Interview: Jeffrey Fracher, Buddhadharma Teacher at Serenity Sangha

Jeffrey Fracher, Buddhadharma Teacher at Serenity Sangha of Charlottesville and is the author of Practical Dharma.

Curbiture: Jeff, what inspired you to write this book?

Jeff: The practice of Buddhism. It changed my life in such profound ways that I wanted to share it with others in hopes that they would adopt it and benefit.

C: Your book offers a set of techniques to reduce suffering. What would you say to media influencers like Jordan Petersen who claim that "The purpose of life, as far as I can tell, is to find a mode of being that's so meaningful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant"?

J: I am not a fan of his as I think he is too pessimistic in general and too judgmental of those unlike him. However, I agree that a life with gratitude for all the gifts we each get from life, without taking them for granted and finding meaning and purpose in life from living a life consistent with our highest values, does not make suffering irrelevant but does reduce it and change our relationship with it so as to make it acceptable (even if we don’t like it) comes close to what Petersen says.

C: What do you feel is the core message of the book?

J: That we all suffer. It’s part of the human experience. But, we can change our relationship with suffering (not eliminate it) so we experience more joy in life.

C: What about "Dharma”? What does that mean to you? Why not "Karma"?

J: Dharma is the word for the teachings of the Buddha which give us a road map for reducing our suffering and living a more joyful life.

C: Which of the techniques set forth in the book do you practice on a daily basis?

J: Meditation, acceptance of things as they are-not as I want them to be, compassion for self and others.

C: What makes Buddhism so relevant to the world we live in, and Charlottesville in particular?

J: Life is hard and suffering is unavoidable. Buddhism offers a 2600 year old path to reduce our suffering and become more engaged in life with greater joy.

C: What is it like orchestrating the Serenity Sangha of Charlottesville in a virtual world? Don't Buddhists normally eschew virtual connections in favor of in-person ones?

J: Over a year ago, I left the largest Buddhist organization in Charlottesville, where I was president and senior teacher, as I was exhausted from so much responsibility to found Serenity, a smaller and more streamlined community without a Board, a budget, a meeting space, etc. I wanted to keep it simple including meeting virtually online. In addition, we have members from all over the U.S. who have joined via word-of-mouth from family and friends. Meeting virtually allows them to participate fully. It is a trade off with meeting in person, but has worked very well so far.

C: If I started right now, how long would it take for me to become a Buddhist?

J: One does not have to become a Buddhist to benefit from the practices in my book. That said, if one commits to follow the teachings of the Buddha, they are, in effect, a Buddhist if they choose to identify as such. Many in our community do not identify as Buddhists as they have a primary faith tradition such as Christianity or Judaism. I don’t consider Buddhism a religion but rather a philosophy of life since we do not worship the Buddha-the tradition is non-theistic.

C: Thanks so much for your input on spirituality and philosophy as a whole.