Mere belief and mental agreement with some metaphysical view—nirvana, emptiness, non-duality, the “way of no way,” the Tao, the “pathless path,” and all the other terms and concepts of spirituality — don’t do, pardon the language, a damned thing to change anything in us or in the world! The emptiness of Buddhism, for example, is not just a metaphysical view that […]
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Tag Archives: Thanissaro-Bhikkhu
The Skill in Looking at Emptiness as a Mode of Perception Rather Than a Worldview
2012/01/18 
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Few words in Buddhism are more well-known, and more debated historically among Buddhists, than the word “emptiness.” What do we find about “emptiness” in the Pali canon, the oldest records we have of the Buddha‘s teachings? In this essay Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu explains how Theravadan Buddhists understand the word in terms of these earliest […]
Continue reading How the Buddha looked at the “What is a Person?” Question
2011/12/10 3 Comments
A recurring theme in Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s writing is his stress on how important it is to understand what kinds of questions the Buddha answered, and refused to answer, in his teachings. Many people think his new way of using the Pali word “khandhas” was the answer to the question, “Who am I” or “What is […]
Continue reading What Am I Doing Right Now? And Why Does it Matter?
2011/12/09 2 Comments
In this essay Thanissaro Bhikkhu analyzes the profound importance of understanding the nature of our intentions and the actions that arise out of those intentions. In many ways, as he points out, this issue is at the very heart of the Buddha’s teaching—looking deeply into intention, into cause and effect, and seeing how to “unbind” […]
Continue reading Chaos Theory and Buddhist Views of Causality
2011/11/17 9 Comments
Samsara Divided by Zero by Thanissaro Bhikkhu “The goal of Buddhist practice, nibbana, is said to be totally uncaused, and right there is a paradox. If the goal is uncaused, how can a path of practice — which is causal by nature — bring it about? This is an ancient question. The Milinda-pañha, a set […]
Continue reading How the Buddha talked about “Not-self”
2011/10/01 1 Comment
§ 128. “Form, monks, is not-self. If form were the self, this form would not lend itself to dis-ease. It would be possible (to say) with regard to form, ‘Let my form be thus. Let my form not be thus.’ But precisely because form is not-self, this form lends itself to dis-ease. And it is […]
Continue reading Meditation as Medicine-Learning to Be Your Own Breath Doctor
2011/08/11 1 Comment
Meditation as Medicine Thanissaro Bhikkhu You all know the old image of the Buddha as a doctor and the Dhamma as medicine. When you come to practice the Dhamma, it’s as if you’re learning to be your own doctor, looking after the illnesses of your own mind. Everyone comes up here wounded in one way […]
Continue reading Look at Karma in Terms of What One is Doing Right Now
2011/08/02 0 Comments
Karma—It’s About What We Can Do Now An excerpt about karma from “Noble Strategy” by Thanissaro Bhikkhu Karma is one of those words we don’t translate. Its basic meaning is simple enough—action—but because of the weight the Buddha’s teachings give to the role of action, the Sanskrit word karma packs in so many implications that […]
Continue reading Working with The Six Properties in Meditation-Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Space, and Consciousness
2011/05/10 0 Comments
For the past few months I’ve really been focusing on “body work” in my dharma practice. I’ve been working with full-body awareness and vipassana, as well as using deep loving-kindness meditation to embrace mental and physical pains. This essay by Thanissaro Bhikkhu has been especially helpful in getting in touch with the actual feelings of my […]
Continue reading The Importance of Alertness and Attention in Developing Concentration
2011/05/05 3 Comments
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 The Dhamma Brothers-A Film to Inspire Your Meditation Practice
2011/01/16 3 Comments
Last night my wife and I watched on of the most moving documentaries we have seen in a long time. It’s called The Dhamma Brothers, and I can’t recommend it enough. Brief Synopsis (from website) An overcrowded, violent maximum-security prison, the end of the line in Alabama’s prison system, is dramatically changed by the influence […]
Continue reading How Not to Get Swept Away by Mindstorms
2010/12/28 4 Comments
Here is another skillful teaching by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. We’ve all been swept away by the “storms” and epics stories and worlds we create in our minds. Happily, the Buddha showed how we can not only find safe refuge from these storms, we can learn how to stop their creation. Mindstorms Thanissaro Bhikkhu There’s a part […]
Continue reading Life Isn’t Just Suffering-but Clinging Always Is
2010/12/06 0 Comments
Here is another great teaching from Thanissaro Bhikkhu. I have to admit that in my pre-dharma days, I too had the impression that Buddhism was “negative” or “pessimistic.” Looking into Buddhism for myself and breaking free of the dogmatic beliefs of my religious upbringing, I found the way of the Buddha to be the happiest […]
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 Yes, God is Gay-and Straight, and Black, White, and a Flower!
2010/10/18 3 Comments
The spate of suicides and deaths of gay and lesbian young people reported in the news recently has broken my heart and the hearts of many. But these tragic stories are but the tip of the iceberg: In in “Death of California youth puts focus on rise in antigay bullying,” the Christian Science Monitor wrote: […]
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 Breaking habits of perception-a skill that changes everything
2010/09/04 7 Comments
Here is another great teaching from Thanissaro Bhikkhu. While looking for some buddhadharma about dealing with guilt about the past, I came across this paragraph, from the end of his article, “Habits of Perception.” It was so helpful, I stopped my search to read the whole article, which I share below. May it be an […]
Continue reading Freedom from fear-is it really possible?
2010/08/18 2 Comments
This article from Thanissaro Bhikkhu is filled with deep and helpful insights into the problem of fear and how delusion makes fear dangerous. It’s one of Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s longer articles, but there are so many gems here, so many very helpful insights, I hope you’ll take the time to ponder what he has to share. […]
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 Goodwill-not a pink cloud of cotton candy covering the world
2010/07/18 4 Comments
“As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings. So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings; radiating kindness over the entire world.” The Buddha, Sutta Nipata I, 8 The Challenge of Making Goodwill […]
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 