Buddhist Belief Blog

In the last article, we talked about the three aspects of the Fourth Noble Truth which we may need to put some of our focus upon as we progress in our learning about the Noble Truths of Buddhist Belief. These are the sila (virtue or ethics), the samadhi (meditation or concentration) and the prajna (wisdom and awareness.).

We also made the point about how these three aspects are mutually supportive of each other. They belong together, rather than as individual steps to be taken along a path.

The concept of developing a strong sense of virtue, ethics and self-discipline is important when we bring the practice of meditation into our lives. We can eliminate the need for any paranoia if we learn to live more virtuous, ethical lives. If we’re not constantly telling a different set of lies to different people all the time, we won’t have to worry about who we told what to so we won’t get caught in our fibbing. As long as we’re being honest and straightforward with people our lives will be remarkably simpler. If we’re always deceiving others, who are we truly hurting? It’s ourselves catching the brunt of the suffering, especially when we get caught in our deceitfulness. It will be easier for us to be more relaxed and open when we meditate if we’re not fretting about some sort of ethical mishap in our lives.

In Buddhist Belief teachings, Buddha talks about karma, and how the wheel of karma grinds very fine. Our ethical mistakes have a way of catching up to us eventually. We can dump tons of toxic waste into our oceans and we may never see any consequence at all. But, what about our children and our grandchildren? Can you see how our unethical actions of today could be a serious, unpleasant surprise to them someday? As the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around.” It’s an inescapable truth.

Bringing true responsibility onto our lives should be high on every one of our priority lists. How often do we see people today shirking their responsibilities? Or, how often is it where we see people who do something that is less than moral — even reprehensible — refusing to accept the responsibility for their actions, even to the point of looking for someone or something else to blame?

Let’s face it. We’re only going to kid ourselves when we try to mislead others. We are the ones who should be the role models for the generations to follow us. If we won’t step up and take on this responsibility, who will? This has become true in a critical way over the past few years. It’s time to begin to turn this around and begin living morally unimpeachable lives. As we do this and as we enter into the development of our focus, our concentration, our meditation, our samadhi, we won’t be distracted by all the complications caused by unethical living. We’ll be able to live simply and be at ease, not only with ourselves, but with others as well. We’ll be able to tune in to the real truth within us.

When we are able to live in a wholesome way, we’ll be able to find our way to much deeper focus in our meditations. When we are in the place of inner peace — our focus will allow for us to see the wisdom within us where we’ll gain spiritual understanding, compassion and love. When those aspects are working together, we see how our personal self-control and power over our actions will increase. These things can’t happen if our character is weakened by ethical misdeeds.

Can you see the relationship of these three aspects of the Fourth Noble Truth? Sila, samadhi, and prajna – morality, meditation and wisdom? They develop from each other as they enhance each other. If you put all this into the concept of wisdom, then isn’t it wise to be good to others — not to bring harm to them? If you think of this in terms of karma, and you know no one wants to be harmed — then why would you intentionally harm anyone? Not very smart, is it? Remember, “What goes around, comes around!” Isn’t it wise to be focused and able to concentrate, rather than being scattered all the time? You don’t have to meditate for hours and hours every day, but bringing a regular, daily practice into your lifestyle, will teach you how to be focused in your every day life. That’s smart!

So often, there is a tendency to believe that living a healthy, spiritual life is complicated. I think this belief is one of the many distractions our egos like to bring about. Making spirituality a big mystery is one sure way to bring more foolishness into your life. Yes, it is about your lifestyle — and we all know how we resist change of any kind. However, here’s the truth — we always have a choice. We can either go along with Buddhist Belief — or not. We either do it — or we don’t.

It’s up to you.

Let’s pick up at this point in the next article.

See you in the next articles.
====================================================
I’ve been a member of the Spiritual Cinema Circle for several years. This membership has been a wonderful pleasure. Each month I get a DVD with a feature film and 3 shorter films. It’s mine to keep. I don’t have to send it back. So I can share it with friends or watch them again whenever the mood strikes.

This coming month the feature film is called, “After Life“. If you had to choose one memory in which you would spend eternity, could you? This is the premise of “After Life. This thought-provoking film is available to you if you become a member before November 14, 2008.

The real beauty here is you not only get this feature film — you also get three more shorter films — (I’ll tell you about them in a moment — plus I’ll show you a video preview of the films for this month! ) — you get all four of these films on a DVD you get to keep as part of our free trial offer for new members. All you have to pay for your first month of films is a nominal shipping and handling cost.

After Life is a Spiritual Cinema classic and this year’s carefully chosen “hidden gem.” It’s a film from the recent past that embodies the essence of spiritual cinema. After Life, which was released ten years ago on the U.S art house circuit (with very little publicity), disappeared too quickly. Spiritual Cinema Circle is thrilled to offer this unique film to its subscribers.

In After Life, a team of counselors meet each week with a new group of people who have recently died. They are there to help them choose a memory from their lives that they will live out for all of eternity. As film crews gather to re-create the chosen memories, the subjects have just three days to decide which memory is the one to take with them.

Spiritual Cinema Circle scours film festivals and seeks out cutting edge filmmakers to find the most soulful, heartfelt and uplifting films to offer its subscribers.

Also, we have: Against the Wind (Short Film): In this sweet short about life, an elderly man examines his past and his present, looking for that one thing that keeps him going.

And …Second Life of the Sugar Bowl (Short Film): A man wanders through Paris before dawn while the flea market vendors are just setting up their wares. He’s searching for something specific as he begins to collect an odd assortment of junk…junk that becomes treasure for someone he loves.

Plus … Speed of Life (Short Film): This short documentary introduces us to a courageous young woman who was making her mark in the competitive snow-boarding world when she was struck by a mysterious illness that changed her life forever. Amy has gone on to change the lives of many other athletes, showing us all that facing life’s challenges can be part of the fun of living!

Receive After Life and the 3 great short films free (plus nominal shipping fee), by visiting Spiritual Cinema Circle at this link:

Spiritual Cinema Circle Free Trial

– be sure to do this before November 10.

Here are some video clips so you can get a glimpse of what’s being offered:

Enjoy the films,

I know I sure do — they’re a bright spot in every month.

Start your Free Trial Today

Spiritual Cinema Circle Free Trial

=============================================
For those who wanted me to repeat the links for the books I’ve mentioned in the last few articles, here they are again — and I’ve added one more:

Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, “A New Earth”

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, “My Stroke of Insight” — “Nirvana is just a breath away!”

An this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: “A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.

=====================================================

Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Have a peaceful day!! —

Ron Rink

http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

Tags: Buddhist Belief, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth, Nirvana, inner peace, peace, attachment, detachment, Fourth Noble Truth, Eightfold Path, karma

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, Eightfold Path, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Fourth Noble Truth, inner peace, karma, Nirvana, Peace, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth

The last article we wrote offered a small experiment where we were to shower love and compassion on the next being we encountered in our life. Any comments on that? How did it work for you? The next being I encountered after writing that article was the checkout person at the local Kroger store. All I managed to do was to smile big and wish her a great evening. I also helped her bag my few items. I gave her a sincere “Thank You” and that was it. It felt good, but not out of the ordinary for me. She did smile back, and I’d like to think she saw me as a bit more “up” than many of her customers that day. I’d be interested to hear from any of you to see how it went for you.

Now, let’s get back to the basics of this study which is the Noble Truths of Buddhist Belief.

One of the important elements of the Eightfold Path is the regular practice of meditation. I know when I devote time every day to my practice, a lot of things have a way of falling into place. Meditation helps me to realize I don’t have to figure everything out — which I can’t do anyway. This realization doesn’t mean I should stop questioning, or seeking or studying. It doesn’t mean it’s necessary to become sort of anti-intellectual. What it does show me is how slowing down for a while has a way of clearing the brain-sludge. In some ways it reminds me of trying to get a knot out of a shoelace. You know how if you fight with it the more you can’t open it? Sometimes, if you just stop fighting with it — just stop for a moment and take a deep breath, somehow the knot miraculously opens on your next try.

This analogy is much the same as a regular meditation. You’ll get those wonderful moments of awareness. Some of the answers to the questions in our mind seem to fall into place. We don’t have to continue batting our head against the wall. Suddenly we find the open window or the open door right next to the wall we’ve been hammering against when we were not open to awareness. Meditation is the door to the path. It’s our opening to the journey toward enlightenment. You don’t have to believe it. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you this opening. It’s something you live and apply yourself. It’s your path. It’s right there under your feet. All you have to do is step onto it.This is the “How-To” path. It’s the great highway to awakening. It’s where we’ll learn how to relinquish — how to let go — how to end the craving, clinging, conditioning, karma, and so on.

There a couple of ways to look at the Eightfold Path, and we’ll discuss both of them in these articles. First, I’d like to talk about the way this was originally taught, as the three trainings, the three facets of enlightened living. These are the sila (virtue or ethics), the samadhi (meditation or concentration) and the prajna (wisdom and awareness.). Many students feel they have to accomplish one of these aspects before they can move on to the next. For example, some students feel they have to get control of their ethical behavior (sila), they have to develop more self-discipline, they have to cool down their basic nature — before they can embark on the meditation and contemplation step (samadhi). Once they get “good enough” then they can start to develop their skills at meditation so they’ll be able to develop some wisdom (prajna).

It doesn’t work that way, folks.

These three aspects are mutually supportive. The idea is to put some attention to all of them. Isn’t it smart (wise) to be ethical in our dealings with others? It’s not as though our morality has to come before we focus on getting some wisdom in our lives. It doesn’t do a lot of good to have a regular, daily meditation practice and then go out and be ruthless to others. These three are all intertwined. We would do best to see what we are able to add to our lives right now, coupling those thoughts with where we feel we’re most out of balance. I always say we should have meditation in our daily lives, even if it doesn’t come easy at first. Learning to be present, to see things just as they are, moment by moment, does take practice. Sure, enlightened living, being more ethical and virtuous, is very important — and helpful. It’s also sensible. It will be almost impossible to pursue wisdom and truth if we’re not being ethical with others. How can we quiet our minds in peaceful meditation if we’re stewing about the problems we’ve created by not being wise and ethical?

Around and around. Can you see how these three aspects belong together?

Let’s pick up at this point in the next article about Buddhist Belief.

See you in the next articles.
====================================================

I’ve been a member of the Spiritual Cinema Circle for several years. This membership has been a wonderful pleasure. Each month I get a DVD with a feature film and 3 shorter films. It’s mine to keep. I don’t have to send it back. So I can share it with friends or watch them again whenever the mood strikes.

This coming month the feature film is called, “After Life“. If you had to choose one memory in which you would spend eternity, could you? This is the premise of “After Life. This thought-provoking film is available to you if you become a member before November 14, 2008.

The real beauty here is you not only get this feature film — you also get three more shorter films — (I’ll tell you about them in a moment — plus I’ll show you a video preview of the films for this month! ) — you get all four of these films on a DVD you get to keep as part of our free trial offer for new members. All you have to pay for your first month of films is a nominal shipping and handling cost.

After Life is a Spiritual Cinema classic and this year’s carefully chosen “hidden gem.” It’s a film from the recent past that embodies the essence of spiritual cinema. After Life, which was released ten years ago on the U.S art house circuit (with very little publicity), disappeared too quickly. Spiritual Cinema Circle is thrilled to offer this unique film to its subscribers.

In After Life, a team of counselors meet each week with a new group of people who have recently died. They are there to help them choose a memory from their lives that they will live out for all of eternity. As film crews gather to re-create the chosen memories, the subjects have just three days to decide which memory is the one to take with them.

Spiritual Cinema Circle scours film festivals and seeks out cutting edge filmmakers to find the most soulful, heartfelt and uplifting films to offer its subscribers.

Also, we have: Against the Wind (Short Film): In this sweet short about life, an elderly man examines his past and his present, looking for that one thing that keeps him going.

And …Second Life of the Sugar Bowl (Short Film): A man wanders through Paris before dawn while the flea market vendors are just setting up their wares. He’s searching for something specific as he begins to collect an odd assortment of junk…junk that becomes treasure for someone he loves.

Plus … Speed of Life (Short Film): This short documentary introduces us to a courageous young woman who was making her mark in the competitive snow-boarding world when she was struck by a mysterious illness that changed her life forever. Amy has gone on to change the lives of many other athletes, showing us all that facing life’s challenges can be part of the fun of living!

Receive After Life and the 3 great short films free (plus nominal shipping fee), by visiting Spiritual Cinema Circle at this link:

Spiritual Cinema Circle Free Trial

– be sure to do this before November 10.

Here are some video clips so you can get a glimpse of what’s being offered:

Enjoy the films,

I know I sure do — they’re a bright spot in every month.

Start your Free Trial Today

Spiritual Cinema Circle Free Trial
=============================================
For those who wanted me to repeat the links for the books I’ve mentioned in the last few articles, here they are again — and I’ve added one more:

Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, “A New Earth”

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, “My Stroke of Insight” — “Nirvana is just a breath away!”

An this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: “A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.

=====================================================

Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Have a peaceful day!! —

Ron Rink

http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

Tags: Buddhist Belief, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth, Nirvana, inner peace, peace, attachment, detachment, Fourth Noble Truth, Eightfold Path

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, Eightfold Path, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Fourth Noble Truth, inner peace, Nirvana, Peace, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth

The last article was a bit more difficult to understand as we began our study of the Eightfold Path and the aspects of the discipline and the doctrine. I hope you will keep in mind the fact of the basics of this study which is the Noble Truths of Buddhist Belief.

(The picture in today’s article is a replica of Kwan Yin, The Goddess of Compassion)

Perhaps a small experiment will help us to gain a more clear understanding of where these teachings will take us as we go more deeply into the Eightfold Path. Can we try this?

When you finish with your daily routine today, or when you are about to leave your house or place of business and step out into the public where you’ll encounter others, see if you can do the following with the first being you meet. It doesn’t have to be a human being, just whatever sort of being crosses your path. It might be a human or it might be a pussycat, it doesn’t matter. See if you can radiate awakening light rays, love, equanimity, and deep caring for that being, whatever it is. Take notice of how you are during this encounter. What happens to your self-image? How do you see yourself when you do this? Are you open and loving, or do you find yourself reacting or making judgments about the being?

Think about what we discussed last time. Think about how wisdom and compassion are interrelated. Think about the reality of how we are all one — how we are all interrelated — see if you can realize the inseparability of yourself and the other being you’ve encountered. See if you can do this for at least this one encounter. Don’t worry about doing this for more than the first being you meet today. It would be wonderful to carry it out through the rest of the evening or day. For now, though, do this for this one being only. Try to notice any difference between how you usually hold yourself with others, and how you are when doing this experiment. This could be quite illuminating. Beam some love to the first being you meet and notice if you are different in some way and whether you could see yourself being this way in your everyday life.

Why this experiment, you ask? As we delve into the Eightfold Path, (the eight principles of enlightened living) we’re going to learn some ways of living which might be different from what we’re used to. Will it be possible for us to live a life of compassion and love? Or will we learn these principles and still go about our lives in a contradictory fashion? It’s to show how we can blossom even out of our normal existence. It’s a sort of metaphor for our own spiritual (lotus-like) blossoming right out of the mud of our normal nature. As one Buddhist teacher, Trungpa Rinpoche used to say with a certain humor, “Even shit can be used as the manure to help flowers grow”. The “manure” of our own experience can help us to grow. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Even a little gross. The interesting thing is — it’s metaphorically true.

Hmmm, I seem to be straying away from following the planned path for this blog — or am I? This blog is about Buddhism from the ground up studied from the point of view of a person from America. My readers from Europe and other countries will see this is a western point of view as opposed to just an American one. It’s about the original enlightenment of Buddha — the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

You’ll see as we progress — we’re on track. We’ve looked into the First Noble Truth, dukkha, the all-pervading, constant gnawing of dissatisfaction inside us driving us to seek something beyond this. We looked at the Second Noble Truth, which is the cause of our dissatisfaction — our craving, clinging and attachments. And then, the Third Noble Truth, the end of suffering, the relinquishment of craving, clinging and attachment. The end of our addictive habits — the realization of Nirvana.

This experiment is an important next step to understanding the Fourth Noble Truth, the Eightfold Path. We’re going to be learning how to relinquish, how to let go, how to break our addictive patterns, how to give up on our old habits which cause us to suffer. We’re going to be learning how to experience the deathless peace and fulfillment of Nirvana. This experiment is the beginning of our “How-To” manual — our operating manual for enlightened living. It’s a manual with super-clear instructions that anybody can do.

Even you and me.

See you in the next articles.
====================================================
Can Buddhism Save You From a Financial Crisis? Here’s one opinion.
Buddhism and Crisis!

=============================================
For those who wanted me to repeat the links for the books I’ve mentioned in the last few articles, here they are again:

Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, “A New Earth”

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, “My Stroke of Insight” — “Nirvana is just a breath away!”

An this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: “A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.
=====================================================

Buddhist from Britain Spreads the Word

His name is Lokamitra, but the person who answers to that name is not the traditional Indian hermit. He is a blue-eyed, fair-skinned foreigner.

Like most youngsters in the 1960s, Jeremy Goody, then a 23-year-old history teacher in Britain, was desperate to know how he could channel his unruly emotions. He decided to take up Buddhist meditation after meeting Sangharakshita, an English Buddhist who had spent 20 years in India teaching Buddha Dharma.

Lokamitra, the name given to Goody by his teacher, literally translates to “friend of the people”. And nearly three decades later, Goody has truly lived up to his name. He has spent 34 years in an unknown land, and traveled to remote villages to spread the message of Buddhism.

His extensive work with the Buddhists of Pune and Nagpur has also been recognized at the international level. He was awarded the prestigious Manhae Grand Prize for Peace this year.

However, despite the country’s progress, Lokamitra, feels that casteism is still prevalent in modern day India. “I was in Gujarat after the Bhuj earthquake. The dalits there were denied relief if they didn’t chant ‘Ram Ram’ and beg.”

He added that he had also seen minorities being fooled in the name of Buddhism by greedy politicians who look at them as sheer vote banks.

========================================================
Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Have a peaceful day!! —

Ron Rink

http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

Tags: Buddhist Belief, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth, Nirvana, inner peace, peace, attachment, detachment, Fourth Noble Truth, Eightfold Path

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, Eightfold Path, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Fourth Noble Truth, inner peace, Nirvana, Peace, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth

Over the time this blog has been in existence, we’ve been talking about the Noble Truths of Buddhist Belief. We’ve learned that life can be full of dissatisfaction and suffering. We’ve learned that the reason this is true is because of our cravings, our clinging, our attachments, our greed and our foolish desires. We’ve also learned how to end this suffering by relinquishing this way of living from our lives and including the daily practice of meditation in our lives. This is the self without suffering as taught in the first Three Noble Truths by Buddha.

Next, let’s begin our discussion of the Fourth Noble Truth, which is the path to this release, the freedom from clinging and suffering. It is also called the Eightfold Path — or the Eight Steps to Enlightenment — or the Eight Principles of Enlightened Living.

Once we delve into this subject, we’ll begin to see how these teachings of Buddha can be summed up as the true essence of all he taught. There are two principles here: the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The first, the Four Noble Truths, covers the aspect of doctrine. What I’m referring to as the doctrine, is our clear understanding of the facts of life as I described them in the first paragraph above and in the previous articles.

The Eightfold Path covers the principle of discipline. What I’m referring to as the discipline, is the call for us to enter into a more spiritual way of living. What I feel is important here is to understand the interrelationship of the two principles. It is how the doctrine and the discipline lock together in what Buddhists refer to as the Dhamma or Dharma. This locking together, this unity of the Dharma, is guaranteed by the fact that the last of the Four Noble Truths, the Fourth Noble Truth, is in fact, the Noble Eightfold Path.

(Stay with me for another moment … don’t give up, it will become clear ….)

As you will learn shortly, the first factor, or step, of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right View, which means to have a clear understanding of the entire Four Noble Truths.

Thus the two principles, doctrine and discipline, penetrate and include one another, the Four Noble Truths contain the Eightfold Path and the Eightfold Path contains the Four Noble Truths.

(I hope I haven’t confused you. I know I had to read those last paragraphs again after I wrote them!)

(Sidenote: I used to think that the words Dhamma and Dharma meant two different things. I’ve since learned these words do mean the same thing: they both mean the teachings of Buddha which lead to enlightenment. The words are merely different languages; Dhamma from Pali and Dharma from the Sanscrit.)

One thing about Buddhism I believe with all my being is this — we can all be free of suffering. This is the beautiful message of Buddhist Belief.

Once we understand that nothing is permanent, we can begin to see how everything can be workable. If nothing is eternally ruined, or fixed or hopeless, if everything is changing and not what we think it is, then the conclusion is that no matter where we are or what situation we find ourselves in, we can bring change to it. If you think about it, this will also include you and me as individuals. Sure we can sit in our place of meditation and find moments of inner peace, but for a true, lasting inner peace — to live a life filled with compassion and love, we need to do some work. The work we’ll be talking about in these next articles is the true work.

The Noble Eightfold Path can be basically divided into three segments — self-discipline or morality, meditation and wisdom. When we talk about wisdom, it helps if we understand that wisdom and compassion are not separate concepts. If you can grasp the wisdom, the reality that we are all one — that we are all interrelated — you will realize the inseparability of yourself and others. With that wisdom as a part of you, there will be less selfishness on your part. You’ll begin to see that your needs are the same as the other guys and you’ll treat them accordingly. This is true wisdom. What happens when you have this wonderful knowledge? The natural thing coming out of this wisdom is your compassion for others. Why would we do something to harm ourselves? In simple terms, we have learned to recognize ourselves in others.

There are, however, some cautions we need to consider when talking about wisdom and compassion. One thing to consider is how does this relate to us in our lives? I would love to just write down an answer to that question for you. But, it’s a question only you can answer. You will find the answer in your own meditation practice — in your own investigation — in your own personal, spiritual life.

In Buddhist Belief, you are learning a way to freedom. You could say, “Okay, if nothing is permanent, and everything is empty, then I’ll practice some wild and crazy wisdom. I’ll just drink myself to death.” You are free to take this route. It’s always your choice. But, in the conventional sense this is harmful and not useful. If you find yourself rationalizing your behavior with this “wisdom loophole”, the idea that “if everything is the same it doesn’t matter what I do loophole”, be careful. It will surely backfire. It’s a sure signal you have more work to do.

Look deeply into your own hearts as you interpret your wisdom and you will know. You will be able to see the difference between what is right and what is wrong. You will see the oneness of all beings. You will see how harming yourself will bring harm to others. You will learn to see that if someone is choosing immorality, or is choosing addictive behavior, they obviously have not completed their own spiritual work.

See you in the next articles.
=============================================
The Buddhist Belief Bookshelf

For those who wanted me to repeat the links for the books I’ve mentioned in the last few articles, here they are again — and I’ve added one more:

Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, “A New Earth“Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”