Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox

What is joyous perseverance (effort)?

“When you have focused upon something virtuous, joyous perseverance is enthusiasm for it. Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds says:

What is joyous perseverance…

1. Power of Reliance: Pray for help to any holy being you feel connected to or simply pray. In Tibetan the word prayer means “wish path” and a prayer is a karmic action or path leading you to a new rea…

Taking refuge is the key expression of commitment to Buddhism. If you want to identify as a Buddhist in a more formal way, you can take refuge by saying the refuge prayer: “I go for refuge to Buddha,…

A Buddhist is sometimes referred to as an inner being. This is one who solves their problems and seeks happiness within. In this episode, we look at how to recognize whether we are seeking inner or o…

According to the Buddha, thoughts create karma, our present reality and our future. Yet our thoughts can be so deceptive. This episode will help us explore and question our thoughts, as well as direc…

Right speech is abstaining from:

• false speech
• divisive speech
• harsh speech
• frivolous speech 

1. Lying (false speech): The performance is indicating something false through speaking, through choosin…

Moral discipline is the foundation of the spiritual path in Buddhism. Virtue means something that creates happiness or inner peace (good karma). When we determine that an action is virtuous or non-vi…

In this episode, we consider our own Buddha-nature, the real nature of our mind: pure, peaceful, wise and compassion. We also learn how to do the practice of taking and giving (or Tonglen in Tibetan)…

In this episode we explore a method to help us avoid becoming angry when others criticize us or say hurtful things. We can learn to become an observer rather than becoming entangled with others’ acti…

In this episode we look at a practice to help us generate compassion for those who harm us. This can free us from the painful experience of anger. The method given in this episode is called taking an…

The Buddhist canon contains many methods to calm the fires of anger and increase our patience. In this episode we look at a method for averting anger by understanding that harm is created by the powe…

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patience as: the ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult or annoying situation, task, or person. Everyone has different triggers that cause them to…

The faults of anger:

1. We become unhappy and uncomfortable 
2. Makes us lose our reason and good sense
3. Destroys relationships
4. Karmic cause of future ugliness and makes us appear unattractive in the momen…

Patience means our mind stays peaceful when things are difficult or we experience something (or someone) unpleasant. In this episode, we begin to learn how to practice patience. We can grow this habi…

The only thing that goes with us into the next life is our karma. Our friends and relatives, our wealth, even our body we will leave behind. When Buddha states this truth, it is to encourage us to fo…

What does it mean to live a holy life in this modern world? The Pali word ‘nekkhamma’ in the Buddhist canon is generally translated as "renunciation". This word also conveys the meaning of giving up …

This is the second episode detailing a method to develop bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment to relieve the suffering of all living beings. The world needs such noble pursuits, which take re…

Perhaps we connect deeply with the idea of universal love and compassion? Or we want to become a bodhisattva bound for enlightenment? But then we wonder, “how can I actually develop love for all livi…

By making cherishing others our main daily practice, we will discover a real source of happiness in our lives. Cherishing others means acting to make others happy. It opposes selfishness. As we dea…

What if we could tune our body and mind, like a fine instrument, to peacefulness? What if we could be calm, relaxed and peaceful all the time? In this episode we return to a simple, effective mindful…