The current crisis of Coronavirus (Covid-19) has changed our lives significantly in the last few weeks and brought a lot of fear and anxiety. However, although we may be living in uncertain and somewhat scary times, we have a choice in what we focus on.
Videos
How to Stop the Struggle and Find Peace in Your Daily Life
In today’s video I share some practical wisdom I learned from the Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Brahm, which has helped me numerous times in my life when I have had to go through difficult or challenging situations. I mean, let’s face it, our lives are full of constant challenges; we are always having to do things that we don’t enjoy. Whether it’s going to a job we’re not passionate about, or anything that brings up a lot of resistance in our mind.
So in this video I share with you this wonderful wisdom that we can apply to our life to help us find some peace and happiness, even when our days are filled with seemingly unpleasant experiences.
5 Funny Buddhist Suttas That Have a Great Message
You wouldn’t expect the Buddha’s teachings to include anything funny would you? I mean we’re talking about the serious business of purifying our mind and becoming enlightened. But occasionally I’ve come across some Buddhist suttas that have surprised me and made me chuckle. In this video, I share with you five suttas from the Pali Canon that I’ve found amusing and also have a great message.
How to Practice the Buddhist Path While Living in Samsara
As we incorporate the Buddha’s teachings into our lives many wonderful changes will start to happen: from experiencing greater calmness and peace in our mind, to feeling a greater connection and love for other beings.
But not all changes bring such a smooth transition. For instance, when we adopt Buddhist values of refraining from alcohol, or we find ourselves losing interest in other mundane activities, this can put a strain on certain social interactions. This video is in response to some questions I received about how to navigate these kinds of challenges.
Do I Need to Be a Monk or Nun to Become Enlightened?
In Buddhism, the goal of the Buddhist path is to reach enlightenment, a state free of mental suffering and characterized by bliss, peace and happiness. But what if enlightenment was only possible if you were willing to become a monk or nun? This would mean only a small minority of Buddhists could ever find happiness, since the vast majority of Buddhists are lay practitioners.
In this video, I explore whether lay people can become enlightened, and if so, what are some of the steps we need to do to ensure that we achieve it.
Buddhism and Disability: Why Compassion is the Only Appropriate Response
What is the Buddhist view of people with a disability? The answer will depend on who you talk to. Unfortunately many people misunderstand suffering as being a kind of punishment for one’s previous bad karma. Then, whenever we have the notion of punishment, it may seem justified for us to look down on others as being ‘bad’. But all these ideas are based on judgments, which highlights a common misunderstanding about karma.
This video discusses this issue of karma and disability and how the correct response can only ever be compassion.