At this interfaith symposium, I attended an inspiring presentation by the scholar, Daniel Matt, on Kabbhalah, which is a form of Jewish mysticism that seems to address contemplations of nothingness and being, emptiness and fullness, the divine and the incarnate. It was fascinating to listen to their descriptions of nothingness, which at moments sounded remarkably [...]
I have been invited to attend an interfaith symposium at a Shivananda Ashram. As the Buddhist representative I give talks and workshops and may participate in the activities of the ashram to whatever extent that I wish. I am quite impressed with their disciplined schedule. Every day starts with a program of morning meditation, chanting, [...]
It matters what you do today, because you are trading a day of your life for it. Are you present and awake for whatever you are doing? Are you using this precious life wisely? Dissolve any resistance to a full and wakeful presence. Let nothing keep you withdrawn, distracted or complacent. You have this moment. Maybe [...]
In our recent day long program we worked with the practice of forgiveness using three phrases: If I have hurt or harmed you, knowingly or unknowingly, through thought, word, or deed, I ask for your forgiveness. If you have hurt of harmed me, knowingly or unknowingly, through thought, word, or deed, I forgive you. If [...]
Readers who have studied the suttas with me will know that I often ask students to memorize passages from the texts. By selecting a passage that resonates with us, working with it, reciting it daily, and reflecting upon it, we engage more actively with these teachings. Then we enjoy hearing what each person set to [...]
The term Bodhi, in the language of ancient Buddhist scriptures, is usually rendered into English as enlightenment, awakening, lofty or liberating knowledge. Awakening implies a waking up from being lost in distorting perceptions and unknowing, to see and know experience exactly as it is actually occurring. The term awakening is quite appropriate, given how much [...]
Meditation teachers often ask their students, "and what is your relationship to that?" If there is a painful sensation in meditation, we look not only at the physical sensations of pressure, burning and sharpness, but also how the mind relates to it. Is the way of knowing pain affected by aversion? If there is a [...]
I just spent three marvelous days contemplating and discussing the cycle of dependent arising with 20 students. The topic invites the reflection that nothing exists separately or independently. Everything related to mind and matter arises due to causal conditions, and it ceases when those causal conditions cease. It might seem easy enough to agree with [...]
Happiness comes when we let go, not when we hold on. Do you sometimes feel the joy that comes with simplicity—the ease and sense of sufficiency discovered when you are without all your stuff, perhaps when you are traveling or camping? Renunciation brings joy by lightening our burdens. Recently some students have expressed interest in [...]
Dhamma practice is not limited to how we feel the breath when meditating. How we handle money and wealth is also an important part of our dhamma practice. We can bring wisdom into our financial and consumer activities—how we earn, how we invest, how we spend, how we save, and how we give. The Buddha [...]
Have you ever seen the inside of a corpse? Can you visualize the layers of muscles, tendons, nerves, and bones in your shoulder, back, and legs? Do you know how many feet of intestines are packed into your abdomen? These may not sound like spiritual concerns, but contemplation of the body is a fundamental Buddhist [...]
I asked our Cultivating Joy class to count their blessings this week–to recognize and make a list of the many wonderful and fortunate events that fill their days. It may sometimes seem that our lives are routine, dull, or even tinged toward the grumpy, depressing, or hopeless side of things. In contrast, the suggestion to [...]
By now you probably have a new calendar for 2011. Have you blocked out time for retreat? I like the old fashioned paper calendars myself. I've got bold lines through the weeks that I have reserved for my own retreat practice. If we don't schedule our retreats in advance, the trivial busyness of life all [...]
Have you made a new year's resolution for 2011? Although it may be artificial to make resolutions, like going to the gym or losing weight, that are all too quickly forgotten, it can be useful to reflect on this transition to the new year. Reflect on the past year, month by month. Try to recall [...]
I just returned from teaching the New Year's retreat for the Mariposa Sangha near Austin, Texas. What a lovely meditation community it is! I first taught in Texas in 1998 as a last minute substitute teacher when a colleague suffered a sudden accident and could not travel. I have returned several times since then, and [...]