Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox

Episode 10: Tantric Compassion

In this episode, we learn the magical practice of taking and giving, known in Tibetan as tonglen. This meditation quickly awakens universal compassion, which is the wish to take away the suffering of all living beings, without exception. JoAnn Fox shares how to practice this meditation in formal meditation and in daily life, with eyes wide open. The verses of the Dhammapada, by Buddha, we study in this episode are from Chapter Two“Vigilance”, verses 29 -  32: “Vigilant among the negligen...

Episode 7: Four Steps to Confidence

In Buddhism, confidence is necessary for a person to change deeply for the better. Buddha taught that humans have infinite potential for change. A person who is presently unhappy can become someone with a positive and happy disposition. Someone who is addicted to something can become and stay sober and be an inspiration for others to follow. A person who is habitually angry can become patient. The most profound teaching in Buddhism is that there is no fixed, inherent self. The self we relate...

Episode 6: Cherishing Others, the Rain of Joy

Cherishing others is the wish that others are happy. Cherishing others is the foundation of the spiritual path. It is the endless well of good karma and the rain of happiness for the thirsty. Practicing cherishing others is also the means to solve our problems. If there is a relationship at home or at work fraught with difficulty, cherishing that person will transform this relationship. In this episode, we look at how to cherish others and its many benefits. In this episode we look study C...

Episode 5: Removing obstacles to peace

This episode explores the foundation of a happy life: ethical disciple. Ethical discipline is the practice of purposely refraining from non-virtuous actions for a certain amount of time. Non-virtuous actions are those that cause ourselves and others to suffer. Non-virtuous actions happen when we have confused, deluded states of mind like anger, attachment, pride, and fear. Non-virtuous actions create negative karma, which causes our unpleasant experiences-- thus good karma is the creator of ...

Episode 4: What's in the way of your best life?

Episode 3: Practicing Non-retaliation

"Hatred never ceased by hatred, but only by love. This is an eternal truth."  --Buddha This episode explores how we can respond to harm with love and compassion. The power to not retaliate when someone appears to harm us is most extraordinary mind! This power of non-retaliation can be generated in the following ways: 1. Develop compassion for the person appearing to harm us. This person is controlled by their delusions (uncontrolled minds like anger, attachment, jealousy, pride). We can ...

Episode 2: Developing Patience

This episode explores how to cultivate greater patience and cool the painful mind of anger. How does anger arise? Anger arises when we encounter a person or experience we find unpleasant. We then dwell on the faults of this object (this dwelling Buddha calls inappropriate attention) until our mind become unpeaceful and uncontrolled. Anger has arisen. Anger follows this formula: Unpleasant person or experience + inappropriate attention = anger All delusions follow this formula: Object...

Episode 1 How to Create a Happy Reality

Buddha taught that our mind creates our reality. Our mind creates our life and whether we are happy or unhappy. In this episode, we delve deep into HOW our minds create our reality. Here we begin the study of the Dhammapada, the oldest text in the Buddhist canon. It is a collection of things Buddha actually said 2600 years ago, written down by his followers. The mechanics of the creation of every moment of your consciousness involve the five all- accompanying mental factors. Contact - m...