In this talk, we’ll take a look a the word passaddhi, which often translates as tranquility, calm, or serenity.  We’ll particularly look at how the Buddhist approach to tranquility is fully engaged, alert and present, which is nothing like taking a “tranquilizer” to fall asleep or relaxing with some television.

We’ll also see how this teaching applies to our daily lives, especially by refining our sense of when tranquility is present, when it’s not, and what we can do to arouse deeper calm & tranquility.  And, of course, as this talk is in the series on the Factors of Awakening, we’ll explore tranquility in the context of the list, especially seeing how it bridges the gap between rapture/joy and concentration.

As a bonus, we’ll start with a short reading by U Tejaniya where he weaves together the first five factors of awakening!