Because it was free and available online, Buddha Smile by Roberto Vicente, was one of the earliest dharma books I read when I first began investigating Buddhism. I feel very fortunate that I read his book during my initial discovery period, because the author conveys such a wonderful, joyous sense of the Buddha’s teaching and […]
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Tag Archives: breath
The Importance of Alertness and Attention in Developing Concentration
2011/05/05 
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As I have grown in my meditation practice, I have been able to develop deeper and deeper levels of concentration and corresponding insight. And yet, when I’ve read about some of the various deeper levels of jhana (deep concentration, or samatha) I’ve sometimes wondered about my progress and whether I’m going “deep” enough. This great […]
Continue reading Why it’s Important to Know What Mindfulness Is and Is Not
2010/11/19 3 Comments
Mindfulness Defined by Thanissaro Bhikkhu What does it mean to be mindful of the breath? Something very simple: to keep the breath in mind. Keep remembering the breath each time you breathe in, each time you breathe out. The British scholar who coined the term “mindfulness” to translate the Pali word sati was probably influenced […]
Continue reading Quiet in Every Way – Breaking the Mind’s Chatter
2010/10/10 6 Comments
I just finished a 14-day intensive meditation/metta retreat at home, which is why I haven’t posted for a while. Looking back at the 2 weeks work, I couldn’t help but think of this article by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. One of the things that became so evident to me, day after day “on the cushion” or in […]
Continue reading Using Meditation to Get Acquainted with Pain-Are You Serious?
2010/08/09 6 Comments
Everybody has to deal with pain. It’s one of the biggest problems we face as human beings. If we are dealing with chronic or acute disease, pain can literally fill our world. Over time, chronic pain can feeling like we are being ground down by a mountain. And one of the worst aspects of chronic […]
Continue reading Kabir – “Breath” – Poem and Music
2010/06/09 3 Comments
Breath by Kabir Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat. My shoulder is against yours. You will not find me in stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals: not in masses, nor in kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing […]
Continue readingListen to Your Heart-A Poem
2010/06/07 4 Comments
I haven’t tried to write poetry in a long, long time, but when this appeared at the door, so to speak, I let it in. I hope you find it helpful. And, I hope it’s poetry! Listen to Your Heart One says: “There is nothing to practice. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don’t […]
Continue reading Inviting the Bell to Sound-Invitation to Mindfulness
2010/06/03 3 Comments
One of the wonderful skills I have learned from Thich Nhat Hanh is how to use a bell, or ringing bowl, as an aid to coming back to myself and achieving mindfulness. I almost always start and end my meditations by “inviting” the bell to sound. Here is a very beautiful teaching by Thây on […]
Continue readingHugging Meditation-A Gift to Children from Thich Nhat Hahn
2010/05/21 4 Comments
This post is for the children in our lives. It’s from Present Moment, Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living by Thich Nhat Hanh. The verses in this book, called gathas, can be a wonderful, skillful means for bringing mindfulness to our daily lives, our activities, and our relationships with others. The gatha below is […]
Continue reading Four Steps to Better Meditation Practice
2010/05/14 3 Comments
If you are learning to meditate, this is a terrific “short course” in the basics of mindfulness. If you’re an experienced meditator, this dharma talk by Ajahn Chah is a great refresher. (This is a revision of an earlier post called “How Confident Are You About Your Meditation Practice?”) This excerpt come from “The Teachings […]
Continue reading Bathing in the Breath to Heal Body and Mind
2010/05/03 2 Comments
In a previous post, I shared a teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh titled “Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing.” This post has proven helpful and inspiring to many people, so I wanted to share something from Thây’s Theravadan brother-in-the-dharma, Thanissaro Bhikkhu. (Thây, by the way, is Thich Nhat Hanh’s students’ affectionate name for him) […]
Continue reading Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing
2010/04/23 17 Comments
This excerpt from a talk by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to use mindfulness of breathing to bring loving-kindness to our dear bodies. The physical effect of this can be truly remarkable. As Thây says, “You should really love your body. You should really take care of your body. Mindful breathing, with rest, […]
Continue reading Audio Dharma-Healing Breath as Medicine
2010/04/02 5 Comments
“Think of [working with the breath] as a healing process. Many times, as soon as the mind gets a little bit still and the breath gets comfortable, you think, “Well, what’s next?” But before you can move to the next stage, a lot of healing has to be done in the body—all the areas of […]
Continue reading Developing the sensitivity that lays golden eggs
2010/03/16 0 Comments
This post is a “supplement” to “How to Become a Loving Presence in the World,” because it speaks to developing the kind of presence that is a sensitivity, a deep mindfulness, of what’s going on. (This mindful sensitivity is the very opposite of the “sensitivity” that is reactive, fearful, and self-defensive!) If we aspire to […]
Continue readingWhat does it feel like to walk like a Buddha?
2010/03/11 4 Comments
My last two posts have been about walking meditation: Freshen Up Your Practice with Walking Meditation Some More Helpful Tips on Walking Meditation I thought it would be appropriate to end this particular series on walking mediation with the “Zen poetry,” so to speak, of my heart teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. There are so many […]
Continue reading Freshen Up Your Practice with Walking Meditation
2010/03/10 3 Comments
If you’ve been doing sitting meditation for a while, you might want to look into walking meditation as a way to “freshen up” your meditative practice. This is the advice of Ajahn Brahmavamso in his instruction that I’m sharing below. I can attest from my own practice how helpful walking meditation can be. In fact, […]
Continue readingMindfulness of Breathing-The Anapanasati Sutta
2010/02/09 18 Comments
If a person knows anything about Buddhism, they probably know that Buddhists “meditate.” And they may know that Buddhists give a lot of attention to the breath, making it an object of meditation and attention. Indeed, reading some literature, one might well think that Buddhism could just as well be called “Breathology!” But, there’s a […]
Continue reading Mindfulness of Breathing-Exploring the breath is interesting!
2010/02/09 2 Comments
“…if you find that the breath is boring, it’s because, one, you’re not paying attention; and two, you’re not asking the right questions.” This post in the second of this week’s focus on anapanasati—mindfulness on breathing. See also: Mindfulness of Breathing-a short teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh Bathing in the Breath to Heal Body and […]
Continue readingMindfulness of Breathing-a short teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
2010/02/08 8 Comments
Probably no practice of Buddhism is more basic or more universal than anapanasati, or mindfulness of breathing. The word ânàpànasati is a Pali word that literally means mindfulness (or full awareness) on the in- and out-breath. It would be a mistake, however to conclude that anapanasati only means mindfulness established on in and out breathing. […]
Continue reading Breathing in Peace-Breathing out Love (music)
2010/01/15 4 Comments
With so much pain and suffering in the news, I wanted to share this guided metta meditation that I’ve used for years. It’s from the book Who is My Self: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Ayya Khema, a wonderfully skillful nun in the Theravada tradition. This particular guided meditation has been especially helpful in […]
Continue readingMay All Beings Be Happy
- Looking at the Ninth Zen Precept-I Do Not Indulge In Anger
- True God, True Buddha
- The Difference Between Compassion and “Idiot Compassion”
- Ajahn Brahmavamso teaches Loving-kindness Meditation
- Now-and-Zen-Are you still carrying her?
- A Buddhist Mantra based on the Prayer of St. Francis
- Mindfulness of Breathing-The Anapanasati Sutta
- Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 3
- Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing
- Practicing the Middle Way-not too much, not too little
- Look at the Three Characteristics in Terms of Actions
- Thich Nhat Hanh – Healing Through Resting in the Breath
- How Metta Can Help You When Meditation is Hindered by Overwhelming Feelings
- The Importance of Taking the “Should” out of Spiritual Practice
- Can We “Choose” to Be Happy? No—and Yes!
- Ken Mcleod on how to use Thich Nhat Hanh’s Five-Step Method of Emotional Releasing
- Non-resistance and the Art of Resisting without Resisting!
- Don’t be fooled! There is a Way and We Can Walk It!
- The Importance of Compassion in Assessing Our Dharma Progress
- Jesus and the Buddha on Good Friday
Metta Refuge 