Buddha Nature: what is it and how is it a controversial concept in some understandings? Jon and Doug discuss this as well as concepts and words generally. Support the Show. Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The second noble points to the cause of dukkha—craving and clinging. It's also related to the uncertainty of life and the desire for it to be otherwise. Sometimes, the wisdom we gain, even after years of practice, seems to vanish when confronted with the inevitable change. Our discussion was sparked by Jon's pending move to Chicago and the dukkha this has manifested. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links:...

Doug and Jon discuss the   "Golden Rule" (do unto others as we would have them do unto us) and its role in Buddhist practice and the precepts.  Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The recent death of Alexei Navalny sparked this discussion on courage.   Navalny is one example-- similar to people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela.    We see acts of courage from many daily but don't necessarily consider them in the same way.   What is courage, and does it play a role in our practice?  Can meditation and the dharma, cultivate and strengthen this quality?  Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and...

If one were to describe a word that illustrates the meaning of onomatopoetic,  papañca fits the bill.   There are a number of words in Pali that do this, but papañca which means mental proliferation, is one of the best.  In this episode, Doug and Jon look at this familiar pattern of the mind and how to work with it.   Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

In our last few episodes, we've been discussing the Buddha's Noble Eight-Fold Path.  The last three factors of the path are about meditation.  It's always good to remind ourselves why we meditate and what meditation actually is.    What meditations are presented in the early Buddhist teachings, and why are they important?    Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Right Effort --one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path is an important aspect of the practice of meditation, and the teachings related to this are worth looking into.  Jon and Doug discuss strategies and practices that may be useful for us to consider along the path. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The Rubin is an important institution in New York with a very significant collection and many special exhibitions of Tibetan and Himalayan art, specifically related to Buddhism and Buddhist culture in that part of the world.  We received the sad news recently that they are closing the New York space and basically becoming a virtual and traveling museum.    Jon and Doug discuss the closing and the nature of anicca-- impermanence. https://rubinmuseum.org/ Support the showGo to our website to...

The Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, lays out a map to become free from suffering.    In our last episode, we explore the second fact  on the Right Intention. In this episode, we discuss Right View and how we generally hold views.  After all, if you don't have the right view, if you don't know where you're headed, you'll likely get lost along the way. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links:...

As we continue our wondering through the Noble Truths we discuss aspects of the Fourth Truth the 8-Fold Noble Path with a particular interesting Right Intention. This is the second factor, but who says we need to start with the first? Japanese Bowl, Poem by Peter Mayer VIdeo on the Art of Kantsugi Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The New Year is a good time to return to the core teachings.  And it's good to start with the Four Enobling Truths, from which much becomes clear.  In this episode, we spend most of the time talking about the first two, Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

In this episode for the last day of 2023, we look at concepts of time from a Buddhist perspective in the relative and absolute sense.    It's a fun topic and seemed appropriate as we move into 2024-- at least in some calendars. George Carlin on TIme Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Perhaps this is a perennial question, but it's always worth asking.   What's so special about Buddhism and why have we chosen it as a guide for how we live?  We speak about our personal experience ask questions that might be helpful for you. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

What is meant by re-birth?? Who is reborn and when? There are a number of interpretations and Doug and Jon explore some of them.   More important is how our understanding of rebirth and death impacts the way we live now.  Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Depending on your interpretation of what a miracle is, there are certainly times when miracles seem to happen due to our practice.  In fact, one of the most-read books on Buddhism and mindfulness is Thich Nhat Hanh's classic Miracle of Mindfulness.  Do you notice miracles happening?  What did the Buddha have to say about this? Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Jon and Doug discuss how living ethically in the context of the five precepts is a considerable mindfulness practice.  At first glance, the precepts seem rather obvious, but the more we look and the more we bring them into our moment-to-moment experience,  the more we realize how much deeper we can go. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Inspired by taking the side of peace,  Jon and Doug look at taking sides and the Buddha's teachings on clinging to views and opinions.  How does taking a side often exacerbate the problem of division and conflict? Is there another route?  Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

What do you have to be thankful for? How can a practice of gratitude impact your life for the better? Thanksgiving week is a good time to reflect upon such questions. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

What are some techniques we can use to develop a regular meditation practice? Doug and Jon's guest Bodhipaksa has taught a course on this and is in the process of writing a book about it. Lots of good advice in this episode! Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Doug and Jon have a spirited discussion with our guest,  writer and Buddhist meditation teacher, Bodhipaksa, on Fake Buddha Quotes. How important is it to get the Buddha right? What is a "Fake Buddha Quote" anyway? Bodhipaksa's Websites: https://www.wildmind.org/ https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/ Book: https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/buy-i-cant-believe-its-not-buddha/ Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Is there such a thing as collective karma? Doug and Jon will consider the picture of karma given in early Buddhism, and compare it to the idea of collective karma, or alternately to a notion of 'aggregate' karma. How does karma work among groups of people? Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The world events of the past week,  added, perhaps to our own personal challenges, may bring up the question of how to respond.    Meditation is not meant as an escape from these challenges.  Rather, when integrated with the teachings of the Dharma, it can set the groundwork for an appropriate response to arise within any circumstance. This week, Doug and Jon explore how this works for them in practical and and spiritual ways. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a...

Among the factors of the Eightfold Noble Path is Right Effort.  This is part of the meditation path, and for many, finding the right energy in our meditation practice is a big challenge. Doug and Jon discuss how they approach this and hopefully give some useful tips. Right Effort Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Many folks with western religious upbringings find discomfort when faced, at least in a practice context, with a Buddha Rupa (statue) or other images and of course even more so when bowing or offerings are encouraged.    In this episode we'll talk about Buddha images: their history, practices we might use with them, as well as discuss the show on display at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC on early Buddhist artwork. Two of Doug's Videos: Buddhism and Icons: Prohibition to "Idolatry" --...

We decided this week to speak about the Two Truths-- the Relative and the Absolute, or the Mundane and the Ultimate.   Are they real or just another construct?  How did they find their way into the Buddhist teachings?  How can we practice with them today? Is there even something to practice? Doug's Videos on the Two Truths: The Buddhist Doctrine of Two Truths: Origins -- https://youtu.be/qL_sspJzQx8 The Buddhist Doctrine of Two Truths: Abhidharma and Nagarjuna --...