Pleasure and Pain

Special Interest Pathways

  • 445EPleasure and Pain
    Investigate the experience of practicing equanimity with naturally-arising pleasurable and unpleasurable experiences; and develop some patience and resilience with discomfort and non-attachment toward pleasure.
  • 446EPraise and Blame
    Analyze the role that praise and blame play in human motivation; evaluate the role of praise and blame in your own motivations; and aspire to act with a motivation free from craving approval or fearing criticism.
  • 454EGood Timing
    Evaluate how cultural attitudes toward time and efficiency can either support or hinder compassionate action; compare reactive timing driven by urgency or personal agenda with mindful timing motivated by benefit to others; and synthesize understanding by developing personal criteria for discerning when to act, when to pause, and when to allow natural unfolding in complex interpersonal situations.
  • 500ESelfless Creativity
    Create art for intrinsic enjoyment rather than external validation, and analyze extrinsic motivations that can compromise authentic artistic expression.
  • 501EConfidence in the Buddha and Many Possibilities
    Analyze the Buddhist concept of saddha by tracing the three traditional steps of developing confidence (admiration, aspiration, realization), then evaluate how humble confidence differs from self-centered pride, and implement creative practices that demonstrate patient optimism while maintaining awareness of innate goodness despite setbacks.
  • 502ETanha: Sensory Enjoyment
    Implement mindful self-care practices that honor the body as a vehicle for awakening, and analyze how unrestrained sensory craving creates suffering.
  • 504EZen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
    Analyze the relationship between “beginner’s mind” and insight as taught in Zen Buddhism; evaluate how cultivating curiosity and appreciation supports openness to learning; and find natural delight in everyday things. Maintain childlike wonder and curiosity.
  • 508EParamitas and Creativity
    Identify and define the six paramitas; analyze how diligence (virya), concentration (dhyana), and patience (ksanti) function as essential supports for artistic mastery; and evaluate personal creative practice by implementing sustained, mindful engagement with chosen artistic disciplines that cultivate both technical skill and awareness.
  • 510EMusical Awakening
    Analyze how specific musical elements in chosen pieces convey Buddhist values, evaluating how qualities like mindfulness, compassion, courage, or insight are expressed through sound.
  • 514ENon-Aggression and Art
    Create art with a gentle, non-aggressive attitude toward self and process, and evaluate the balance between enjoyment and healthy precision/self-critique.

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