- What I Got Wrong About Buddhism (And What Changed Everything)
Doug reflects on five key lessons he wishes he had understood earlier in his Buddhist practice: misconceptions about meditation, the importance of testing teachings rather than accepting them on faith, treating the Dhamma as tools rather…
- Why Did the Buddha Say the Mind Was Like a Monkey?
The simile of the "monkey-mind" is common in Buddhism. We'll look at what may be its first appearance in an early sutta. Why did the Buddha use this simile? What was he trying to get across? We'll find a number of surprising and unusual…
- Four Ways Contemplating Mortality Can Be Life Changing: Its Role in Early Buddhist Practice
My father recently passed away, so I'm thinking about mortality. I'll discuss its centrality to early Buddhist meditation practice as well as its relation to impermanence generally. Then I'll turn to four ways that contemplating mortality…
- How to Live Mindfully: Everyday Buddhist Practices for a More Peaceful Life
Mindfulness isn't only about formal meditation, it's meant to be taken into all aspects of our life, even the most mundane. We'll provide practical tips on how this can be achieved, and discuss the advantages of living more mindfully.
- Practicing Buddhist Right Mindfulness: Touching Bedrock
How do we practice Right Mindfulness in Buddhism? We'll look at the traditional Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and what the point is of living a mindful life.
- Is there a "Buddhist Bible"? Key Buddhist Texts
Is there a "Buddhist Bible"? We'll consider some key Buddhist texts, by analogy with the Old and New Testaments. What are they, and how do they relate to one another? NB: This is not intended to be an exhaustive list — I only barely…
- How Does Buddhism Help Us Accept Mortality?
One aim of Buddhism is to help us accept our mortality and so come to terms with death. We'll look at how his mortality was the Buddha's concern when he began his search, how coming to terms with mortality functions in various forms of…
- Discovering the Path of Right Effort: Buddha's Surprising Recommendation to Preserve
Right Effort in Buddhist practice has four aspects. The fourth aspect is that of "preservation", and it has some shocking aspects. What does it mean, and how can we practice with it?
- Mindfulness: Wholesome or Not?
Is mindfulness universally wholesome, or not? I'll look at two different viewpoints, one from the Theravāda abhidhamma, and another from a recent monastic scholar.
- Mindfulness for Computers? Buddhist Practice and the AI "Alignment Problem"
Can training in mindfulness help AI to align its values more wisely? I'll look at how honesty requires self-awareness, and how mindfulness can help. I'll also consider how AI systems might use internal feedback loops to monitor their own…
- Mindfulness of Absence: Buddhist Meditation Practice
Mindfulness is ordinarily a practice of awareness of what is present to us, right now. But one aspect of such meditation involves being mindful of things that are not present. We will look at this aspect with reference to early suttas and…
- Learn Not to Take it Personally: a Non-Self Elements Practice in Early Buddhism
One of the key practices in early Buddhism that often gets overlooked is a practice with the four elements leading to an experiential understanding of non-self. I'll look at that practice with reference to several early texts.
- Can You Practice Buddhism by Studying It? A New Paper By Analayo
Is there an important difference between study and practice in early Buddhism? We'll look to one recent article by Bhikkhu Anālayo for help in answering this question. He investigates one apparent mistake in oral transmission of a…
- Mindfulness Meditation: Practicing with Internal, External, and Both
In mindfulness meditation it's said we should practice with the internal, the external, and both. But what do these mean? We will take a look at some possible interpretations and how they can aid in mastering our practice.
- Seven Factors of Awakening: Ordinary or Altered Consciousness?
What are the seven Factors of Awakening in early Buddhism? We will look at their importance to the path, and grapple with a couple of different ways they can be understood.
- A Short History of Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation
What is the history of Buddhist meditation practice? In this video we'll look at some changes that have taken place in mindfulness practice in particular, following some recent research. We'll also look at some other forms of meditation…
- Mindfulness for Beginners
Have you heard of "mindfulness" but don't know what it is or why it's important? We'll discuss all that in this video.
- Body Scan Meditation: Description and History
We'll look at the body scan meditation. We'll see that there seem to be two or three different practices that go by that name. Then we'll delve a little into the history of the practice, and see where it might -- or might not -- have come…
- Confronting Illness and Death
How do we confront illness and death? We will all experience them, but often don't want to contemplate them. I'll discuss some recent YouTube channels that have dealt with illness and death in deep and profound ways, as well as a little…
- Mindfulness of Dharmas Part 2
Fourth and last of the foundations of mindfulness is Mindfulness of Dharmas. In this second half of our introduction, we will continue going through the practices involved in this foundation. In particular we will go through mindfulness…
- Mindfulness of Dharmas Part 1
Fourth and last of the foundations of mindfulness is Mindfulness of Dharmas. In this introduction, we will discuss what that means in this context, and begin going through the practices involved in this foundation. In particular we will…
- What is Insight (Vipassana) Meditation?
Insight or vipassana meditation is a relatively recent form of Buddhist practice, but one with deep roots back into history. We will discuss its characteristics, its history, and distinguish it from other popular forms of Buddhist…
- Mindfulness of Mind
Mindfulness of mind is the third of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. We will look at its importance to ethical thought and action, as well as to locating ourselves along the path. There are lots of important lessons to gain from this…
- Mindfulness of Feelings
The second of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness is mindfulness of feelings. While sometimes it is overlooked, this is perhaps the most important foundation, at least in revealing the causal links that produce our worldly discontent. We…
- Mindfulness of the Body
Mindfulness of the body is the heart of much contemporary meditation practice. We'll look at it today with a focus on the original texts, which provide a great array of related practices. We will see ways that the older approach is…