Buddhist Essentials
Resources, Reading, and Listening
Life of the Buddha
The Buddha lived 2,600 years ago. He was a real person with bodily pains and difficult relatives just like us, but he found complete freedom in the midst of these challenges. The Buddha’s teachings spread across Asia, and Buddhist practices have been adapted to many cultures and peoples.
Resources
Audio- The Buddha’s Journey - Dharma Talk by Joseph Goldstein
- The Life of the Buddha (PDF) by Bhikkhu Nanamoli (1992)
- The Buddha: His Life Retold by Robert Allen Mitchell (1989)
- Old Path White Clouds Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh (1987)
- Buddha in 2001: Two New Versions of the Path: The Platform of Joy by Mark Epstein
- A Sketch of the Buddha’s Life: Readings from the Pali Canon
The Four Noble Truths
It is said that the entirety of the Buddha’s teachings can be found in the Four Noble Truths. In this class we will explore these teachings: 1) dukkha, 2) the origin of dukkha, 3) the cessation of dukkha, and 4) the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha.
Resources
Audio- Part 1: Four Noble Truths as the 12 Insights by Phillipp Moffitt
- Four Noble Truths by Gil Fronsdal
- Practicing the Four Noble Truths by Tim Geil
- The First and Second Noble Truths: Suffering and Its Cause by Rodney Smith
- The Third Noble Truth: Liberation from Self-Belief by Rodney Smith
- The Four Noble Truths PDF by Ajahn Sumedho
- Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering by Phillip Moffitt
- Mindfulness: A Practice Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein pp 287-323
The Eightfold Path
With the understanding of the truths of dukkha, the cause of dukkha and the end of dukkha, we can embark on the Eightfold Path – the path that leads to awakening and the end of suffering. In this class we will discuss the elements and practice of the Eightfold Path: panna (wisdom), sila (ethical behavior and the precepts), and samadhi (concentration).
Resources
Audio- Loving, Knowing, Growing – with Rick Hanson, Tara Brach, and Joseph Goldstein This is about the 8-fold path by another name.
- Talks on Dharmaseed
- Practicing the Four Noble Truths by Tim Geil
- Talks about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path by Rodney Smith
- Bhikkhu Bodhi on The Noble Eightfold Path Available through Access to Insight in PDF format.
- A Whole-Life Path: A Lay Buddhist’s Guide to Crafting a Dhamma-Infused Life by Gregory Kramer
- Mindfulness: A Practice Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein pp 225-403
The Paramis
The Ten Paramis (generosity, virtue, renunciation, discernment, equanimity, patience, persistence, truth, determination, and goodwill) are beautiful qualities associated with an awakened mind. In this talk we will discuss the paramis and consider some ways in which we can encourage their development in our own practice.
Resources
Books, PDFs, Audio- The Paramis Chart - downloadable PDF
- How Not to be a Hot Mess, Devon and Craig Hase
- The World Could be Otherwise, Norman Fischer
- Pay Attention for Goodness Sake, Sylvia Boorstein
- Ways to Cross Life’s Floods, Ajahn Sucitto, available on PDF
- Talk on the Ten Paramis, Gina Sharpe, 8/23/2015
- The 10 Paramis and feeding the good wolf all with the support of neuroscience, Bonnie Duran, 7/14/2018
The Three Characteristics
The Three Characteristics are the three aspects that pervade all of conditioned phenomena: anicca, dukkha, and anatta -or impermanence, suffering, and not-self. When we begin to see these attributes in all of experience, wisdom arises that enables us to let go of clinging.
Resources
Audio- Gil Fronsdal on the Three Characteristics
- Joseph Goldstein on Dukkha and Non-self
- Ruth King’s The Three Characteristics
- Everything Arises Everything Falls Away By Ajahn Chah, Shambala Publications 2005 Parts 2, 3 and 4 are on impermanence, dukkha and non-self.
- Vipallassa Sutta courtesy of Access to Insight
- How Do I Develop Insight through Buddhist Practice by Sylvia Boorstein
- The Fundamental Ambiguity of Being Human by Pema Chodron
Five Spiritual Faculties
This class will examine Buddha’s teaching on the five spiritual faculties (or indriyas) of faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and discernment. The development and balancing of these five faculties provide the support needed to navigate our spiritual life from faith to wisdom to liberation.
Resources
Audio- James Baraz talks on the Five Spiritual Faculties
- Don’t Go into Things until You Can Stay Out of Them talk by Ajahn Sucitto
- Five Spiritual Faculties talk by Kamala Masters
- The Five Spiritual Faculties by Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Got Attitude? by Steve Armstrong
Four Foundations of Mindfulness
In this evening’s class, we will explore the four foundations of mindfulness - the body, feeling tones, mental states, and dhammas. Mindful examination of these foundations reveals the true nature of phenomena, leading to clear seeing and full awakening. In the satipatthana sutta this is described as the direct path to liberation.
Resources
- Four Foundations talk series by Gil Fronsdal
- Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein
- The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
- Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness by Rodney Smith
- How to Practice Walking Meditation by Leslie Booker
- Satipatthana Sutta, translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The Hindrances & Greed, Hatred, and Delusion
Gaining insight into obstacles on the path can turn them into possibilities. During this evening we’ll explore the Five Hindrances (desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness, and doubt), and the Three Poisons (greed, hatred and delusion). We’ll learn how these barriers to freedom arise in our lives, and how through our mindfulness practice we can transform them into doorways.
Resources
Audio- Greed, Hatred, and Delusion - a talk by Gil Fronsdal
- Sharon Salzberg talk on greed, hatred, and delusion
- The Five Hindrances – a talk by Jill Shepard
- Titthiya Sutta: Sectarians - Access to Insight, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
- Mindfulness – A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein, Pages 99-118: Mindfulness of Mind, Pages 119-168: Mindfulness of Dhammas - The Five Hindrances
The Seven Factors of Awakening
Through discussion and practical exercises of the Seven Factors of Awakening, we will explore how awareness of these mind states helps us to let go of unwholesome tendencies and to cultivate wholesome ones, in both formal practice and our daily lives.
Resources
Audio- Seven Factors of Awakening talk series by Rodney Smith
- Seven Factors of Awakening talk series by Gil Fronsdal
- Exploring Qualities of Mind - The Seven Factors of Enlightenment talk series by Tuere Sala and Tim Geil
- Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Analayo
- Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein
- Satipatthana Sutta, translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Seven Factors of Awakening: Good News
| Mindfulness: Here and Now | Investigation: What’s This? | Energy: Just Right |
| Joy: Delight in Practice | Calm: Be Still | Concentration: Rock Steady |
| Equanimity: Big View | Small moments many times |
The Brahma Viharas and Heart Practices
How do we cultivate energies that encourage our capacity for caring and compassion toward ourselves and others? How do we keep our hearts open through times of conflict and challenge? In this class we will learn how to cultivate the brahma viharas – loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. We will pay particular attention to the challenges we may be experiencing following the recent election.
Resources
- BRAHMA VIHARA PHRASES - a downloadable PDF
- Karniya Metta Sutta
- The Chant of Metta (Imee Ooi)
- Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
- Sympathetic Joy: #292 The Opposite of Schadenfreude | Election Sanity Series | Tuere Sala published October 19, 2020
- Equanimity by Gil Fronsdal | Article on equanimity from Insight Meditation Center
The Five Aggregates
The Five Aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness) show how we create an illusory sense of self moment by moment. By examining them we can come to understand how we are not so much a solid self as we may have thought.
Resources
- Five Piles of Bricks: Khandas as Burden & Path by Thanissaro Bhikku
- The Five Aggregates: A Study Guide by Thanissaro Bhikku
- Five Aggregates Talk Series by Rodney Smith
- Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein
- Being Nobody Going Nowhere by Ayya Khema
- The Five Aggregates of Clinging, a talk by Bhante Buddharakhita