#buddhism

Don't Harm Your Enemies. Make Them Less Harmful.

Speaking with intent to harm trains the speaker in habits of hatred. The cost of online cruelty isn't only to the target.

What the Ancients Knew About Posting Well

An early Buddhist text gives us four questions to ask before posting—and most of what we post fails the test.

Two Helpful Essays Illuminating Liberal Practice

Two short Buddhist essays from Thanissaro Bhikkhu on karma as feedback loop, identity as inheritance, and intention as a skill you can practice.

Liberalism and Sympathetic Joy

Surround Yourself With Those Who Are Admirable, and Distance Yourself From Those Who Aren’t.

Against a Life of Moderation

Buddhism's Middle Way is not a call for moderation. It's a call for radical focus on what actually matters.

Living Well Means Recognizing Three Facts of Our Existence

Impermanence, dissatisfaction, and the lack of a fixed self aren't causes for despair. They're the starting point for a life lived well.

Social Conservatism is Suffering

We cannot make permanent what is inevitably impermanent, and insisting otherwise brings distress. Better to embrace dynamism and social diversity.

Goodwill, Sympathetic Joy, and Liberalism's Foundations

Mere tolerance is necessary for liberalism to function, but liberalism becomes stronger if we can move beyond it.