Toni Bernhard authored the recently published book, How To Be Sick: A Buddhist Inspired Guide For The Chronically Ill And Their Caregivers. It is an inspiring and eye opening account of how the teachings of the Buddha can support the chronically ill person to deal skillfully with their condition, and grow in wisdom and compassion. [...]
Frequently I meet students who excitedly tell me about experiences they have had in past retreats where they believe they have “stumbled into jhana,” or “slipped into jhana.” It may be so. Blissful states are not uncommon in meditation. But whether or not it was an actual accomplishment of the deep absorption states called jhana, [...]
The recent NY Times Science section article "When the mind wanders, happiness also strays," reveals what most meditators discover during their first sitting. It amuses me that scientists needed to interview a half a million people to discover the first and most common insight—that the wandering mind is painful. But now that the obvious is confirmed [...]
Today I attended the annual luncheon benefit of One World Children's Fund. It was an inspired gathering of 400 people who care about the welfare of the disadvantaged children of the world enough to do something about it. Together we support small schools, orphanages, and projects around the world that protect and educate poor children [...]
After a jhana retreat some students may feel pride at the rate of their development, and other students may feel sad, angry, or depressed. I have found that student's feelings about the significance or insignificance of their own progress is usually inaccurate. The ideas that students hold about what constitutes a successful achievement are often [...]
Although the refinement of attention may not be as acute in daily life as it is during retreat, you can still resolve to clear your mind of obstructive states and refuse to fuel the reproduction of unwholesome states. For example, when you become aware that your mind is entertaining a stream of judging thoughts mindfully [...]
After speaking about the subtle Buddhist practices in which a meditator discerns, analyzes, and contemplates the ultimate realities of phenomena, a student asked me how she could apply the teaching during daily life practice. Although it can be challenging to consistently see the subtleties of mind and matter during active daily life, you can certainly [...]