Buddhist Wisdom for Daily Life: How to Apply The Teachings Every Day
- David Roylance
- Jul 22
- 23 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
The Teachings of The Buddha are a life practice.
They are not Teachings that are meant to be learned only through reading books, listening to a Teacher, attending a retreat, or participating in meditation. These are all important learning opportunities, but the purpose of learning is to apply The Teachings throughout your daily life.
The goal is to train the mind.
Through training the mind, a Practitioner can gradually eliminate The Three Poisons—craving, anger, and ignorance—and the discontentedness these unwholesome mental states cause. As the mind is trained, the condition of the mind and the condition of your life will gradually improve. Buddhist wisdom is applied in daily life by learning, independently verifying, and practicing The Teachings of The Buddha. A Practitioner trains the mind through The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, moral conduct, meditation, generosity, and wise decisions that gradually eliminate craving and discontentedness.
The Teachings are not based on belief. The Buddha’s Teachings are meant to be learned, reflected on (i.e. independently verified), and practiced so that you can independently observe the truth and acquire wisdom.
When you learn The Teachings and practice them, you can observe the results for yourself. The wisdom you acquire will gradually improve how you view the world, how you make decisions, and how you interact with all beings.
Wisdom is not something that is merely read in a book.
Wisdom is acquired when you observe the truth through direct experience and then use that understanding to make wise decisions.
Every decision you make provides an opportunity to practice.
Every conversation provides an opportunity to practice.
Every experience through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind provides an opportunity to practice.
Every moment of discontentedness provides an opportunity to learn more about the mind, identify craving, and develop a plan to eliminate it.
You do not need to wait for a retreat, class, or meditation session to practice The Teachings. Your entire life can become a life practice that leads to a peaceful, calm, serene, and content mind with joy.
Key Takeaways
The Teachings of The Buddha are a life practice intended to train the mind.
The Four Noble Truths establish Right View.
The Eight Fold Path provides the complete practice leading to the elimination of discontentedness.
Discontentedness signals that craving/desire/attachment is present.
Right Effort, moral conduct, meditation, generosity, and wise speech train and transform the mind.
Every daily decision provides an opportunity to produce wholesome results.
The Teachings at a Glance
The following table summarizes how each Teaching can be applied throughout daily life.
Teaching | Daily-life Application |
Learning, Reflection, and Practice | Learn The Teachings, independently verify them, apply them, and observe the results |
The Four Noble Truths | Recognize discontentedness and identify craving |
The Eight Fold Path | Follow the complete plan for training the mind |
Right Effort | Prevent and abandon unwholesome qualities |
The Five Precepts | Make wise and harmless decisions |
Right Speech | Communicate truthfully, gently, and beneficially |
Meditation | Train the mind to become calm, stable, and concentrated |
Generosity | Train the mind to let go |
Kamma | Understand that decisions produce results |
Table of Contents
Buddhist Wisdom Is Acquired Through Learning, Reflection, and Practice
The Path to Enlightenment requires learning, reflection (i.e. independently verifying), and practice.
First, a Student learns the true Teachings.
Second, the Student reflects on The Teachings and independently determines whether they are true.
Third, the Student practices The Teachings and observes the results.
Merely knowing the names of The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, The Five Precepts, or The Three Poisons is not enough. A Practitioner needs to understand how each Teaching applies to the decisions and situations experienced in daily life.
The goal is not to believe The Teachings.
The goal is to observe the truth and acquire wisdom.
For example, you can learn that craving causes discontentedness. But you acquire wisdom when you observe a craving in your own mind, see how the craving causes the mind to become unsteady and discontent, eliminate the craving, and then observe the mind return to peacefulness.
You can learn that unwholesome speech causes harm. But you acquire wisdom when you observe how mistimed, false, harsh, unbeneficial, or hateful speech damages a relationship. You then practice The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech and observe how your personal and professional relationships improve.
You can learn that wise decisions lead to wholesome results. But you acquire wisdom when you observe how a wholesome decision produces wholesome Kamma (i.e. wholesome results) and improves the condition of your life.
The mind is liberated to attain Enlightenment through wisdom, not through belief.
You will need to be an independent and active learner while also knowing when to seek guidance from a wise, knowledgeable, and well-practiced Teacher. A Teacher can help you understand the uniqueness of the situations you encounter and how to apply The Teachings without causing harm.
The mind needs gradual training.
You do not need to understand and perfect every Teaching in one day. You can learn one Teaching, reflect on it, practice it, observe the results, and then gradually continue developing your life practice.
Anything good takes time.
As your life practice develops, more and more unwholesome mental states can be abandoned, more wholesome qualities can be cultivated, and the mind can gradually move from darkness to light.
Establish Right View Through The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths establish Right View.
They help a Practitioner understand:
Discontentedness exists.
Craving is the cause of discontentedness.
Discontentedness can be eliminated.
The Eight Fold Path is the way of practice leading to the elimination of discontentedness.
The unEnlightened mind often thinks that its discontentedness is caused by someone else or something outside itself.
The mind may think:
“That person made me angry.”
“This situation caused my frustration.”
“I cannot be content unless this person changes.”
“I will only be peaceful when I receive what I want.”
“My life needs to be different before I can be content.”
This is Wrong View.
Right View is understanding that craving/desire/attachment within the mind is the cause of discontentedness.
Someone may say something disagreeable, but it is the mind’s craving for them to speak differently that causes the mind to become discontent.
A plan may change, but it is the mind’s craving for the original plan that causes frustration.
Another person may disagree with you, but it is the mind’s craving for agreement that causes anger or irritation.
A desired object may not be obtained, but it is craving for that object that causes disappointment.
Accepting responsibility for the condition of your own mind is one of the first steps toward a peaceful mind.
You cannot control people, circumstances, or events in the world. You can train your own mind so that it does not react with craving, anger, or ignorance (unknowing of true reality).
This is encouraging because when you understand that the cause of discontentedness exists within the mind, you can also understand that you have the ability to eliminate the cause.
The Four Noble Truths show you the problem, its cause, its elimination, and the complete solution.
A Practitioner would be wise to learn, memorize, reflect on, and regularly practice The Four Noble Truths.
Practice The Eight Fold Path in Every Area of Life
The Eight Fold Path is the core and central Teaching of The Buddha.
The Buddha shared:
“And what, Monks, is The Noble Truth of the Way of Practice Leading to the Elimination of Discontentedness?
It is just this Noble Eight Fold Path, namely: Right View; Right Intention; Right Speech; Right Action; Right Livelihood; Right Effort; Right Mindfulness; Right Concentration.
And that, Monks, is called the way of practice leading to the elimination of discontentedness.”
(Reference: DN 22)
The Eight Fold Path provides a complete plan to train and transform the mind.
All other Teachings of The Buddha integrate into The Eight Fold Path. Therefore, a Practitioner needs to know this Teaching inside and out, backwards and forwards.
You will need to commit the eight factors to memory so that you can recall and practice them during the many different situations you encounter each day.
Right View
Right View is the understanding that allows you to make wise decisions based on The Four Noble Truths.
It includes understanding discontentedness, its cause, its elimination, and the Path leading to its elimination. It also includes understanding The Natural Law of Kamma and recognizing that your decisions produce results.
Right Intention
Right Intention is the intention of renunciation, non-ill-will, and harmlessness.
Renunciation is the willingness to let go of craving, attachment, unwholesomeness, false beliefs, and misperceptions of reality.
Non-ill-will is the development of loving-kindness and goodwill toward all beings.
Harmlessness is the sincere intention not to cause harm through your thoughts, speech, actions, or livelihood.
Right Speech
Right Speech involves communicating in a way that does not cause harm.
This includes verbal conversations, text messages, emails, social media posts, written communication, and all other ways you communicate with others.
Right Action
Right Action guides a Practitioner to make wise decisions through moral conduct.
Actions should not cause harm to oneself or other beings. The Five Precepts provide important guidance for a Household Practitioner’s daily practice of Right Action and moral conduct.
Right Livelihood
Right Livelihood involves earning a living without causing harm.
A Practitioner would be wise to examine whether their occupation, business activities, and financial decisions are wholesome and consistent with The Teachings of The Buddha.
Right Effort
Right Effort is the active training of the mind to prevent and abandon unwholesome mental states while producing and maintaining wholesome mental states.
Right Mindfulness
Right Mindfulness helps a Practitioner remain aware of the mind. More specifically, a Student learns The Four Foundations of Mindfulness to develop awareness of the bodily sensations, feelings, the condition of the mind, and mental objects.
Mindfulness allows you to recognize what is arising in the mind before you react through unwholesome speech or action.
Right Concentration
Right Concentration trains the mind to become stable, calm, focused, and unified.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is used to develop concentration so that the mind can see things more clearly and apply The Teachings throughout daily life while developing the ability to “cut off and let go” of any arising unwholesome mental qualities such as craving/desire/attachment or discontent feelings.
The Eight Fold Path is not a collection of separate ideas.
Each factor supports the others.
Right View supports Right Intention. Right Intention guides Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration train and stabilize the mind so that the entire Path can be practiced.
As you bring your life practice closer to the ideal practice of The Eight Fold Path, you will observe more and more results in the condition of the mind and your life.
Use Discontentedness as a Red Light on the Dashboard
Discontentedness can be used as a “red light” on the dashboard of the mind.
When the mind is shaken up, unsteady, unstable, or uncalm, a Practitioner can understand that craving/desire/attachment is present.
Discontentedness may be experienced as:
sadness
anger
frustration
irritation
annoyance
guilt
shame
fear
stress
anxiety
jealousy
resentment
boredom
loneliness
shyness
dissatisfaction
excitement
elation
attachment to pleasant feelings
Pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant are all discontent feelings produced by craving.
When discontentedness occurs, do not immediately blame another person or the outside world.
Instead, examine the mind.
Ask:
What did the mind want?
What did the mind expect?
What was the mind attempting to control?
What did the mind want to continue?
What did the mind want to end?
What person, object, outcome, view, or feeling was the mind holding onto?
A craving/desire/attachment is a mental longing for something with a strong eagerness.
It is the mind pulling toward an object of its affection.
If you do not know how to identify a craving, how could you eliminate it?
The ability to identify your own cravings through analysis of the mind is one of the most important skills a Practitioner can develop.
A practical process is:
When discontentedness occurs, cut off and let go of the pleasant feeling, painful feeling, or feeling that is neither painful-nor-pleasant.
Reflect on the craving/desire/attachment that led to the discontentedness.
Develop a plan to eliminate the specific craving while maintaining a consistent practice of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and generosity.
Repeat the process for each incident of discontentedness, seeking guidance from a Teacher when needed.
As you practice this process, the mind will gradually become more skilled at recognizing craving.
At first, you may recognize the craving after the mind has already reacted.
With continued practice, you may recognize craving while it is arising.
Eventually, through diligent training, the unwholesome mental state will not arise at all.
This is gradual training, gradual practice, and gradual progress.
Apply Right Effort to Train the Mind
Right Effort has four aspects:
Prevent
Abandon
Produce
Maintain
Prevent
Prevent unwholesome mental states that have not yet arisen from arising.
A Practitioner would be wise to protect the mind from developing new habits of craving, anger, ignorance, false speech, harmful actions, or other unwholesome conduct.
Abandon
Abandon unwholesome mental states that have already arisen.
When anger, jealousy, resentment, craving, or another unwholesome mental state arises, do not allow it to remain in the mind.
Recognize it, cut it off, and let it go before it influences speech or action.
Produce
Develop wholesome mental states that have not yet arisen.
If the mind is not generous, practice generosity.
If the mind does not have loving-kindness, cultivate loving-kindness.
If the mind lacks wisdom, learn, reflect on, and practice The Teachings.
If the mind lacks concentration, establish a consistent Breathing Mindfulness Meditation practice.
Maintain
Maintain wholesome mental states that have already arisen and work to increase their growth.
If the mind has loving-kindness, generosity, wisdom, sympathetic joy, humbleness, or equanimity, preserve and cultivate these qualities.
Do not become complacent.
Continue practicing until wholesome qualities become steady and unwholesome qualities no longer arise.
Right Effort needs to be applied before, during, and after the situations encountered in daily life.
Before an event, prevent unwholesome states.
When an unwholesome state arises, abandon it.
Develop the wholesome quality that is needed.
Then maintain and deepen the wholesome quality so that it does not fade away.
As the mind is better trained, situations that once produced anger, irritation, frustration, or other unwholesome mental states will have less influence over the mind.
Practice The Five Precepts as Wise Decision-Making
The Five Precepts are a Household Practitioner’s guide to daily practice.
They are not rules or commandments that should be followed without thought or understanding.
The Buddha is guiding a Practitioner toward wise decision-making that produces wholesome results and reduces harm.
The Five Precepts guide a Practitioner to:
Abandoning the taking of life, refraining from taking life, without stick or sword, diligent, compassionate, trembling for the welfare of all living beings.
Abandoning the taking of what is not given, living purely, accepting what is given, awaiting what is given, without stealing.
Abandoning un-chastity. Abandoning sexual relations with women [men] who are protected by their mother, father, mother and father, brother, sister, or relatives; who are protected by their Teachings; who have a husband [wife or partner]; whose violation entails a penalty; or even with one who has been garlanded by a man [woman] as a sign of engagement.
Abandoning false speech, refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world.
Refraining from strong drink and sloth-producing drugs (substances that cause heedlessness), the basis for heedlessness.
(Reference: DN 1)
Each Precept involves decisions that can lead to either wholesome or unwholesome Kamma (i.e. wholesome or unwholesome results).
The Five Precepts cannot always be applied through a simple black-and-white understanding. There are many variables in the situations encountered in daily life.
A Practitioner needs to understand:
the intention in the mind
whether the decision causes harm
whether craving, anger, or ignorance (unknowing of true reality) is influencing the decision
the likely result of the decision
how the decision relates to The Eight Fold Path
whether the decision is consistent with moral conduct
This requires discernment.
It is beneficial to learn The Five Precepts with guidance from a Teacher who can help you understand their application in the unique situations of your life.
As you practice The Five Precepts, you train the mind in harmlessness and wise moral conduct. This supports the elimination of the pollutions of mind described as craving, anger, and ignorance (i.e. unknowing of true reality). It also reduces the production of unwholesome Kamma (i.e. unwholesome results) creates the ability to experience a peaceful life.
Learn the complete meaning of The Five Precepts in Buddhism.
Practice The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech
Speech is one of the most frequently used and influential ways that human beings interact with each other.
There is significant potential to produce wholesome or unwholesome results (i.e. wholesome or unwholesome Kamma) through speech.
The Buddha shared: “Monks, possessing five factors, speech is well spoken, not badly spoken, it is blameless and beyond reproach by the wise. What five? (1) It is spoken at the proper time; (2) What is said is true; (3) It is spoken gently; (4) What is said is beneficial; (5) It is spoken with a mind of loving-kindness.” (Reference: AN 5.198)
It would be wise to ensure these five factors guide all forms of communication.
Speak at the Proper Time
A Practitioner needs to choose the proper time to speak.
This includes:
not interrupting others when they are speaking,
ensuring your mind is prepared to speak, and
ensuring the other person’s mind is prepared for a conversation.
Choosing not to interrupt others, practicing patience, and speaking at the appropriate time will produce wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma).
Ensure that your mind is prepared to speak. The mind should be clear and concentrated rather than angry, discontented, or confused. Speaking from an unsteady mind can produce disorganized or harmful communication that requires the listener to sort through the speaker’s discontent feelings.
Consider whether the other person’s mind is prepared for the conversation. If they are angry, frustrated, or irritated, it is most likely not the proper time to discuss the subject.
Knowing the proper time to speak is developed through experience. It needs to be assessed in the present moment by considering the topic and the mental condition of everyone involved in the conversation.
Sometimes wisdom means speaking. Sometimes wisdom means waiting. As craving/desire/attachment is eliminated, the mind becomes more capable of pausing patiently without an overwhelming urge to speak.
Speak What Is True
Truthfulness is essential for trust.
A person would be wise to avoid lying, exaggerating, misleading, or presenting assumptions as certainty.
Truthful speech also requires care. A statement should not be presented as fact merely because it feels true or supports a preferred opinion.
A Practitioner would be wise to become a truth-speaker—someone who is reliable, trustworthy, dependable, and not a deceiver of the world.
This includes not only avoiding deliberate lies but also verifying the accuracy of what is communicated.
A Practitioner needs to eliminate deliberate lying and false speech. Truthfulness produces wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma) by developing trust and improving relationships.
Speak Gently
Gentle speech does not require weakness.
A person can be clear, firm, and direct without insulting, humiliating, threatening, mocking, or speaking with cruelty.
Pay attention to tone, tempo, and word choice. Speech reveals the state of the mind.
When hatred or anger is present, even accurate words may be delivered in a harmful way.
A person can speak clearly and directly without being harsh, insulting, mocking, or aggressive.
Speak Beneficially
A Practitioner speaking beneficially would ensure that the communication is clear, concise, well-delivered, and intended to help others.
Unclear, poorly organized communication can cause difficulty for the listener. A well-concentrated mind helps a Practitioner gather their thoughts and communicate in a clear, concise, and well-delivered manner.
Communication should be purposeful and to the point without frivolous speech or pointless rambling.
Speaking beneficially concerns the manner and method through which communication is delivered, not necessarily the topic itself.
Speak with a Mind of Loving-Kindness
Examine the intention behind the words. The intention behind speech matters.
Are you attempting to help, or are you attempting to punish, embarrass, blame, control, or harm?
Speech originating from ill will will produce harm even when the words appear polite on the surface.
Right Speech can dramatically improve personal and professional relationships.
As you speak politely, kindly, gently, respectfully, truthfully, and beneficially, more people will respond to you in the same way.
If you make a mistake in your speech, apologize, aim to improve, and continue training the mind.
Right Speech is not only about selecting wise words. It takes training the mind from which the words arise.
Bring your communication closer and closer to The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech through gradual practice.
Develop a Consistent Breathing Mindfulness Meditation Practice
Meditation trains the mind and enables a Practitioner to apply The Teachings in daily life.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation uses the breath as an anchor to train the mind to reside in the present moment.
During meditation, do not attach to thoughts and feelings.
Do not analyze everything that appears in the mind.
Let thoughts and feelings go and return attention to the breath.
Through this practice, the mind is trained not to crave and not to cling.
After many sessions of training the mind not to crave during meditation, a Practitioner can apply this same training throughout daily life.
When a thought, feeling, desire, or attachment arises, the mind has practiced the skill of letting go.
Regular meditation can develop:
calmness
peacefulness
mindfulness
concentration
stability of mind
greater awareness
an improved ability to let go
The goal after a period of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is to carry the calm, steady, and stable mind throughout the day.
As unwholesome mental activity arises, cut it off and let it go.
A consistent meditation practice requires Right Effort. A Practitioner needs to abandon complacency and develop the wholesome quality of practicing meditation daily.
The mind needs gradual training. You could begin with a manageable period and gradually develop a stable, ongoing practice.
Reading The Teachings for 10–15 minutes in the morning, middle of the day, or evening, followed by meditation, gives the mind time to learn, reflect, and practice.
The purpose is not to rush through The Teachings. The purpose is to soak The Teachings into the mind so that they can be understood and practiced.
Practice Generosity to Train the Mind to Let Go
Generosity is a readiness and action of giving more than is strictly necessary through your time, effort, energy, resources, goods, supplies, or financial support without expecting anything in return.
Generosity is not practiced to receive praise, recognition, a reward, or another favorable result.
The goal is to train and enhance the mind.
The unEnlightened mind has a tendency to hold on, accumulate, and cling through selfish craving/desire/attachment.
Generosity trains the mind to let go.
Through giving and sharing without expectation, a Practitioner can gradually eliminate selfishness and cultivate non-craving, loving-kindness, and compassion.
The primary determination of whether generosity provides benefit to the mind is whether the gift is given with or without expectations.
If a person gives only because they want something in return, the craving remains.
If a person gives without expectation, generosity can train the mind to release its attachment to possessions, wealth, time, energy, praise, or recognition.
Everyone has something they can give.
A person can give:
time
effort
energy
assistance
food
water
clothing
shelter
medicine
knowledge
financial resources
support for beneficial causes
You would be wise to make generosity an ongoing and comprehensive part of your life practice. To fully transform the mind, generosity needs to be practiced daily.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and generosity are important practices that train the mind to let go. They support the elimination of craving/desire/attachment—the cause of discontentedness.
Understand The Natural Law of Kamma
The Natural Law of Kamma is cause and effect, action and result—essentially, the results of your decisions.
Kamma is not something mystical or magical.
It is not about reward, punishment, blame, or fault.
Your intentions lead to speech, actions, and livelihood. Those decisions produce results.
Wise, wholesome decisions produce wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma).
Unwise, unwholesome decisions produce unwholesome results (i.e. unwholesome Kamma).
The Natural Law of Kamma can be understood in a similar way to the natural law of gravity.
Gravity exists whether a person understands it or not. As a child learns how gravity functions, they gradually learn to walk, run, jump, and move through the world with greater ease.
The Natural Law of Kamma functions whether a person understands it or not.
As the mind becomes more awake to Kamma, a Practitioner can make wiser decisions and move through life with greater wisdom, ease, and smoothness.
Do not believe in Kamma merely because it has been taught. Investigate it, observe the results of your decisions, and acquire wisdom through direct experience.
Reflect on past experiences:
When did an unwise decision lead to an unwholesome result?
When did a wise decision lead to a wholesome result?
How did false speech affect trust?
How did anger affect a relationship?
How did generosity affect the condition of the mind?
How did heedlessness affect work, health, or responsibilities?
How did wholesome moral conduct lead to peacefulness?
Through learning, reflection, and practice, you can observe The Natural Law of Kamma and acquire wisdom to know that it is true with 100% certainty.
The more wisdom you acquire, the better the decisions you can make.
The better the decisions you make, the more the condition of the mind and your life will improve.
Develop a Wise Household Practitioner’s Life Practice
The Buddha shared Teachings specifically for Household Practitioners who live with families, work, earn and use wealth, and experience the responsibilities of daily life.
Four things lead to the welfare and peacefulness of a Household Practitioner in this present life:
Accomplishment in initiative
Accomplishment in protection
Wholesome friendship
Balanced living
Accomplishment in Initiative
Whatever work a Household Practitioner performs, they would be wise to develop the skill, diligence, and sound decision-making needed to carry out their responsibilities properly.
A life practice does not mean abandoning normal responsibilities.
Work can become part of the practice through diligence, skill, honesty, concentration,
Right Livelihood, and wise decision-making.
Accomplishment in Protection
A Household Practitioner would be wise to protect the wealth and resources that were earned through initiative and energy.
Resources should not be carelessly wasted, lost, or neglected.
Wholesome Friendship
A Practitioner would be wise to associate with people accomplished in confidence, virtuous behavior, generosity, and wisdom.
The people around us influence the qualities developed in the mind.
Wholesome friends encourage wholesome conduct. Unwholesome companions can encourage carelessness, craving, harmful speech, or unwise decisions.
A Practitioner would be wise to associate with people who support the development of a life practice based on The Eight Fold Path.
Balanced Living
A Household Practitioner would be wise to know their income and expenditures and live neither too extravagantly nor too frugally.
Balanced living involves wise use of resources without excess, carelessness, or harmful attachment.
These Teachings demonstrate that daily responsibilities, employment, friendship, family life, and the use of wealth can all be included within a wholesome life practice.
Applying The Teachings in a Challenging Conversation
Imagine that a coworker criticizes your work in front of others. A painful feeling arises, and the mind becomes discontent.
Instead of immediately reacting, you recognize that craving is present—perhaps craving for approval, respect, agreement, or a different outcome.
Right Mindfulness helps you observe the feeling as it arises.
Right Effort helps you abandon anger and prevent harmful speech.
Right View reminds you that your decision will produce a result through The Natural Law of Kamma.
Right Intention establishes non-ill-will and harmlessness.
The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech help you determine whether to speak, when to speak, and how to respond truthfully, gently, beneficially, and with loving-kindness.
One ordinary conversation can therefore become an opportunity to practice several factors of The Eight Fold Path.
A Simple Daily Life Practice
A Practitioner can gradually build a daily practice that supports learning, reflection, meditation, and application of The Teachings.
The following is one example of a daily life practice you might consider.
In the Morning
Begin the day by studying The Teachings for 10–15 minutes.
Reflect on one Teaching that you will apply throughout the day.
Practice Breathing Mindfulness Meditation to develop a calm, steady, and concentrated mind. This training supports the elimination of unwholesome qualities and the cultivation of wholesome qualities. A Practitioner may also practice Loving-kindness Meditation in the morning to prepare the mind for harmonious interactions throughout the day.
Recall The Eight Fold Path and establish the intention to practice harmlessness, loving-kindness, and wise decision-making.
Throughout the Day
When a pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling arises, become aware of it and then “cut it off and let it go.”
When discontentedness appears, use it as the red light that tells you craving is present.
Once the mind is calm, identify what the mind wants, expects, or is attempting to control.
Apply Right Effort to prevent and abandon unwholesome mental states.
Apply The Five Precepts when making decisions.
Apply The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech in every form of communication.
Practice generosity through giving and sharing without expectation.
Remember that every decision produces a result through The Natural Law of Kamma.
In the Evening
Reflect on the decisions made throughout the day.
Where did the mind practice The Eight Fold Path?
Where did craving, anger, or ignorance (unknowing of true reality) influence a decision?
Was your speech spoken at the proper time, true, gentle, beneficial, and with loving-kindness?
Did your choices cause harm?
Which wholesome qualities arose?
Which unwholesome qualities need to be abandoned?
What will you practice differently tomorrow?
Do not use this reflection to blame, shame, or condemn yourself.
Use it to learn, grow, and develop through the cultivation of wisdom.
Develop a plan to correct unwholesome decisions and gradually improve the condition of the mind.
Then practice Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, let go of the day, and allow the mind to rest.
Focus on Training Your Own Mind
Many people are interested in changing the world but do not understand how.
The world improves when individuals develop wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline.
You cannot control other people and what they choose to do.
You can train your own mind to remain unaffected by the unwise decisions of others.
The goal is not to force other people to change.
The goal is to understand how the world functions through The Natural Laws of Existence and then make wise decisions that lead to wholesome outcomes (i.e. wholesome Kamma).
The unEnlightened mind often focuses on the outside world.
It blames other people, circumstances, governments, families, coworkers, partners, or society for its discontentedness.
But the problem being experienced is within the mind.
The inner world needs to be trained.
As the mind is trained, you can move away from reacting to the world and learn to respond through wisdom.
You can choose to be peaceful.
You can choose to be kind.
You can choose to be loving.
You can choose to practice harmlessness.
You can choose to speak truthfully and gently.
You can choose to give and share.
You can choose to eliminate craving rather than chase after it.
You can choose to walk toward darkness or toward light.
The direction you walk is your personal choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can Buddhist wisdom be applied in daily life?
By learning and practicing The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner trains the mind and applies Buddhist wisdom to daily decisions. Moral conduct and an understanding of The Natural Law of Kamma help the Practitioner make wise decisions that produce wholesome results.
What is a simple daily Buddhist practice?
Each day, a Practitioner would be wise to practice generosity, improve their moral conduct, and practice meditation. This is referred to as “The Way of Practice.” These three basic Teachings, when applied daily, directly assist in improving the condition of the mind and your life.
How does The Eight Fold Path apply to work and relationships?
The Eight Fold Path can guide every aspect of work and relationships.
Right View: Accept and acknowledge responsibility for projects and assignments.
Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood: support honest, peaceful, and beneficial conduct.
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration: train the mind to remain disciplined, aware, calm, and focused while interacting with others and fulfilling responsibilities.
How can I identify craving in my own mind?
When there is discontentedness, there is a craving/desire/attachment that caused it. Look inward through reflection to observe any mental longing and yearning, the mind pulling in the direction of the objects of its affection.
Is meditation alone enough to practice The Teachings of The Buddha?
No. To experience progress on The Path to Enlightenment, a Practitioner needs a well-developed life practice that includes meditation as well as all the other factors of The Eight Fold Path. Without practicing the complete Eight Fold Path, an individual will not experience Enlightenment.
Can a Household Practitioner attain Enlightenment?
Yes. Household life does not prevent an individual from attaining Enlightenment. A Household Practitioner needs the discipline and motivation to learn, reflect on, and practice The Teachings, train the mind, and seek guidance from a knowledgeable and well-practiced Teacher.
How can Right Speech improve relationships?
By eliminating speech that is mistimed, false, harsh, unbeneficial, or spoken with inner hatred, a Practitioner removes harmful communication from their relationships. Other people will then experience more peace and comfort in the Practitioner’s presence. When hostility and bitterness are no longer communicated, the Practitioner is also less likely to receive hostility and bitterness in return. Over time, your relationships will all become harmonious.
Why should generosity be practiced every day?
Generosity needs to be practiced every day because it trains the mind to let go and supports the elimination of craving/desire/attachment—the cause of discontentedness. Through giving without expectation, the mind becomes less inclined to hold on, accumulate, cling, and yearn.
Conclusion: Make The Teachings Your Life Practice
Buddhist wisdom for daily life is not merely knowing what The Buddha taught.
It is learning The Teachings, reflecting on them, practicing them, and observing the results.
The Four Noble Truths establish Right View.
The Eight Fold Path provides the complete solution.
Discontentedness helps you identify craving.
Right Effort trains the mind to abandon unwholesome qualities and cultivate wholesome qualities.
The Five Precepts guide wise moral conduct.
The Five Factors of Well Spoken Speech guide communication.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation trains the mind to become capable of letting go while residing calm and stable, with mindfulness and concentration.
Generosity trains the mind to let go.
The Natural Law of Kamma helps you understand that your decisions produce results.
Teachings for Household Practitioners guide work, wealth, friendship, family life, and daily responsibilities.
All these Teachings work together.
You do not need to perfect the entire Path in one day.
The mountain may look tall when you are standing at the bottom. But you do not need to climb the mountain all in one day.
Learn gradually.
Reflect carefully.
Practice diligently.
Seek guidance when needed.
Observe the results.
As you continue developing your life practice, the condition of the mind will gradually improve. Craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) can be weakened and eliminated. Wisdom, loving-kindness, generosity, moral conduct, mindfulness, and concentration can be developed.
Through consistent practice, the mind can become peaceful, calm, serene, stable, and content with joy—permanently.
The Teachings of The Buddha are a better way of life.
Begin Developing Your Life Practice
Continue learning with The Words of The Buddha—Volume 1: Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment. Learn The Teachings gradually, reflect on them carefully, practice diligently, and observe the results for yourself.
David Roylance is a dedicated Practitioner, Teacher, and published author who has taught The Teachings of The Buddha since 2005. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he guides Household and Ordained Practitioners worldwide through courses, retreats, and special events on The Path to Enlightenment.
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