Category Archives: Information

An Integrating Presence Meditation: Awareness And Sublime Abidings — December 15, 2022 At Rootbound

Join meditation 6:00pm – 7:00pm Central Thursday, December 15th at Rootbound [https://facebook.com/rootboundstl] on Main Street in St Charles, Missouri and via Insight Timer live: https://insig.ht/NjzXcVjfcv

Depending on what seems most appropriate and needed meditative guidance will be provided for the sublime abidings of loving-kindness, compassion, vicarious joy and/or equanimity for part of the time as well as perhaps awareness practice(s) like mindfulness of body, feeling, mind, mind objects, and/or awareness itself.

Irregular Inquires — ‘Let None Deceive Another’

‘Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state.’ from the metta sutta Does this line in the metta Sutta — ‘Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state.’ — mean action should be taken (to prevent deception)? If so, how and to what extent? (Deception often happens as protectionContinue reading “Irregular Inquires — ‘Let None Deceive Another’”

What Is Meditation? | 11/2/2022 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #02

We primarily address what meditation actually is while spiraling up, around and back on this topic to also include, amongst others: examples of what is and isn’t meditation; mind training; intention; familiarity with the mind; heart qualities; wisdom; aspiration; samatha; ego; Chittamatra or Yogācāra via the statement “emotions are thoughts”; scoundrels; conceit; foolishness; belonging; emotional mirroring; etc.

Negligence and Misdeeds for Sagacity

This October 10th, 2022 Insight Timer live event addressed verse 50 of the Dhammapada as wisdom for potential clearing, activation and advancement: Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission or omission, but his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of VERSE 50 OF THE DHAMMAPADA Thanks to Ellen forContinue reading “Negligence and Misdeeds for Sagacity”

Wisdom Snippets: The Four Brahmaviharas For Each Of The Four Noble Truths

I’ve seen and heard various other Buddhist teachings matching up with the Four Noble Truths [and if I remember any to significant degree and/or come across them again perhaps I’ll add them here] but it occurred to me the Four Sublime Abidings might also pair up with the Four Noble Truths:

Dharma Questions: Miscellany — Part 7

The Heart 1 of Prajna 3 Paramita 4 Sutra 2 Bodhisattva 5 Avalokiteshvara 6, while deeply immersed 7 in prajna paramita, clearly perceived the empty nature 8 of the five skandhas 9, and transcended all suffering. Shariputra 10! Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. So it is with feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness. Shariputra! All dharmas 11 are empty in character; neitherContinue reading “Dharma Questions: Miscellany — Part 7”

(Buddhist) Mudras

Wikipedia calls Mudras — or hand positions — symbolic or ritual gestures. For serious meditators I would suggest going beyond this and investigate the energetic properties and effects of such hand positioning, especially noticeable in meditation. We already know it’s instinctual to place a hand to the injured area when one gets physically hurt. Why?Continue reading “(Buddhist) Mudras”

Wisdom Snippets: (Do It Yourself Buddhadharma) Encouragements And Empowerments

For a moment put aside the notion party poopers Buddhists focus way too much on suffering, perhaps even more noticeably affectatious as soon as they get up from sitting around on meditation cushions. For now even shelf the more recent “socially engaged Buddhism” and turn toward some notions the historical Buddha put forth as empowermentContinue reading “Wisdom Snippets: (Do It Yourself Buddhadharma) Encouragements And Empowerments”

The Pernicious English Language

I’ve been collecting and scribing English language peculiarities and observations for well over a year. After recently seeing the video below on twitter I feel it’s now time to publish and we’ll see how much material I tack on here later The Bigger Questions: Where does language even come from anyway? How are our wordContinue reading “The Pernicious English Language”

Dharma Questions: Abhidhamma (With Beth Upton)

[10/3/22 UPDATE: This post was originally published on 8/4/2022. Since then I decided to ask Beth Upton back to address some of these questions and had to change the blog post publishing date in order for WordPress to push this out as a new podcast. I told Beth beforehand I’d do an extra audio introContinue reading “Dharma Questions: Abhidhamma (With Beth Upton)”