Search results for: "Wisdom"

  1. The Buddha Defines Wisdom
     … So in all these cases, wisdom is strategic. It’s not simply a series of little statements. You’ve seen those books of wisdom: the wisdom of Lao Tsu, the wisdom of whoever, just page after page of wise statements. But that’s not what wisdom is. Wisdom lies in seeing a problem and knowing how to solve it, sometimes seeing a problem that … 
  2. The Wisdom of Ardency
    The Wisdom of Ardency July 2, 2012 All of the factors of the path build on right view, which means that they all contain an element of discernment or wisdom. The question sometimes arises: Where in the practice of right mindfulness is the element of wisdom? There’s a general tendency to see it in the quality of sampajañña, or alertness. But alertness just … 
  3. Wisdom & Compassion
     … That, as the Buddha said, is the beginning of wisdom. So the two go together. Wisdom depends on goodwill and compassion; goodwill and compassion depend on wisdom. And this doesn’t apply just in the beginning stages. You can have lots of compassion, but if there’s no wisdom, it’s not necessarily a cause for an end of suffering. It actually can pull … 
  4. The Wisdom of Tenacity
    We come to the practice because we’re looking for some wisdom in our lives. We’ve heard that by meditating, the mind gets to calm down; when it’s calm and still it can see things more clearly. But then the question arises, what kind of wisdom are we looking for? And it’s important to understand right off the bat that wisdom … 
  5. Wisdom, Compassion, Purity
     … It’s part of the wisdom. Wisdom, he said, starts with the question, “What when I do it will lead to long term welfare and happiness?” The wisdom there lies in seeing that your actions are going to make the difference, and that you want long-term, you don’t want short-term. Based on that principle is compassion. You realize that just as … 
  6. More Wisdom for Dummies
    Buddhist wisdom is often presented as very paradoxical, subtle, hard to understand. Yet the basic principles are actually quite simple. You learn how to make distinctions. You begin to see that some of the things you do are good and some of the things are not so good; you have the desire to stop doing the things that are not good. That’s a … 
  7. The Quest for Inner Happiness
     … The Buddha’s wisdom lay in finding that it is possible to find a true happiness. You start out by asking yourself, “What can I do to find a long-term happiness?”—as opposed to what I might do that would lead to a shorter-term happiness or a long-term suffering. The wisdom here lies in realizing that happiness comes from your actions … 
  8. The Problem of Suffering
     … A lot is said about Buddhist wisdom: three characteristics, teachings on emptiness or dependent co-arising. But when the Buddha himself defined wisdom, it was the wisdom of how you do something, taking that knowledge and putting it to use for its intended purpose. That wisdom begins, he says, with the question, “What, when I do it, will lead to my long-term welfare … 
  9. Equanimity with Wisdom
  10. The Wisdom of Patience
  11. The Wisdom of Humor
  12. Wisdom for Dummies
     … You might call it wisdom for dummies: the kind of wisdom that comes from looking at what’s actually going on in your life, asking some very basic questions, and applying a few very basic principles to solve your big problems. When you use wisdom for dummies, it doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It means you recognize that you’ve been foolish and … 
  13. Wisdom for Dummies Revisited
    Wisdom for Dummies Revisited February 4, 2017 We like to think of Buddhist wisdom as something subtle and abstract. And there are aspects of the Buddha’s teachings that are subtle and abstract. But wisdom has to start with some very basic things, too. You might call it “Wisdom for Dummies.” And that means you: You’re not going to get to the higher … 
  14. Return of Wisdom for Dummies
     … So wisdom, as far as the Buddha is concerned, is very pragmatic. We can talk about emptiness, we can talk about dependent co-arising in the abstract, but that’s not wisdom. Wisdom starts when you realize that you need to get your actions under control. And where do your actions come from? They come from your intentions, so you’ve got to control … 
  15. The Value of Refuge
     … The qualities that the Buddha developed in terms of wisdom, compassion, and purity came from answering that question. Wisdom, of course, starts with the question, “What when I do it will lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?” You have to stop and think. What kind of happiness would be long-term? What kind of actions would lead to it? That’s part … 
  16. Wise about Pain
     … To what extent do you work with pains or try to get rid of them? This is where one of the basic principles of wisdom comes in. As the Buddha said, the sign of wisdom is that you know what duties fall to you, what you’re responsible for, and what you’re not responsible for. There are some pains that are caused by … 
  17. Practical Wisdom
     … On top of that, it requires a very practical kind of wisdom and discernment. Say that a really strong emotion arises in your mind, and part of you would really like to act on it, but another part knows that if you act on it, there’s going to be trouble. An important part of wisdom is learning how to effectively say No to … 
  18. Being Responsible
     … his wisdom, or discernment, his compassion, and his purity. And as the Buddha taught, wisdom comes from finding answers to the question, “What when I do it will lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?” In other words, wisdom begins with the realization that your happiness and suffering depend on your actions, long-term happiness is possible, and it’s better than short … 
  19. A Wealthy Memory
     … the wealth of memorized wisdom. After a while, the memorized wisdom will sprout into your own wisdom, too. It’s easy as meditators to look down on book knowledge, but that’s not the proper attitude. Obviously, you can’t listen to the people who claim that book knowledge is everything, but there’s a lot of good wisdom available for you to borrow … 
  20. Wisdom Through Doing
     … All of that comes out of wisdom. It’s the wisdom that sees that the Buddha didn’t speak just to show off his knowledge, or to entertain people or to decorate their minds with interesting concepts. He taught them things they should do. If you want to benefit most from his teachings, you have to put them into action yourself. So you’re … 
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