Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily Over Rough Ground

Explore the transformative power of Buddhist philosophy with Dr. Douglas Gentile, renowned psychologist, celebrated professor, and Zen Buddhist monk.

Buddhism is a philosophy and set of practices designed to help us achieve inner peace and balance. It is a practical approach to working with our own habits of mind. Nonetheless, many of its core ideas seem mystical or inconceivable. In 19 revelatory audio lectures, Dr. Douglas Gentile aligns core Buddhist concepts such as karma, non-duality, and Nirvana with modern psychological science, making them easy to understand and use in our own lives.

Rather than prescribing a belief system, Buddhism points out that fixed beliefs often get in the way of seeing the world clearly. Buddha himself said not to believe anything he said, but instead to put it into practice for yourself and see how it works for you.

Through Buddhism, we can learn to cultivate more positive habits of mind and emotion. This allows us to be happier, kinder, more open, and more available to those around us, and to weather the storm when things aren’t going our way.

Buddhist practices can benefit anyone, and can be used in conjunction with other religious practices. Whether or not you think of yourself as “Buddhist,” the practices and ideas explored in this series can improve your life.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection.