Creating Happiness with Modern Buddhism - Crosby

This series of meditations and teachings lays the foundation of understanding and incentive, for improving ourselves as human beings. It focuses on the fact that attaining a human rebirth creates an opportunity to fulfill the potential that every living being has, to find everlasting peace and happiness, and freedom from suffering. It highlights the transient nature of this life and considers the realities of experiencing future lives of extensive and intensive problems and torment. We discover that Dharma, the teachings of Buddha, is the only real protection from suffering in this and future lives because it focuses on training the mind to avoid creating the causes of suffering for ourselves, and instead shows us how to create the causes of permanent happiness within our own mind. The section concludes with a discussion on karma that explains the relationship between our past actions and our current experiences and encourages us to clean up our act, avoid hurtful actions towards others, and instead only engage in actions to benefit others. Understanding Karma is one of the keystones supporting our spiritual journey towards lasting immeasurable joy and happiness.

Week 1 - Precious Human Life: Understanding the rare and precious opportunity that being human provides.

Week 2 - Death and Impermanence: This opportunity will come to an end, but we don't know when or how long we have it.  We should take advantage of it today and every day.

Week 3 - Sufferings of Lower Realms: If we are not careful and do not use this opportunity we may be inadvertently creating the cause of a lower form in our next life which will definitely bring more problems and suffering.

Week 4 - Refuge: in Buddha's teachings means practicing them and taking them to heart in our daily life. What we have in our hearts is the only thing that protects us from suffering.

Week 5 - Karma: Good results and happiness come from good actions, and suffering comes from bad actions. Buddha's teachings enable you to distinguish between good and bad actions. The choice is yours.

Week 6 - Moral Discipline: The application of karma in our daily life.