Barbara Ann Kipfer - 863 Buddhist Ways to Conquer Lifes Little Challenges

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

863 Buddhist Ways to Conquer Lifes Little Challenges presents a wide array of everyday situationsgood, bad, and neutralfaced by many Americans at various stages in their lives and relates them to guidance from the Buddhist teachings. The wisdom, applied to the circumstances found in our ever-changing lives, will help readers make more sense of their existence. The book also provides a solid foundation for the basics of Buddhism. It introduces the precepts, or fundamental ethical rules common to all schools of Buddhism, and applies them to the stuff of daily life. Instead of addressing a handful of questions as in the What would Buddha do? books, this volume offers a greater range of situations and addresses them in a succinct and helpful format.

Within the various topics in 863 Buddhist Ways, the reader will find everyday situations and sayings that offer insight into how to handle those situations. The subject areas and the everyday situations are not just about problems or negativity in life; they also offer Buddhist wisdom in relation to good situations and positive happenings. You can browse through the topics and find situations and wisdom applicable to your own life.

The wisdom offered in this book is based on content from a large number of books about Buddhism, from insight meditation to Zen. The words of those teachers have been adapted to make them more accessible to lay readers. It is all Buddhist wisdom in that the precepts of the Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths, as well as those found in many of Buddhas other teachings, make up the underlying guidance.

What 863 Buddhist Ways attempts to do is combine the themes, situations, and sayings of Buddha and the many teachers who have followed after him to give guidance, answers, encouragement, and reinforcement. 863 Buddhist Ways should serve as a sourcebook for opening the mind and awakening the spirit.

Barbara Ann Kipfer, Ph.D.

Belief

SITUATION: While you believe in many ideals of Buddhism, you also believe in the power of prayer. From your upbringing and background as a Christian, prayer has always been important in your life. You want that to continue.

WISDOM:Embrace the adage that prayer is speaking and meditation is listening.

SITUATION: Practicing Christianity has been important to you since you were young. You enjoy going to church, and your belief in God is strong. However, you are not afraid to question or disagree with some of the bizarre rituals and beliefs that your religion practices.

WISDOM:You do not have to give up your Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, or any other religious beliefs in order to practice a Buddhist-style mindfulness.

SITUATION: Sometimes it feels as if your prayers go unanswered. Is there any point to praying?

WISDOM:A good way to pray is to ask that the person you are praying for receive what he or she needs most at this time. You can pray in this way for yourself, too.

SITUATION: There is one family in your neighborhood that you try to avoid at all costs because they try to push their religious beliefs on you.

WISDOM:Commit to not harming others through thoughts, words, or deeds. Peace begins with you. Embrace your own spiritual path and you will be fine in such a circumstance because you will bring peace to the situation.

SITUATION: While you believe in a God who is loving and kind, it is difficult for you to understand how some people think that God would allow people to hurt and kill each other in His/Her name.

WISDOM:There is always a gap between what a religion says and thinks it is about and what it is actually about. This gap begins with why and how rituals are practiced and how important or unimportant these rituals are.

SITUATION: You are the first to admit that you do not fully understand the concept of karma. But the idea of karma intrigues you, and you believe it warrants further exploration.

WISDOM:The law of karma shows you that the way to achieve happiness is by engaging in positive actions and refraining from negative ones. Not only do you yourself create the cause for your future happiness, but, by being kind, ethical, and compassionate toward others, you feel good about yourself while making those around you happy, too.

SITUATION: Lately, you have been thinking a lot about heaven. It began with a vivid dream you had about your deceased grandfather explaining heaven to you. Since then, heaven has been on your mind.

WISDOM:There are many unanswered questions about the universe. Does heaven exist? While these questions are interesting, they do not matter on your path of awakening. Spend your time and energy trying to live a peaceful and loving life and gaining wisdom, not pondering questions you can never answer.

SITUATION: You find it hard to believe that you go to heaven or are reborn into something else. You believe that once you die, thats it.

WISDOM:The Buddha taught that at the moment of death, the quality of consciousness conditions the arising of a rebirth consciousness. Nothing is carried over, but depending on that last moment, a new consciousness arises.

SITUATION: When you were in your early teens, you were in a park at dusk with a group of your friends when you all saw what appeared to be a UFO. You all told your parents about the rotating lights on a craft that just hovered over the park for a minute or two and then zoomed away. However, you dont really know if anyone believed you. When the subject of UFOs comes up, you never know if you should say anything about the incident or not.

WISDOM:All the objects that we perceive in life are created by ourselves. Our perceptions of objects are based on the time and place we are in and will be different from everyone elses.

SITUATION: Some days you find it hard to believe in anything spiritually, to have faith. When reading the newspaper or watching TV and seeing all the hurt, sadness, and war in the world, it makes you doubt and wonder.

WISDOM:The remedy for doubt is more understanding. If you are not free from doubt, you will not find freedom. Acceptance and understanding of change is a deep spiritual insight that can transform your life.

Meditation

SITUATION: In a rush to get to work in the morning, nothing seems to be going right. Even brushing your teeth seems onerous.

WISDOM:How often in the most mundane tasks have you meditated well?

SITUATION: You are a beginner to meditation. You dont know if this is normal, but whenever you try to start a meditation, you hear constant talking in your head.

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