Dharma and personal responsibility, 2014

Written by James Low, 7 August 2014.

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Extract

Buddhist thinking and practice focuses on freeing ourselves from unhelpful limiting beliefs so that we may see ourselves and the world clearly and act with compassion. In order to let go of limiting beliefs we have to see their negative effect and decide to stop indulging them.

This is facilitated by finding a new site of identification.

Traditionally this is done by taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, so that we rely on the teaching of the Buddha as a means of both avoiding habitual tendencies and of promoting useful qualities such as generosity, gratitude, compassion and forgiveness.