Diggin' the Dharma

Perception is one of the Five Aggregates of Clinging and critical to our understanding of self and the world we live in.   It is through mindfulness and our meditation practice that we start to see through the trap of our own perceptions.  We don't see things as they are, we things as we are" (attributed to Anais Nin).Bhante Gunaratana's book is: Meditation on Perception.Sutta:https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

With the upcoming election in the US we will look at politics and Buddhism. Should we allow our Buddhist ideals to influence our voting? What would the Buddha himself have said in the midst of so much partisanship and how do the teachings on "holding to fixed views" fit into our own political dialogues?  Jon and Doug have an animated discussion on this important topic without implying how you should vote.  But you should vote!Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

As we record this episode, Elon Musk has recently purchased Twitter. His purchase raises all sorts of questions relevant to Buddhist practice, perhaps most importantly of Right Speech. What should be allowed online? How should we practice on Twitter or other social media platforms?  Does our written communication actually inline with our intent and do we have a sense of how it might land with others?  This is where our mindfulness practice truly makes a difference.Someone is wrong on the Internet! https://xkcd.com/386/Key and Peele Text Gone Wrong Small KindnessesBy Danusha LamérisI’ve been thinking about the way, when you walkdown a crowded aisle, people pull in their legsto let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”when someone sneezes, a leftoverfrom the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.And sometimes, when you spill lemonsfrom your grocery bag, someone else will help youpick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smileat them and for them to smile back. For the waitressto call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.We have so little of each other, now. So farfrom tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, thesefleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The Buddha  became a pretty famous guy, but what did fame mean to him?   Did he even think about it?   Fame was not something he sought.  He just taught and became well known through his teachings.   If he had access to social media would he have used it?    Fame and renown is certainly not the secret to happiness but so many strive for it.  Join us as we discuss this interesting topic and what it means to us.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 discuss the five hindrances that the Buddha had to overcome on the night of his enlightenment. We find them not only cropping up in our formal meditation practice, but in our everyday lives as well. How should we deal with them? We have lots of tips.Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

The Five Reflections are a teaching which confronts us directly with the realities of life.   These reflections are the great equalizer-- no matter your status in life,  your income, your age, your race,  your sex, or any of your identities, these Five Reflections are a reminder of what's really true.   This podcast is a perfect follow-up to Dying before you Dye!A link to the sutta in which the reflections occur:https://suttacentral.net/an5.57/en/sujatoSupport the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Turning toward death through various meditation practices can be transformative and liberative.   In this episode Doug and Jon discuss how they practice with this and the impact it has had on their lives.Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

People often think of Buddhism as a very austere and all about renunciation.  In this episode we discuss the difference between worldly and unworldly pleasures and perhaps can dispel some of these mis-understandings.  Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Buddhism was originally practiced in the forests and it was evolving at a time when much of society was seeing itself as a separate from nature by trying to control it.   The Buddha, it is written, always went into the forest  when he took leave from his sangha for retreat.  In this episode, Doug and Jon explore the importance of reconnecting with the natural world as part of our practice.  What do we learn about ourselves and how the core teachings,  particularly around 'non-self'  are illuminated through re-connecting with the natural world. Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Generosity is the first instruction the Buddha would give to laypeople, it's also one of the deepest and most helpful teachings in Buddhism. We will consider generosity, and how it can be manifest in our lives.Buddhist Global Relief website:https://www.buddhistglobalrelief.orgSupport the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/