Truth is always good news; even if it is the truth about something unpleasant because then you can actually master it Luang Por Sucitto After joining the online retreat Love As The Breath Of Life by Ajahn Sucitto I joined and enjoyed the practice and already some of the fruit of this retreat Wellbeing IsContinue reading “Wellbeing Is The Shape Of The Heart: Ajahn Sucitto Online Mediation Retreat”
Category Archives: Buddhism
Distortions and Dreams
The event description for this edited audio version from a recent Insight Timer live talk Distortions and Dreams: A 15 minute side glance at making New Years resolutions by an exploratory barraging of the barriers of distortions and the ups and downs of (some) dreams. While the local church bells at 6pm are still audible,Continue reading “Distortions and Dreams”
(Knowing) Reality: In Conversation With “Beta Ray Bill” aka “Egg Drop”
Wholeness! This chat with “Beta Ray Bill” or “Egg Drop” in a noisy, but still listenable St Louis, MO area park gets into: [NOTE: After spending hours editing I realized I likely did so with a version not recorded with a good mic, but with the built-in laptop mic by error. There’s a much higherContinue reading “(Knowing) Reality: In Conversation With “Beta Ray Bill” aka “Egg Drop””
Dharma Questions: Miscellany — Part 6
For the (early) non-personal Buddhist symbol of a lotus, why is it said a blue one can’t be used? Are there any trickster(s) (archetypes) in Buddhism? Perhaps Mara or Devadatta? Why or why not? Can techniques leading to a non-dual state also provide a condition for susceptibility to unwholesome mind control especially if and whenContinue reading “Dharma Questions: Miscellany — Part 6”
Multi-month Pāramitā (Attainments/Perfections) Challenge For August, September And October 2021
When presented with “The Pāramitā Challenge” I accepted and here we are. In addition to the Pāramitās or Perfections, so far, the challenge also includes precepts and the 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva Path and Bodhisattva vows.
So far, instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions to be generous, moral and ethical while arousing faith in the Triple Gem then seeing where/when confident and where/when in doubt.
I’ve not taken Bodhisattva vows, and so with little instruction in Mahāyāna Buddhism, apart from maybe a smidgen of the zen stuff, there’s the benefit of beginner’s mind is a nice way to put it. I shoot from the hip with a lot in this recording and will often use a Theravada lens and a lot of inquiry as I ponder out loud. It may come off at times as criticism and sometimes it may actually be, but these are mostly solo efforts at summonings what is really meant by the material.
Dharmic Strategies For Empaths
This niche topic for empaths, or energetically sensitive beings, encapsulates years of note taking from experience, study and practice, provides nine categories of approach:
1) Gratitude for opportunities
2) Mindfulness (– especially of contact and vēdanā)
3) Hedonic Tone and the Three Characteristics of Existence
4) Self and identification
5) Equanimity and compassion
6) The Four Right Efforts and Five Hinderances
7) Energy
8) Non-attachment
9) Miscellaneous strategies
Caregiving Roundtable: Caring For The Givers | (9/28/2021 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Denny K Miu)
For this month’s regular open-audience, open-discussion “Ask Us Anything” — continuing discussions about meditation and related topics — Denny and I talk about caring for caregivers. Topics, not necessarily in order, include: Integrating Presence’s long linked list of Healing Modalities and Resources What is true, real, authentic non-inverted care, and does this differ coming fromContinue reading “Caregiving Roundtable: Caring For The Givers | (9/28/2021 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Denny K Miu)”
Irregular Inquires — Investigating The Term “Early Buddhist Texts”
Ten questions to investigate the term “Early Buddhist Texts.” The first three:
How helpful and/or how detrimental is the term “Early Buddhist Texts”?
Where/how did it originate?
On one hand maybe it sets up a certain distinguishing category in a distilled type of way, but when does “early” begin and end?
Irregular Inquires — Questions For Investigating Energy
Currently, over 15 (groups of) questions for investigating energy, including:
What is energy? How do you know?
Where and how do you experience energy?
What kinds, or types of energy are there?
Why is energy important?
Where does energy come from? Where does it go?
Inclusive Compassion Practice (as not to neglect the other Bhramaviharas, or Sublime Abidings)
This blog post provides a more experimental approach involving mostly perception, reflection and contemplation. If not calling to you, or remain unmoved, please pass on it for the time being. Furthermore, any and all constructive critical responses are welcome — especially why this ought to be abandoned and/or any improvement suggestions.
The intent: how to continually practice karuṇā — compassion — at least in the background, even if/when life calls more for the other Bhramaviharas.
Integrating Presence 