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Zen and the Beat Way

By Alan Watts

Well, in the same way, all sorts of things that we believe to be real--time, past and future, for instance--exist only conventionally. A person who lives for the future, who (like most of us) makes his happiness dependent upon what is coming in the future, is living within an illusion. - Alan Watts

Read on archive.nytimes.com

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Ask the Teachers: Is Happiness Really the Central Goal of Buddhist Practice?

Question: Buddhist teachers, including the Dalai Lama, often speak of happiness as a goal (if not the goal) of Buddhist practice. I don’t begrudge anyone happiness, but making it so central to spiritual life feels self-serving. Am I misunderstanding what’s meant by “happiness”?

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Anushka Fernandopulle, Thubten Chodron, Kaira Jewel Lingo
2020
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Practicing for Myself?

As part of our #MeditationHacks series, a Mahayana Buddhist who is encouraged to practice for the benefit of all sentient being feels like they are only practicing for their own benefit. Venerable Thubten Chodron answers.

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Thubten Chodron
2020
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Lasting Happiness

It’s surprisingly easy to achieve lasting happiness — we just have to understand our own basic nature. The hard part, says Mingyur Rinpoche, is getting over our bad habit of seeking happiness in transient experiences.

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Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
2012
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Why We Take Refuge

There are two kinds of refuge, says Mingyur Rinpoche—outer and inner. The reason we take refuge in the outer forms of enlightenment is so that we may find the buddha within.

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Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
2018
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If Self-Discipline Feels Difficult, Then You’re Doing It Wrong

Many equate self-discipline with living a good, moral life, which ends up creating a lot of shame when we fail. There’s a better way to build lasting, solid self-discipline in your life.

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Mark Manson
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Relationship with Time