Getting Started: a 7-day introduction to Buddhist practice

Seven short days that introduce the shape of a daily practice: a teaching, a sit, one action, one reflection.

If you are new to Buddhist practice and wondering where to begin, this week is one answer. It does not ask you to adopt a belief or a tradition. Each day puts one short passage from the early texts in front of you, says plainly what it says, and asks you to try one thing with it.

Day 1 starts with the opening verses of the Dhammapada, on intention. The week then moves through the breath as an anchor, the four noble truths as the texts state them, goodwill, speech, the kind of thoughts you feed, and finally the Buddha’s advice to Soṇa about a lute string tuned neither too tight nor too slack.

Every day takes about ten minutes: two to read, three to ten to sit, and a moment in the evening to answer one question.

Scope. Entirely free. Drawn from the Dhammapada and a handful of short early discourses.

All 7 days

  1. Day 1Intention goes firstDhp 1–2
  2. Day 2The breath as an anchorMN 62
  3. Day 3Four truths, stated plainlySN 56.11
  4. Day 4Wishing all beings wellKp 9
  5. Day 5Five marks of good speechAN 5.198
  6. Day 6Noticing the kind of thoughtMN 19
  7. Day 7Strings neither tight nor slackAN 6.55