Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks

As often as the term "dharma" is used linguistically, its definition is unclear. According to Wikipedia, the word "Dharma" can include law, right and custom, as well as ethical and religious obligations and values, but also denote religion, ethics or morality in general, or concrete religious rituals, methods and actions. But with a simple definition one cannot do justice to the term "Dharma", bec...

The body will crumble to dust, this fate is in store for every human being. Everything we see around us will disintegrate to dust, even the hardest steel will dissolve one day again into its atoms, which then perhaps form new connections, form themselves to other formations, naturally, or even again artificially. NOTHING on this world is of continuance, not even the planet will remain, very probab...

Who am I, that is the question of all questions. Am I who I pretend to be, or am I perhaps someone completely different? Which of the following statements can you agree with? I am one with my body I am independent of my body I am both body and mind I am neither body nor mind I am only in my mind I am not my spirit I am more than just body and mind I am only what can be seen I am more than what can...

TODAY IS THE DAY FOR A LIFE BALANCE! A balance sheet (Latin for balance) is a structured comparison of values. A life balance is the examination of positive and negative past events. This also includes listing the equivalent value of the various actions, i.e. asking: "what has it brought me"? This quickly leads to a valuation of the events of the past. Retreat to a quiet atmosphere and take a shee...

In a far away land, many many years ago, there lived a very poor woman. She had only the bare necessities, a dress, a pair of shoes, a coat. She never found enough to eat, she was always hungry. The people of the village did not like the woman, she smelled bad, and could rarely wash. Her dwelling was a nailed-together wooden shack without water or heating, on the very edge of the settlement. This...

If our wishes are not fulfilled, we humans quickly become unhappy! If you want to make a man happy, do not add anything to his wealth, but take away some of his desires. - Epicurus of Samos - Greek philosopher - 341 to 271 B.C. The words of Epicurus are of Buddhist wisdom! Therefore, with this text, I will try to take away some of their desires so that you can become a more content person. Do you...

In the course of Alexander the Great's campaigns, India came to have a kingdom in the northwest of the subcontinent, which was presided over by a Greek, King Menandros (Indian: Milinda), in the 2nd century before the year zero. The work "Milindaphana", written in the Theravada Buddhist language of the time, reproduces the conversation between the king and the monk Nagasena, and explains the common...

In every relationship between people one day the question arises whether "one" can, must or should forgive the other person for his words or deeds. Whoever gives it any thought at all, can. Who thinks about it longer, who should. Who does not feel comfortable in his skin, must even. When it comes to forgiveness, many people find it very difficult, the grievance often sits deep, "one" is hit, the t...

The constant striving for more, for further, for higher, for more beautiful, for harder. But what do all the things, the possessions bring us, does it have an added value, is it really worth "more"? Less is perhaps more, because the more we possess, the greater our worries become. The simple things in life are also quite wonderful, but do we really have an eye for their beauty? Look around the roo...

Sometimes you wonder if your life is balanced, in a good balance? The Chinese see balance in the symbol of yin and yang, which reflect concepts of Chinese philosophy. It is about opposing forces that are related to each other, also condition each other. To keep the balance, all things and living beings are subject to constant correction, if the pendulum swings too much in one direction, then it mu...

or: Five Simple Precepts for Chan (Zen) Buddhists We know about the suffering life, about the real causes of suffering. Buddha taught that life consists of suffering, at least until we have experienced "enlightenment". The main statements of Buddha are the "four noble truths" and the "noble eightfold path" of Buddha. But how can these statements be integrated into daily life? 1st precept: I do not...

Warm apple pie, a good coffee, a cozy house, the simple pleasures of life are all around us, but sometimes we can't easily notice them because our mind wanders restlessly. Looking closely, there are very many simple but important things that we like, but we overlook them because many things distract us. However, if we look closely, it is not the environment that distracts us, but it is always our...

Everything that belongs to me, I carry with me! All the things we think we own, do they really belong to us? Is it "my" property, "my" car, or may I only "use" it? Are they "my" children, "my" wife, do these people belong to me? Probably not. If one also considers the fact that we will die, then it is obvious that NOTHING belongs to us. The true and valuable possession, that lies in the qualities...

Hard times are coming again! There it is important to be (or to become) mentally strong. Some of us easily "get over" difficulties, others have their problems with the situation, worry more, take everything very much to heart. But how can you gain more confidence, become mentally stronger? Let me go a little further by showing what mental strength actually is. I understand mental strength to mean...