“Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.”
The Buddha
Buddhism is one big complex organ system. There are so many veins you can follow. So many different schools and teachings. There is Theravada Mayanha, Tibetan, secular, contemplative, zen Buddhism and a list that is longer than my arm. Every school seems to define the same concept in a completely different way. And once you think you know something well I am sorry to tell you, you don't.Every school of Buddhism has its own way to teach. Every teacher in that school knows a different way to explain that teaching. And then every student picks up that teaching in a different light. So if you don't think Buddhism can get a little fuzzy and complex your wrong.
It's one big confusion to a beginner like me. If I haven't stressed this enough I want to say it again. In no way shape or form am I an expert, im not a teacher im, not someone whos been behind the buddha since the hippy days in the 60s (wasn't born back then) I have picked up a few books and a few podcasts and am giving this Buddhism thing a go. And the point of this blog is to help me and you learn together. If I make a mistake tell me that way we all can learn. I am sharing what I learn as I learn it as a way to instil it into my mind and spread the teachings.
I have found that Buddhism has helped me try to be a better person, its helped me relieve a small amount of anxiety and overall I feel It has helped me improve as a living breathing human being. So no I am no expert but I am here to share what I have learnt.
I was thinking of starting off this blog by trying to explain things like the four seals, four noble truths, five precepts or the eightfold path but there are several reasons Im not going to.
Reason one I don't know enough yet to explain these big ideas. The second reason I barely can remember on these lists let alone explain them so once again I don't know enough and third I have found a bunch of resources that can explain them better.
Yes in the future I will try and give you a rundown of the core teachings but first I want to share some podcasts that you can use to help you begin your journey into Buddhism. So here are some of the most useful podcasts I have been using to help get to grips with Buddhism.
The first and one of my favourite Buddhist podcast is secular Buddhism podcast. As the name suggests it is a secular viewpoint. Noah Rasheta has been studying Buddhism for years, he knows a lot and likes to share it with the world. He is softly spoken and knowledgeable.
The podcast focus more on the concepts from Buddhism than the history of the Buddha. There are parables and koans and other bits and pieces he uses to explain these concepts.
He uses real-life examples of different concepts such as anger and seeing someone as different than they first expected. He is easy to understand, down to earth and a pleasure to listen to.
He has a big back catalogue and I have started from the beginning. I like following things chronologically but if you just want to dabble you can always go in randomly and pick any and I am sure you will like it.
Next, I would recommend the everyday Buddhist podcast by Wendy Shinyo Harlett. She is funny, intelligent and has been a Buddhist well before I was born. She along with Noah have both experienced life enough to know a thing or two, they have practised long enough to know enough, Here style makes it easy for the everyday person ( even if you're not a practitioner) to follow along and include Buddhist teachings into everyday life. Once again her standpoint is more secular, which I like.
Buddhism guide is hosted by karma Yeshe rugby and is a contemplative look at the buddhas teaching. He is a monk from Brittain who now lives in India. He was taught by the likes of the Dalai Lama and is very knowledgeable. I find his podcast pleasant to listen to as well as his guided meditations. He has a more factual approach which is more scripted in a good way whereas the other two like to go off on tangents a bit. He stays more closely to the teachings than the other two.
Audio Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) is a podcast which hosts dharma talks. It is recorded from the insight meditation centre. I find the talks to be really fascinating and can come from a mixture of people. Most come from Gil Fronstal who is easy going and down to earth. His personality is pleasant and makes his points clear. He is very insightful and would highly recommend.
My favourite one I have listened to so far would have to be his talk about generosity. It has made me become a more generous person and overall is a great talk
I hope you find at least one of these podcasts are helpful and I would highly recommend you check them out. I listen to all my podcasts on player FM but im pretty sure anywhere that hosts podcast will have them. If you cant find them on your favourite podcast place then there are links underneath here for all of there websites where you can find the podcasts.
Secular Buddhism podcast- https://secularbuddhism.com
Everyday Buddhism- https://www.everyday-buddhism.com
Buddhism Guide- http://buddhismguide.org
Audio dharma- https://www.audiodharma.org
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