<p>When I first got interested in meditation, all the talk of the Buddha that I encountered in the various books I was reading and lectures I was attending seemed like more of a bug than a feature. I was looking for science-backed stress relief, not religion. But the more I learned, the more interested I became in the Buddha. He was, after all, not a god or a prophet. He was, based on the available evidence, a mortal man who made no claims about the creation of the universe. In fact, to the extent that he did make metaphysical claims, he explicitly told people: don't believe anything because I tell you. Meanwhile, he laid out a set of meditation instructions and an approach to the human situation that, in my experience, are extraordinarily practical and valuable. And yet, many of today's meditators don't know much about who the Buddha was or what he actually taught. Hence today's guest, the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. He was born Jeffrey Block in Brooklyn, became a Buddhist monk as a young man, and then went on to become one of the premier translators of Buddhist scripture. In this conversation, we talk about: why it can be so helpful for meditators to know what the Buddha taught; how these teachings survived for centuries before they were ever written down; how he makes sense of the teachings on karma and rebirth; the Buddha's daily schedule; what kind of person the Buddha was; and what the Buddha taught about staying engaged in politics. Before we started rolling, I asked Bhikkhu Bodhi how I should address him, and he said many people call him "Bhante," which is a term that is used in Buddhist circles to address monks, and translates into something like "venerable sir." Where to find Bhikkhu Bodhi online: Website: https://bodhimonastery.org/ven-bhikkhu-bodhi.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhikkhu.bodhi.1 Books Mentioned: • The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi http://www.noblepath.org/audio.html?fbclid=IwAR3dAFyckLujaBuYe1y8v0arh9UTq6XLsS_bQHq-layEdGVoA_cfoqVfODg • Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives by Dr. Jim B. Tucker: http://www.jimbtucker.com/return-to-life.html • What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula Thero http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/What%20the%20Buddha%20Taught_Rahula.pdf • The Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin https://bookshop.org/books/the-foundations-of-buddhism/9780192892232 Other Resources Mentioned: • Dr. Ian Stevenson's research on Perceptual Studies (apparitions, past lifetimes, and near death experiences) - https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/who-we-are/dr-ian-stevenson/ • Buddhist Global Relief - https://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/ Additional Resources: • Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live • Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide • Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/Bhikkhu-Bodhi-302</p>
Actionable Insights
1. Practice Core Buddhist Methods
Engage in basic ethical teachings like the five precepts, practice mindfulness of breathing and body sensations, and cultivate boundless loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity to enrich your life.
2. Observe Mind’s Quality
Reflect on the state of your mind and life when influenced by greed, hatred, and delusion versus when practicing generosity, compassion, and wise understanding, to see what brings more happiness.
3. Apply Teachings to Your Life
Start by applying practical Buddhist principles to your own life to observe their effects and build confidence, especially if you’re not ready to embrace all traditional teachings.
4. Approach Dharma with Inquiry
When engaging with the Dharma, adopt a spirit of critical inquiry instead of blindly accepting teachings, fostering a healthier and more reasoned understanding.
5. Cultivate Trust in Practice
Develop confidence in the Buddha’s teachings and practices, as this trust will help you diminish the dominance of greed, hatred, and delusion, moving towards liberation.
6. Maintain Meditation for Grounding
Sustain a consistent meditation practice to remain anchored in calm and equanimity, enabling passionate engagement with issues without becoming overwhelmed or losing mental oversight.
7. Learn Buddha’s Basic Teachings
If aspiring for the ultimate aim of meditation, learn the basic framework, concepts, and ideas of the Buddha’s teachings to properly situate your practice.
8. Accept Ultimate Goal’s Framework
If you aspire to the ultimate goal of the Buddha’s teaching (liberation), understand that it is best comprehended within the framework of principles like karma and rebirth.
9. Engage in Social Advocacy
Actively engage with social and political issues, advocating for principles that can ameliorate widespread social, economic, and political harms, drawing from ethical teachings.
10. Support Global Relief Efforts
Engage in active roles in the world, such as supporting organizations like Buddhist Global Relief, to address chronic hunger and malnutrition and other global issues.
11. Address Poverty Systemically
Rulers and societies should ensure there is no poverty within their realm, providing means for the poor to emerge from it and earn a decent living for themselves and their families.
12. Advocate for Systemic Change
From a sense of conscience, advocate for fundamental changes in economic and social systems, particularly to address the dangerous long-term crisis of climate change.
13. Begin with Introductory Buddhism Books
If new to Buddhism, start by reading an introductory expository book, such as “What the Buddha Taught” or “The Foundations of Buddhism,” rather than diving directly into voluminous canonical texts.
14. Get 10% Happier Discount
Purchase a 10% Happier subscription at a 40% discount by visiting 10percent.com/November before December 1st to access guided meditations and app features.