionate behaviours to help fellow humans overcome obstacles without...
Building Your Emotional Strength
When we are faced with challenging obstacles, we all cope in different ways, some face them head on, whereas others buckle under the pressure. It's important for us to find ways to build up our emotional strength. We spend a lot of time focusing on getting our bodies...