The Mormon Buddhist

I've talked about the 4-noble truths at length in the past. I am a firm believer that everything in Buddhism stems from those 4 truths. Because of how central it is to Buddhism, I feel we've talked about it fairly in-depth already. I thought about just re-posting my chart again and call this week's writing done. However, I felt that doing so wouldn't be purring in the proper effort into the course, and I want to put the proper effort into this. I decided I wanted do something a little different this week and share a story of how I used the 4 noble truths in my life this week. (When reading along, having my freshly updated chart open might be a good idea ;) ) I recently had to make a payment on some debt I have. I haven't been great at making payments on this debt because my wife and I thought we would need to be finding a new apartment soon and were saving for a deposit and first month's rent. However, our housing situation stabilized and we have no need f

I am a big fan of saying things as simply and directly as possible. Because of this, I am on a mission to convey the core concepts of the intricate, complex, and 2,500 year old ideology of Buddhism effectively in  one  graphic. This graphic will include the 4 Noble Truths, the 8-Fold Path, The Law of Dependent Origin, my favorite meditation techniques, and eventually all the terms you might want to know. More stuff will be added as I feel they are necessary. This post will be updated every time I update the graphic, and you will no longer need to cross reference posts to get a more complete understanding. Direct link (large image file) Direct link (small image file) Updated 2/9/18

Its no secret that I am a fan of Noah Rasheta's podcast " Secular Buddhism ", but the details of why are for a different time. In Noah's 32nd episode, " How to Meditate ", he gives a wonderful technique for meditating he calls "3-Fold Mindfulness Meditation". Noah talks about it in depth in his podcast episode, and I highly recommend watching it. However, if you're like me and have heard it before, you might just want a cliff notes version of how this technique works. I have made this graphic for that exact reason. I hope you enjoy it! HD imgur link

The sentence that really stuck out to me this week during my studies was this: "The goal of Buddhism is not the attainment of a ficticous paradise but the conversion of the actual world into an ideal realm". This really resonated with me and is what I'd like to talk about this week. We have the power to make this life and this world a great one, but do we? How often do we want someone else to do it for us or just hope it'll get better? The 4th part of the 8-fold path is action. If we want the world to be a better place, we have to roll up our sleeves and be the ones to act. We have to be the change we want to see in the world. We have to help those in need and strive to not cause harm, and sometimes that means doing nothing causes harm. To invoke the chorus from a song from my Mormon heritage: "Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along, Do your duty with a heart full of song, We all have work; let no one shirk. Put your shoulder to the wheel."

I have to admit, this was the most challenging chapter so far for me to feel like I turly grasp the concepts. I spent a lot of time re-reading my notes, re-reading the chapter, cross referencing on Wikipedia, and then looking up meanings of words to better explain stuff. It has been an exhaustive but rewarding process. I feel I am better able to understand the Law of Dependent origin in action in daily life. I decided that instead of trying to long-windedly explain everything and having you get lost along the way, a short explanation along with a graphic would explain the concept best. I didn't focus on just the 6 Sixes or the 12 Linked Chain of Causation, instead I took a part of both of them and made this. I'm not sure what to call it, but I feel it really exemplifies the messages that both were trying to convey; cause and effect in your own life. If we can be mindful of what effects can cause, we can avoid causes and eliminate suffering. It has helped me understand why I

One of my fellow students at Bright Dawn made a great observation today. She said that skepticism is more often than not frowned upon. Whether it be in religion, conversations, relationships, politics, or anything else, skepticism gets a bad rap. I think it gets a bad rap because it is essentially a challenge. You are challenging a person's belief on some level, and that makes them feel threatened. However, from your end, you are just following the first part of the 8-Fold Path: Understanding. You need to ask questions in order to learn, grow, and have a better understanding. In this way, skepticism isn't only healthy, it's essential to becoming the best you that you can be.

There were 3 things that stood out to me in my reading this week. I read this chapter in 2 sittings, and in both sittings these stood out to me: The foundations of Buddhism are the Seals of the Law, Law of Dependent Origin, and the 4 Noble Truths. For something that made such a bold claim as to the foundations of Buddhism, it deserved to be examined. The Seals of the Law Also known as the 4 Dharma Seals, they are said to reflect true Buddhism. Any teaching that has these can be considered part of Buddhism. The 4 seals are as follows: All things are impermanent All existence is suffering All phenomena are empty Enlightenment is peace The first seal, all things are impermanent, is fairly self-explanatory. Anything that is assembled will, sooner or later, come apart. Whether it be a sand castle, a cloud, a person, a planet, or a star, everything will come to an end. The second seal is something that many people have a difficult time understanding. I know I did. However, it is