Basics Of Buddhism: Foundations Of The Path - by Karen Anderson

COURSE

Basics Of Buddhism: Foundations Of The Path

With Karen Anderson

Many of us have been introduced to mindfulness meditation, but don’t necessarily have a framework to understand why we’re practicing and where the practice is designed to lead us. This can lead to low motivation and a lack of progress. To start this conversation, join Karen for 12 talks and meditations on the first teachings of the Buddha, known as the 4 noble truths and the eightfold path. These foundational teachings are a framework from which we can transform our lives in a practical and holistic way. Our focus will be on applying the practice of mindfulness to daily life, rather than taking on a belief system.

GroundedHealth & HappinessWisdomTraditional BuddhismReligionMindfulness MeditationMindfulnessHappiness

Meet your Teacher

Karen Anderson
Vail, Colorado, USA

Karen has been teaching yoga in Vail since 1999. She joined a 30-day silent meditation retreat in India on a whim in 2007 and has been in love with the practice ever since. Karen's training in meditation is primarily in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She is empowered and certified to teach meditation in the Southeast Asian Buddhist Tradition. Karen has attended eleven 30-day silent meditation retreats in Asia and the US.

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12 Days

5.1k students

4.9 stars

18 min / day

Grounded

English

Lesson 1

Embracing All Of Life

The goal of mindfulness practice is to be able to stay engaged with our lives as they unfold so that we can speak and act in ways that promote harmony and well-being for ourselves and others. The first teaching of the Buddha is the task of embracing all of life, to fully know it. This is easy enough when things are going well, but takes some effort when we face the inevitable emotional or physical pain that arises. In getting to know the difficult corners of our lives, we start the process of ending our reactivity and our unnecessary suffering. We will still have difficulty because that’s normal. It’s what we do with it that will either alleviate or compound our suffering for ourselves and for those around us.

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Lesson 2

Loosening The Grip Of Reactivity

The Buddha explained that the 3 kinds of reactivity that cause suffering are greed (craving), hatred (craving that something goes away), and delusion (biases, prejudices, and distortion). These responses are built into the system of beings, but it’s what we do with them that determines our experience. Our second task is to loosen the hold that our reactivity has on us, by softening, accepting, and not identifying with it. If we don’t take our reactivity to be us, if we don’t fixate on it or believe it, then it won’t affect our actions and drive our experience. Mindfulness practice trains us to foster this process.

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Lesson 3

Experiencing Freedom

When we don’t identify with and act upon our reactivity, it passes on its own. Then we are left with peace and spaciousness. The Buddha’s third task is that we dwell here in the space of nirvana. Often nirvana is thought of as a blissful space experienced by a special few. But the Buddha explains that this space is experienced by all of us when reactivity passes, and by immersing ourselves in this experience we can experience freedom directly. This is not esoteric or unattainable, but rather the visible and immediate freedom that the Buddha referenced.

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Lesson 4

Cultivating A Way Of Life

The fourth task that the Buddha laid out was to cultivate a way of life, to follow a path. He outlined 8 elements of the path that we will explore over the next 8 sessions. The path has 3 themes: attitude, ethics, and meditation, which provide context for our mindfulness practice. In developing our skills in this well-rounded way, we create the conditions for a meaningful and productive life lived according to our deepest values. This avoids the common mistake of using mindfulness to detach from our experience, thus checking out and avoiding activism.

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Lesson 5

Holistic View

The first element of the eightfold path addresses how we see the world and ourselves. We want to look closely at what we value in life so that we can orient toward it. We also want to look at what the world needs, so that we can be of service. We need to examine how we relate to the world and adjust our perception when it’s distorted, in order to be skillful and effective. Also included here is the wisdom we develop as we travel the path of the dharma.

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Lesson 6

Holistic Intention

The second element of the eightfold path explores our intention, which is the driving force behind our karma. Our intentions drive our speech and actions, which will elicit different responses from the world depending on what we actually want underneath. Wholesome intentions create a harmonious world, and reactivity can take us away from these intentions. Mindfulness is the key to staying true to our good intentions and gaining the benefits of the resulting actions.

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Lesson 7

Holistic Speech

The third element of the eightfold path is our speech and communication. In order to be skillful and create harmony in the world, we need to be both non-harming and truthful. Non-harming speech isn’t necessarily nice but rather designed to promote what’s beneficial. True speech brings us in line with reality and avoids the reactivity pitfalls of giving in to jealousy, comparison, fear, and aversion. The holistic speech also includes saying that which needs to be said and hasn’t been, both in expressions of love and dealing with conflict.

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Lesson 8

Holistic Action

The fourth element of the eightfold path is holistic action. Our actions need to align with our deepest values, or else we will suffer from internal conflict, regret, and disappointment. Also, our actions reinforce any of the beliefs, views, and intentions that underlie them, and so strongly affect our minds. Buddhism presents basic rules about what not to do, to keep us on track. But then we need to choose wholesome actions that feel right to us when we are seeing clearly having let go of our reactivity.

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Lesson 9

Holistic Livelihood

The fifth element of the eightfold path is a holistic livelihood. Because we spend so much time and energy on whatever we do for work, this is a powerful aspect of our ethical actions. There are a few prohibited professions in Buddhism, but even more interesting is how we go about our work. We can work toward the good of society, become mindful as we go about our tasks, and grow as a person. Also, we can give back to our workplace and create harmony in the community. It’s not about having the perfect job, but rather how we spend our time.

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Lesson 10

Holistic Effort

The sixth element of the eightfold path is about effort and energy. We need to train to apply steady, relaxed, sustainable effort so that we can do what needs to be done, in whatever arena. This helps us to avoid unnecessary reactivity. In order to stay motivated, we need to be confident in the direction that we’re moving. If we relax our expectations and release our judgments of ourself, we have the possibility of enjoying the process. Ultimately, it's only our own efforts that will improve our own lives and the lives of those around us.

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Lesson 11

Holistic Mindfulness

The seventh element of the eightfold path is holistic mindfulness. Mindfulness is knowing what is happening at the moment without judgment. It also implies awareness of our own mental process. This prevents becoming overly identified with our thoughts and our reactivity. Mindfulness is characterized by clarity, attention, and emotional balance. Mindfulness meditation trains us to have these qualities in our lives off the cushion to respond appropriately to what life brings.

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Lesson 12

Holistic Concentration

The final element of the eightfold path is holistic concentration. Anything we experience comes in through our attention, and how we pay attention determines how we experience the world. Lack of concentration has been shown to lead to unhappiness, in addition to the obvious difficulty in getting things done. As recent times have shown a reduction in the human attention span, it’s a great time for concentration practice. Plus, concentration practice reveals beneficial qualities of the mind that are usually hidden from sight. All of the elements of the path come together to give us the skill to live well according to our own values, which is the ultimate freedom.

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4.9 (211)

Recent Reviews

Cloy

Cloy

February 4, 2026

Really enjoyed this series. Thinking I will move on to the next series but also feel like a review of this would be beneficial. Thanks to teacher.

Blain

Blain

December 24, 2025

So great. I’ll listen again. And you deliver it so well <3. Thank you!

Heidi

December 22, 2025

Karen is a truly gifted guide and teacher. May her life be full of love laughter and peace.

Maggie

November 30, 2025

This was an excellent course, full of information and guided practices and a perfect starting point for anyone starting their journey with the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. I’m going to listen to all 12 days all over again! Thank you so much.

Lee

September 11, 2025

A well articulated and comfortably narrated introduction to the teachings and the path. I enjoyed the well chosen quotations each day. The meditations were a calming way to start my day each of the last 12 days, especially in view of all of the turbulence in the world. Thank you.

Brett

Brett

July 15, 2025

Thank you.

Jacques

Jacques

July 5, 2025

This is a very helpful take on the eight fold path. Thank you

Carol

Carol

March 29, 2025

My soul thanks you for putting this course together. The journey begins!

Tim

Tim

March 22, 2025

Karen, thank you so much. This was one of the best foundational courses on Buddhism I’ve ever done! Lots of love your way.

d

d

March 8, 2025

Brilliantly researched, executed and structured.... Worth repeating Thank you

Jim

Jim

January 27, 2025

This was a great course. Thank you. I will listen again, this time taking notes. Thank you Karen.

Robb

Robb

January 23, 2025

An excellent course. Just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s a given. There is really deep learning here.

Helena

Helena

December 26, 2024

Another great course by Karen!

Chuck

Chuck

October 31, 2024

Another one of Karen’s great courses!

Eric

October 19, 2024

Awesome!

Jennifer

September 19, 2024

Thank you so much for this exceptional course. I have been learning about Buddhism over the past few years and your lessons really helped me put things together in my own mind.

Zen

Zen

September 17, 2024

Loved it. I listen to this every couple of months. 🙏🏼

Glenn

Glenn

August 6, 2024

Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Mike

Mike

July 10, 2024

A very helpful course. Thank you.

Erin

Erin

July 9, 2024

Thank you for such an inspiring and informative course. I can’t wait to do it again so I can absorb even more of your teaching. 🙏🏼

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