Understanding the Root Causes of Fear and the Importance of Moral Principles

In this episode I am once again joined by David Johnson, a meditation teacher and author of ‘A Path to Nibbana’. In this episode David describes the forgiveness meditation technique that he teaches to his students who encounter emotional blocks in meditation practice. David recalls his own journey with forgiveness, including his experience forgiving a toxic boss, and shares his students’ accounts using this technique. David also explains the links between keeping Buddhist precepts and a peaceful mind, and details other benefits of a moral life, including increase in personal power and acquisition of siddhi. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep225-forgiveness-meditation-david-johnson-2 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - Dealing with emotional blocks in meditation 01:47 - Metta vs breath as meditation object 02:37 - Advantages of metta meditation 03:16 - Emotional and psychological blocks to feeling good 04:20 - When the 6R’s aren’t enough 05:55 - The process of forgiveness 07:32 - How to forgive 08:47 - Don’t dredge the mind 10:09 - How David forgave his toxic boss 13:19 - Anecdotes of students’ forgiveness 17:51 - The power of the habit of forgiveness 19:27 - Phrases to unlock forgiveness 20:38 - A common metta meditation mistake 24:11 - The Buddha’s forgiveness method 25:19 - Meditation dosage 27:17 - David on psychiatry and therapy 31:22 - When to stop the technique 32:55 - Will forgiveness make me a pushover? 35:44 - Developing personal power 36:33 - David’s fears 37:30 - The root of fear 43:01 - Why keep the precepts 42:22 - How negative karma ripens 44:55 - Benefits of following the precepts 48:33 - Investing virtue for positive rewards … Previous episode with David Johnson: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep212-path-to-nibbna-david-johnson To find our more about David Johnson visit: - https://www.dhammasukha.org/forgiveness-meditation - https://www.dhammasukha.org/david-johnson For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James