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Artwork for Dharma &
Dharma & · September 20 · 17 min

Easier to Live With

Growing up, there was a piece of advice that circulated in my family: hold your head up and act like you know what you're doing. It didn't leave me feeling ahead. It left me feeling permanently behind. This is a talk about sīla — ethical conduct — and why the Buddha named it the second condition for the release of the heart. This is not a list of rules or finger wagging. It's about seeing that life gets easier when we live in a way we don't have to hide. Recorded at the Riverside Meditation Community, Brookmont Church, Brookmont, MD, September 2026. Second in a series of five on the conditions for release of the heart. Texts & references: Texts & references: The five conditions for the ripening of release of heart — Meghiya Sutta (Udāna 4.1, suttacentral.net/ud4.1; also AN 9.3) · Visārada, the confidence of one who has nothing to hide, and its opposite — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16, suttacentral.net/dn16) and Saṅgīti Sutta (DN 33) · Sīlabbata-parāmāsa, clinging to rules and observances, as a fetter abandoned on the path · The five precepts · Reflecting on action before, during, and after — Advice to Rāhula (MN 61, suttacentral.net/mn61) · The Good Place, season 3 This week's practice: When you're unsure what the right action is, notice whether you're rushing. Most harm comes out of hurry. Slow down and when in doubt, do without. Cover Art by Geranimo on Unsplash

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Growing up, there was a piece of advice that circulated in my family: hold your head up and act like you know what you're doing. It didn't leave me feeling ahead. It left me feeling permanently behind. This is a talk about sīla — ethical conduct — and why the Buddha named it the second condition for the release of the heart. This is not a list of rules or finger wagging. It's about seeing that life gets easier when we live in a way we don't have to hide.

Recorded at the Riverside Meditation Community, Brookmont Church, Brookmont, MD, September 2026. Second in a series of five on the conditions for release of the heart.

Texts & references: Texts & references: The five conditions for the ripening of release of heart — Meghiya Sutta (Udāna 4.1, suttacentral.net/ud4.1; also AN 9.3) · Visārada, the confidence of one who has nothing to hide, and its opposite — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16, suttacentral.net/dn16) and Saṅgīti Sutta (DN 33) · Sīlabbata-parāmāsa, clinging to rules and observances, as a fetter abandoned on the path · The five precepts · Reflecting on action before, during, and after — Advice to Rāhula (MN 61, suttacentral.net/mn61) · The Good Place, season 3

This week's practice: When you're unsure what the right action is, notice whether you're rushing. Most harm comes out of hurry. Slow down and when in doubt, do without.

Cover Art by Geranimo on Unsplash

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