In this ninth installment of the ongoing live series with Wendy Nash inquiring into meditation practice on and off the cushion we explore language and the variability in interpretation especially in the light of how we use English terms for ideas and may not actually understand them Wendy writes: I was thinking about the historyContinue reading “Language: Meaning, Interpretation And Impartiality | May 25, 2023 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #09”
Tag Archives: dukkha
Questions And Points Put To Leigh Brasington On “Psychic Powers” In The Suttas
March 23, 2023 Update: See below for Leigh’s responses via email. I may or may not give some future response to Leigh’s responses Honor and respect to Leigh Brasington, not only for his extensive teachings on the jhanas, but for all the thoughts, teachings and practices surrounding the Sāmaññaphala Sutta (DN 2) during the FebruaryContinue reading “Questions And Points Put To Leigh Brasington On “Psychic Powers” In The Suttas”
The Noble Truth Of Dukkha: Buddhism And Beyond With Randi Green (Part 2)
“Now this, monks, is the Noble Truth of dukkha: Birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, death is dukkha; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, & despair are dukkha; association with the unbeloved is dukkha; separation from the loved is dukkha; not getting what is wanted is dukkha. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are dukkha.” — SN 56.11 In part one Randi and I talked aboutContinue reading “The Noble Truth Of Dukkha: Buddhism And Beyond With Randi Green (Part 2)”
Trauma, Teachings And Textual Interpretations: Buddhism And Beyond With Randi Green (Part 1)
At the beginning of February 2023 Randi Green and I did a couple more recordings on somewhat Buddhist related topics in addition to our chat New Inner Domain Races and New Intervention Protocol. Besides the topics listed in the title this first one starts off addressing dukkha, but we really wait until the second chatContinue reading “Trauma, Teachings And Textual Interpretations: Buddhism And Beyond With Randi Green (Part 1)”
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”
Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For March 2022
[4/29/2022 UPDATE: Zero Pāramitā Challenge provided (to me) for Month 8 / April 2022 yet and 5/23/2022 UPDATE: same thing for the month of May and presumably ongoing unless — barring other possibilities — readers and listeners see a new Pāramitā Challenge from the source and/or a new post/podcast published on IntegratingPresence.com] Expediency, supreme enlightenment,Continue reading “Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For March 2022”
Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For February 2022
Sangha, criticism, the two truths, service to others, emptiness, generosity, conduct, non-clinging, non-harming, energy, the three unwholesome roots, and clarity round out the main topics for February 2022, month six of “The Pāramitā Challenge”. See also Months 1-3, Month 4 and 5. Instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions toContinue reading “Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For February 2022”
Multi-month Pāramitā (Attainments/Perfections) Challenge For December 2021
Apparently November 2021 was a break so December is month 4 of “The Pāramitā Challenge” (which I previously wrote and spoke on the first three months.)
In addition to contemplating topics about the Pāramitās or Perfections, so far, this challenge also includes precepts, the (10 Abodes from the) 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva Path and Bodhisattva vows.
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.
This month includes the Pāramitā on diligence, the Right Speech precept (also doubling as a past Insight Timer live event) and the middle stages of the 10 Abodes from the 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva.
(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””
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.
An Integrating Presence (Three Minute) Meditation And Reality (Characteristics) Contemplation
Meditation:
Meditate continuously for three minutes on an object
Contemplation:
Able to keep attention on the object the entire time?
If not, why is that?
If yes, did the quality and degree of attention change?
Why can’t we lock a consistent, unchanging attention to something without it wavering, or changing, or without distraction?
Perhaps then consider that in life, and especially noticeable in meditation, we sometimes think we should able to keep a consistent, unchanging attention to something. Maybe we can now better see how this erroneous view of deceptively defaulting to expecting constancies in life can result in stress and unsatisfactoriness
Integrating Presence 