A complete guide to the Buddhist practices of meditation, right living, and everything else you need to know Who was the Buddha and why did he become such a significant historical figure? What were his most important insights and teachings? What can he tell us about the universality of suffering and the potential for freedom? How can we live a life with growth and harmony and without emotional pain? What is Buddhist understanding of the greater reality? With clarity and simplicity, wisdom and humour, Paramabandhu Groves takes us on a journey towards some answers to these questions. The Buddha's remarkable passage through his own life showed him that ascetic practice in itself did not bring enlightenment, but a careful attention to internal processes combined with a compassionate attitude to self and others could bring an extraordinary freedom from suffering. The mainstay of Buddhist practice is mindfulness of breath, body and emotions leading to a more profound awareness. The Buddha indicated a bigger picture, beyond words, based on the interconnectedness and impermanence of all things. Practical Buddhism shows us how we can use these practices to lead a moral and ethical life, receiving and giving friendship, not causing harm and achieving happiness while our consciousness becomes, brighter, clearer and more subtle. Paramabandhu weaves examples both from his own experience and other people's to demonstrate the value of Buddhist practice and techniques in managing the multiple demands and challenges of everyday life. Practical Buddhism explores: * Mindfulness practice and misconceptions about meditation * Working with troublesome thoughts and difficult emotions * The practice of compassion and kindness * Guidelines for skilful living * Working through stress, relationship problems and addictive behaviour * The meaning of karma and dharma * Understanding freedom, impermanence and non-selfhood * Buddhism and psychotherapy * How Buddhist practice informs our relationship with sexuality, illness and pain, greed and sustainability.

Table of Contents:
Contents Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. xi Forewords: Dr. Sarah Eagger ............................................................................................xiii Vishvapani Blomfield........................................................................................xv Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Buddha in Context .................................................................... 3 The Historical Context.......................................................................................3 The Four Sights..................................................................................................4 Going Forth........................................................................................................4 The Buddha’s Awakening ..................................................................................5 The Buddha’s Teaching Career .......................................................................... 6 The Spread of Buddhism ...................................................................................6 Early Buddhism .............................................................................................7 Mahāyāna Buddhism ..................................................................................... 7 Vajrayāna Buddhism ...................................................................................... 8 Western Buddhism ......................................................................................... 8 The Significance of the Buddha’s Life for Us Today.........................................8 Chapter 2: Starting with Mindfulness ............................................................. 11 What is Mindfulness? ......................................................................................11 Breath and Body ..............................................................................................12 Patterns of the Mind.........................................................................................13 1. Sense Desire.............................................................................................13 2. Aversion ...................................................................................................13 3. Anxiety ..................................................................................................... 13 4. Sleepiness.................................................................................................14 5. Doubt........................................................................................................14 Misconceptions About Meditation...................................................................15 Mindfulness Outside of Meditation ................................................................. 16 Practising Mindfulness Meditation..................................................................17 Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breath and Body.................................17 Preparation ............................................................................................... 17 Stage one..................................................................................................17 Stage two..................................................................................................18 Concluding the practice ........................................................................... 18 Chapter 3: Working with Difficult Thoughts and Emotions..........................19 Rumination and Catastrophic Thinking ..........................................................20 Turning Towards Our Experience .................................................................... 20 Ways to Help Turning Towards Our Experience..............................................22 1. Accept, Don’t Reject................................................................................22 2. Move Towards and Investigate.................................................................22 3. Look for the Deeper Meaning..................................................................23 Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breath and Body Working with Difficult Thoughts and Emotions.............................................................24 Preparation ............................................................................................... 24 Stage one..................................................................................................25 Stage two..................................................................................................25 Concluding the practice ........................................................................... 26 Chapter 4: Introducing Kindness.....................................................................27 Why Kindness is Important .............................................................................28 Kindness True and False .................................................................................. 28 Weak Kindness.............................................................................................28 Stupid Kindness ........................................................................................... 29 Manipulative Kindness ................................................................................29 Sentimental Attachment ............................................................................... 29 True Kindness .............................................................................................. 29 Cultivating Kindness in Five Stages — The Mettā Bhāvanā...........................30 (1) Self .........................................................................................................30 (2) A Friend..................................................................................................30 (3) A Neutral Person .................................................................................... 31 (4) A Difficult Person...................................................................................31 (5) All Beings...............................................................................................31 Some Tips for Cultivating Kindness ................................................................ 32 Kindness is Not Toothpaste! ........................................................................ 32 Start with Receptivity...................................................................................32 Intention is More Important Than Feeling...................................................32 Kindness Breathing Space ............................................................................... 33 Practising Kindness Meditation ......................................................................33 Guided Kindness Meditation ......................................................................34 Chapter 5: Living Skilfully ...............................................................................37 Karma and Happiness ...................................................................................... 38 The Five Precepts.............................................................................................39 (1) Abstention from Taking Life and Practising Loving Kindness .............. 39 (2) Abstention from Taking The Not-given and Generosity ........................41 (3) Abstention from Sexual Misconduct and Contentment..........................42 (4) Abstention from False Speech and Truthfulness .................................... 43 (5) Abstention from Intoxicants and Mindfulness ....................................... 44 Practising the Precepts and the Environment...................................................45 Chapter 6: Taking the Teachings to Work ....................................................... 47 The Buddha’s Emphasis on Right Livelihood ................................................. 47 Right Livelihood at the Time of the Buddha................................................48 Right Livelihood Today ...............................................................................49 Working Skilfully in Any Context ................................................................... 51 Chapter 7: Friendship ....................................................................................... 53 The Third Jewel of Buddhism: Sangha............................................................53 Gaining Guidance from More Experienced Practitioners................................54 Finding Support and Understanding from Peers..............................................55 Reaching Out to Others....................................................................................57 Chapter 8: Ritual and Devotion........................................................................59 The Language of the Imagination....................................................................59 Negative Connotations of Ritual......................................................................60 Imagining Enlightenment.................................................................................60 Bowing and Offerings..................................................................................61 Mantras and Chanting..................................................................................62 Pūjā .............................................................................................................62 Chapter 9: Buddhism and Psychotherapy.......................................................65 Mindfulness for Mental Health........................................................................65 Buddhism, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy....................................................67 Psychotherapy for Buddhists ........................................................................... 67 Choosing a Therapist ................................................................................... 69 The Goals of Buddhism and Psychotherapy................................................69 Chapter 10: Wisdom and the Big Picture ........................................................ 71 Finding Freedom is the Final Aim of Buddhism .............................................71 The Three Marks of Conditioned Existence .................................................... 72 1. Impermanence..........................................................................................72 2. Insubstantiality.........................................................................................72 3. Unsatisfactoriness .................................................................................... 74 Cultivating Wisdom .....................................................................................76 The Underlying Principle of Conditionality .................................................... 77 Different Orders of Conditionality...................................................................77 Acting Through the Karma Order............................................................77 Opening Up to the Dharma Order............................................................78 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 78 Notes ....................................................................................................................81 Resources ............................................................................................................. 89 Online Resources ............................................................................................. 89 Further Reading...............................................................................................89 Index ..................................................................................................................... 93