Are you looking for a way to connect with other Buddhists who share your values and vision? Do you want to support Buddhist organisations that are making a positive impact in the world? If so, you might want to check out Metta Connections, an online platform that connects lay people with Buddhist professionals and organisations.… Continue reading How Metta Connections Can Help You Find and Support Buddhist Professionals
Rainbodhi is a spiritual friendship group for LGBTQIA+ Buddhists and an advocate for more inclusion and diversity in the broader Buddhist community. Our name combines two words: rainbow, representing our diverse community, and bodhi, the Buddhist concept of enlightenment. Sometimes I get asked why we need a group like Rainbodhi. Compared to other religions,… Continue reading Introducing Rainbodhi LGBTQIA+ Buddhist Community
We need a strong Buddhist voice for climate change! We encourage your group to participate on Sunday 17 and Monday 18 October for 2 days of global climate action organised by the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. 2 ways on 2 days to make your voice heard on climate change (do 1, do both… Continue reading Taking Compassionate Action For The Planet!
Buddhism sometimes gets a bad reputation for seeming obsessed with suffering. It’s true that the concept of suffering has a big place in the Buddhist thought-world; however, suffering is pointed out so we can learn how to avoid creating more suffering in our lives. The Buddhist path is really about happiness, because the absence of… Continue reading On Happiness and Where to Find it
When we talk about faith in Buddhism, we might think of devotional practices such as bowing to images of the Buddha, offering candles and incense, and perhaps reciting chants. These small rituals can be comforting and play a role in helping to affirm our spiritual practice. A danger arises when people treat devotional practice as… Continue reading Faith in Buddhist Thought
It’s easy to paint nature as an idealised, romantic realm with glorious sunsets and animals frolicking about happily. When people say they feel ‘one with nature’, it is this picturesque form of nature they feel connected to. But the truth is that nature is also a brutal place full of fear and suffering; animals are… Continue reading Being Connected
The opposite of wellbeing is ill being. Every time you are uncomfortable, have unwanted feelings, and you don’t want to go there, that is ill being and we can call it suffering. When I think of being unhappy, I think of things that have happened to me. I think about the unexpected curve balls life… Continue reading Break The Cycle of Unhappiness
My job as a Buddhist is to observe my mind. Using tools such as meditation, reflection and contemplation to become familiar with the inner workings of the mind. Within corrections, amongst inmates and staff, and much like ‘on the outside’, Buddhism is quite fashionable. People love to quote the Buddha, but rarely implement the teachings… Continue reading A Buddhist View
If you know Buddhist psychology, you know the correct statement is ‘we all suffer’. Suffering isn’t something we want to know, which is why we spend every waking moment avoiding it. Instinctively we look out and believe my problem is ‘out there’. My partner, my job, the weather. Those are the obstacles to my happiness.… Continue reading Why Do I Suffer?
Within NSW Corrections, amongst inmates and staff, and much like ‘on the outside’, Buddhism is quite fashionable. People love to quote the Buddha, but rarely implement his teachings to their lives. The Buddha’s teachings, also known as Dharma, are altruistic, loving, compassionate and transformative. However, it also requires an authentic teacher and serious commitment by… Continue reading Mindfulness-based Therapy In Prisons
