July 27, "Get This" Daily Dhamma: A letter to our children

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom and thinking are very different things. Thoughts pop up all the time and follow our moods and preoccupations around like lovesick teenagers; would that the resemblance stopped there. Random thoughts can wrap us around the axle.
On the other hand, meditation can lead us to insight and a better understanding of our intentions, on our side of the street. We meditate to let go of craving and clinging, and to achieve equanimity. Reading about meditation is not the same as actually practicing it.
If the spirit moves you, please like and subscribe. “Daily Dhamma: A letter to our children” is available on Amazon in both book and Kindle formats. We’d be grateful if you picked up a copy. Below is a table of contents for the book, and a description of the playlists.
Table of Contents:
Humility
January: Humility
February: Right View
March: Right Intention
Sincerity
April: Sincerity
May: Right Speech
June: Right Action
Effort
July: Effort
August: Right Livelihood
September: Right Effort
Gratitude
October: Gratitude
November: Right Mindfulness
December: Right Concentration
Glossary
Sources
We have created ten playlists to make the site more accessible:
1) 1st Quarter (finished): Narration and commentary on the book of the same name, which is available on Amazon in book and Kindle forms. This is the First Quarter only, the overall theme of which is HUMILITY. January: Humility; February: Right View (or Understanding); March: Right Intention. Right View and Right Intention comprise the Wisdom (panna) stream of the Eightfold Path.
2) 2nd Quarter(finished): This is Second Quarter only, the overall theme of which is SINCERITY. April: Sincerity; May: Right Speech; June: Right Action. Right Speech and Right Action are part of the Ethical Conduct (sila) stream of the Eightfold Path.
All other playlists are works in progress and will be updated as new readings are released:
3) 3rd Quarter: This is Third Quarter only, the overall theme of which is EFFORT. July: Effort (learning). August: Right Livelihood (teaching). September: Right Effort (meditation practice). Right Livelihood is from the Ethical Conduct (sila) stream of the Eightfold Path. Right effort is from the Mental Discipline (samadhi) stream. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
4) Meditation: The primary practice of daily Dhamma is meditation or anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing). These are in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue. Other readings touch on anapanasati, but these are in greater depth. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
5) Buddhism 101: This includes readings about Buddhism, but omits readings on meditation, which are in a separate playlist. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
6) Eastern Skies: This includes readings from Eastern sources such as the Bhagavad Gita, Taoism, Confucius, and Japan. It omits Buddhist teachings and commentary, which are covered in greater depth in separate playlists. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
7) Western Skies: This includes readings from Western sources including the Holy Bible, Thomas Sowell, Eric Hoffer, Viktor Frankl, William Shakespeare, and the Stoics. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
8) Deadly Sins, Precepts, and their Opposites: This includes readings from the Seven Deadly Sins and the Five Precepts for the Buddhist laity, as well as commentary on their opposites. In addition, we include our version of the Scout Law and other steps one may take to have a successful practice. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
9) Mrs. Dhamma's Kitchen: Mrs. Dhamma provided the framework for this book. Around 2012, we wrote letters to our youngest sons as they were leaving home. Mrs. Dhamma told them that to have a good life they need Humility, Sincerity, Effort, and Gratitude. These are the four main themes we develop in this extended letter to the people we love the most. Between these cardinal points we have inserted the parts of the Eightfold Path. These are among the best ideas bequeathed to us all. What we’ve learned is that we’re as happy as we want to be, our attitude is entirely up to us, and we are not the boss. Chances are, the same goes for you. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.
10) Dhammabum's Occidental Tourism: Dhammabum is an Occidental tourist, whose views have been shaped by lengthy exposure to the East. These are some of the side effects. They’re in order of appearance, and will be updated as we continue.