“Where I think the teaching of the Buddha, as preserved in the Theravada tradition, surpasses all other attempts to resolve the spiritual dilemmas of humanity is in its persistent refusal to sacrifice actuality for unity. The Buddha’s Dhamma does not point us toward an all-embracing absolute in which the tensions of daily existence dissolve in […]
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Tag Archives: right-views
The Buddha on the Importance of Abandoning All Self Views
2010/07/21 
4 Comments
Who am I? What am I? How am I? We’ve all asked these questions. Throughout history, people have asked these questions, and come up with countless answers and religions and philosophies to answer them. Just who or what is this “self” we all have to deal with? Interestingly, the Buddha does not offer a final […]
Continue readingThe Buddha’s Self Check-How Are You Doing?
2010/05/28 10 Comments
The passage below from the Samyutta Nikaya is one of my favorites from the Buddha, because every time I enter deep concentration in meditation, the truth of what he says is demonstrated to me again and again. Every time you see that any form, feeling, perception, fabrication, even consciousness itself, is not yours—is not who […]
Continue reading The Importance of Getting into the Emptiness Mode
2010/04/21 3 Comments
In this short essay, Thanissaro Bhikkhu explains that Buddha didn’t offer the concept of “emptiness” as an abstract metaphysical truth about the world. The Buddha taught “emptiness” as a skillful way to disentangle ourselves from the causes of suffering by not identifying with things like anger as being “me” or “mine.” Emptiness Thanissaro Bhikkhu “Emptiness […]
Continue readingAn apology-dharma practice not dharma debate
2010/03/10 3 Comments
This is a public apology to friends and blog visitors for a couple of recent posts of mine, “No, you are not enlightened!” and “You’re not enlightened; you’re besparkled!” In these posts I tried to throw some light on some important but often misrepresented aspects of the Buddha’s teaching about what enlightenment is, but in retrospect, […]
Continue reading Loving others-a skillful means, not a principle
2009/12/02 3 Comments
When the heart awakens No matter what one’s spiritual path, I believe there comes a time when when one’s heart so expands in love and compassion that helping alleviate the suffering of others becomes just as much an aspiration as the alleviation of one’s own suffering. Of course, sometimes we may need a lot of […]
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
- Practicing the Middle Way-not too much, not too little
- Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing
- 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 