One of the turning points in our spiritual practice happens quite unexpectedly, as they always do, when an uncanny feeling of wholeness creeps up on you in the most surprising contexts. All recurring feelings of remorse and failures seem somehow resolved. Nothing dramatic, really. This is a quiet …
This issue: to sit or not to sit? Merely stating this issue brings up a legion of other issues, many of which go unchallenged and unrecognized in the awareness of a potential meditator. To tackle one issue inevitably begs other, lateral questions. As an instructor, I am somewhat …
A veteran American born Buddhist monk in Thailand (Thanissaro Bhikkhu) commented once about the Buddhist practice of right speech. He said he his teacher once told him “if you can’t control your mouth, there’s no way you can hope to control your mind.” The Buddha set out some …
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Thomas Jefferson Buddhism, particularly Mahayana Buddhism, stresses the ideals of freedom from suffering for all beings. This ties in nicely with the writings of Thomas Jefferson. I think he must have been thinking of the corruption of governments and the need …
As we approach the end of another year, perhaps we have become more aware of the passage of time. This awareness may pop up in the midst of rushing around, going to the post office, shopping, and then it’s buried. I get stopped in my tracks when I …
from dread to delight-faith in the present moment Read More »
At the beginning and through the initial stages of our practice the goal of practice, and by this I mean activities such as sitting meditation practice, is to discover and gradually establish a condition of ease in body and mind. As we progress on the path, though, goals …
“The ultimate point of view is that there is nothing to understand, so when we try to understand, we are only indulging in acrobatics of the mind. Whatever you have understood, you are not. Why are you getting lost in concepts? You are not what you know, you …