LEARNING RESOURCES
TITLE MUSIC
Compose Music for the intro of a film or TV show - Any Genre
EDM MUSIC
Compose Music for the the DJ students. Dance Music of any genre.
AMBIENT MUSIC
Compose chilled out music. for the new BBA Spa. - Can also be used for underscores for folm
HIP HOP
Compose the Music for a Hip Hop song and find an audio engineer to record the rap.
FOUND SOUNDS
Record sounds from the environment and turn them into a song
BUILDING YOUR EARS
BUILDING YOUR EARS
Neil Freebern
SECULAR BUDDHISM
Research
This is a resource that I am creating as a tool to document my learning of Buddhist practices. I have gravitated towards this philospohical construct as a way to break patterns and mindsets that I have developed over my lifetime. I create these pages with no intent of sharing, only to assist in my own edification of the concepts. If you happen to stumble across this page feel free to peruse and use as you wish.
My recent research started with:
Philosophies of Buddhism Learning Rubric
PART 1: Foundational Core
☐ Understand the Four Noble Truths
☐ Explore the Noble Eightfold Path (ethics, meditation, wisdom)
☐ Learn the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha)
PART 2: Scriptural Foundations
☐ Learn about the Tripiṭaka (Three Baskets):
☐ Sūtra Piṭaka (discourses)
☐ Vinaya Piṭaka (monastic rules)
☐ Abhidharma Piṭaka (analytical philosophy)
PART 3: Ethical and Moral Practices
☐ Understand the Five Precepts (lay ethics)
☐ Learn the Ten Precepts (monastic ethics)
☐ Study the Four Brahmavihāras (sublime attitudes)
☐ Explore the Paramitas (perfections)
PART 4: Meditation and Mental Cultivation
☐ Identify the Five Hindrances
☐ Learn about the Jhānas (absorption states)
☐ Explore the Seven Factors of Awakening
☐ Understand the Five Faculties and Five Powers
PART 5: Core Doctrines and Ideas
☐ Study the Three Marks of Existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self)
☐ Learn about Dependent Origination
☐ Understand Karma, Rebirth, and Samsara
☐ Explore the concept of Nirvāṇa
PART 6: Schools and Philosophical Systems
☐ Learn about Theravāda (early Buddhism)
☐ Explore Mahāyāna (bodhisattva path, emptiness)
☐ Study Vajrayāna (tantric methods, mantras)
PART 7: Advanced Philosophical Systems (Optional)
☐ Madhyamaka (philosophy of emptiness)
☐ Yogācāra (mind-only school)
☐ Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature teachings)
Final Step: Integration & Reflection
☐ Reflect on how concepts interconnect
☐ Journal your insights and personal takeaways
☐ Consider how Buddhist philosophy shapes your understanding of life and practice
PART 1:
Four Noble Truths
The First Noble Truth: Dukkha (Suffering)
The truth of suffering
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Birth is suffering
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Aging is suffering
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Illness is suffering
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Death is suffering
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Association with the unpleasant is suffering
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Separation from the pleasant is suffering
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Not getting what one wants is suffering
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The five aggregates of clinging (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) are suffering
2️⃣ The Second Noble Truth: Samudaya (Origin of Suffering)
The truth of the origin of suffering
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Tanha (craving):
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Sense craving (for pleasure)
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Craving for existence (for being and becoming)
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Craving for non-existence (destruction)
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Upadana (clinging):
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Clinging to sense pleasures
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Clinging to views and opinions
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Clinging to rules and rituals
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Clinging to the idea of self
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Avijjā (ignorance):
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Not understanding the Four Noble Truths
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Not seeing the impermanence of things
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3️⃣ The Third Noble Truth: Nirodha (Cessation of Suffering)
The truth of the cessation of suffering
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Abandoning craving
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Letting go of attachment
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Realizing dispassion (virāga)
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Achieving cessation (nirodha)
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Experiencing nibbāna (nirvana), the unconditioned peace
4️⃣ The Fourth Noble Truth: Magga (The Path)
The truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering
The Noble Eightfold Path:
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Wisdom (paññā):
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Right View (understanding)
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Right Intention (thought)
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Ethical Conduct (sīla):
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Right Speech
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Right Action
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Right Livelihood
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Mental Discipline (samādhi):
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Right Effort
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Right Mindfulness
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Right Concentration
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APPLICATION
Integrating the Four Noble Truths into daily life begins with gently recognizing the presence of suffering (dukkha) in all its forms — the small frustrations, the lingering anxieties, the quiet dissatisfaction woven through ordinary experiences. Rather than resisting or avoiding these discomforts, you learn to acknowledge them with an open heart, reminding yourself, “Ah, this too is part of life.” This daily mindfulness allows you to stay present with what arises, without judgment.
The second truth, understanding the cause of suffering (samudaya), invites you to investigate your cravings and aversions. Notice how often your mind reaches out — seeking more pleasure, praise, control, or certainty — and how tightly you sometimes cling to these desires. When you feel yourself pulled toward thinking, “If only I had this, I’d be happy,” pause and ask, “What am I grasping at right now?” With gentle curiosity, you begin to watch these patterns without being ruled by them, perhaps even taking a few deep breaths to observe craving arise and pass.
The third truth, trusting in cessation (nirodha), offers hope: it’s possible to find peace not by eliminating all desires, but by softening your grasp on them. You practice letting go — even briefly — when you notice attachment tightening, asking yourself, “Can I hold this lightly?” Small moments of release become seeds of inner freedom, and you can start to celebrate the peace that follows when you let go of control or outcome.
Finally, the fourth truth, walking the path (magga), invites you to live the Eightfold Path — weaving ethical conduct, mindfulness, and wisdom into the fabric of your life. You practice right speech by choosing kindness and truthfulness, right mindfulness by staying present with your experience, and right intention by cultivating goodwill rather than harm. Each day, you can reflect: “Which steps of the path did I walk today?”
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH
The Noble Eightfold Path is the practical guide the Buddha gave for ending suffering and achieving liberation — it’s the “fourth truth” in the Four Noble Truths, laying out how to walk the path of awakening.
It’s traditionally divided into three main categories:
1. Wisdom (Paññā)
These help develop clear understanding and intention:
1️⃣ Right View → Understanding reality as it is, especially the Four Noble Truths.
2️⃣ Right Intention → Cultivating intentions of goodwill, renunciation, and harmlessness.
2. Ethical Conduct (Sīla)
These guide moral and social behavior:
3️⃣ Right Speech → Speaking truthfully, kindly, and helpfully; avoiding lies, harsh words, gossip.
4️⃣ Right Action → Acting ethically; refraining from killing, stealing, and harmful sexual conduct.
5️⃣ Right Livelihood → Earning a living in ways that do not harm others.
3. Mental Discipline (Samādhi)
These train the mind for focus and clarity:
6️⃣ Right Effort → Cultivating wholesome mental states; preventing and abandoning unwholesome ones.
7️⃣ Right Mindfulness → Maintaining awareness of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
8️⃣ Right Concentration → Developing deep mental focus, especially through meditative absorption (jhāna).
APPLICATION:
A meaningful application of the Eightfold Path is to gradually weave its principles into the fabric of your everyday life — not as rigid rules, but as living guidelines shaping how you act, think, and relate to yourself and others.
Here’s how you might apply it practically:
Wisdom
Right View, the understanding that suffering arises from craving and that a path exists to end it. This means regularly reminding yourself to see situations through the lens of impermanence, cause and effect, and compassion, rather than through blame or judgment.
Right Intention invites you to align your motivations — fostering intentions of goodwill, renunciation, and non-harming. Before making decisions, pause and ask yourself: Is this coming from kindness? Is this letting go or clinging? This shapes not just what you do, but why you do it.
Ethical Conduct
Right Speech, practice noticing your words: Are they truthful, kind, helpful, and timely? You can apply this by pausing before speaking, especially in emotionally charged moments, to choose words that build connection rather than harm.
Right Action means aligning your behavior with ethical principles — avoiding harm, respecting life, and acting honestly. A simple application is to reflect daily on your actions, asking: Did I act with integrity today?
Right Livelihood invites you to examine how you earn your living and whether your work supports or undermines the well-being of others. You can apply this by considering whether your job aligns with your values, or by infusing ethical care into your workplace relationships.
Mental discipline
Right Effort encourages you to actively cultivate wholesome states and let go of unwholesome ones. Practically, this could mean noticing when irritation or jealousy arises and gently shifting attention toward more positive or constructive states like patience or gratitude.
Right Mindfulness can be applied by bringing conscious awareness to everyday tasks — eating, walking, working — with presence rather than autopilot. You might set a reminder each day to pause, take three conscious breaths, and return to the moment.
Right Concentration means developing focused, stable attention, often through meditation. Even just five to ten minutes a day of sitting quietly, focusing on your breath, can strengthen your capacity for clarity and steadiness.
Together, these eight areas form an integrated path: not something you must master all at once, but a lifelong practice of gradually refining your understanding, intentions, ethics, and mind.
Three Jewels
The Three Jewels (also called the Three Refuges or Triple Gem) are the heart of Buddhist commitment — they’re what practitioners “take refuge” in as the foundation of their path.
1. The Buddha
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The awakened one; the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) and the ideal of awakening itself.
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Refuge here means trusting in the possibility of enlightenment — that awakening is real and accessible to all beings.
2. The Dharma
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The teachings and truths discovered by the Buddha, including the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the universal law of how things truly are.
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Refuge here is trusting that the Dharma provides guidance to understand reality and end suffering.
3. The Sangha
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The community of practitioners who walk the path — traditionally the monastic community, but often extended to include all spiritual companions.
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Refuge here is recognizing the importance of community, support, and example in cultivating wisdom and compassion.
Why Take Refuge?
To “take refuge” in the Three Jewels means to align your life with awakening, truth, and community — it’s not about blind worship but about setting your heart on the path of liberation. It reflects a deep inner turning toward what’s reliable and worthy in the midst of life’s uncertainties.
APPLICATION
Integrate the Three Jewels — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha — into your daily life as practical principles. Reflect on your inherent qualities of mindfulness and compassion to connect with the Buddha. Engage with teachings that resonate with you, such as impermanence or non-attachment, by focusing on one in your daily practice. For the Sangha, strengthen connections with supportive individuals or groups, and consider ways to offer support to others.
Start each day by taking in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha as a reminder of your grounding in wisdom and community.