The Buddha’s Awakening gave him, among other things, a new perspective on the uses and limitations of words. He had discovered a reality—the Deathless—that no words could describe. At the same time, however, he discovered that the path to Awakening could be described, although it involved a new way of seeing and conceptualizing the problem of suffering and stress. Because ordinary concepts were often poor tools for teaching the path, he had to invent new concepts and to stretch pre-existing … [Read more...]
King Pasenadi Goes on a Diet (Samyutta Nikāya 3:13)
Andrew Olendzki
Once when the Buddha was living at Sāvatthi, King Pasenadi of Kosala ate a whole bucketful of food, and then approached the Buddha, engorged and panting, and sat down to one side. The Buddha, discerning that King Pasenadi was engorged and panting, took the occasion to utter this verse: Now at that time the brahmin youth Sudassana was standing nearby, and King Pasenadi of Kosala addressed him: "Come now, my dear Sudassana, and having thoroughly mastered this verse in the presence of … [Read more...]
The Visuddhi Magga on the Brahma-Vihāras
Andrew Olendzki
Climbing to the Top of the Mountain
Bhikkhu Bodhi
You have lived in a forest monastery in Sri Lanka for many years, Bhante. What brings you to America? I originally came to the U.S. to visit my father and sister. But for twenty-five years I have been afflicted with a chronic headache condition, which has resisted every type of treatment I have tried to date. My father suggested I arrange a consultation at The Headache Institute of New York, a clinic in Manhattan. Thus for the past few months I have been taking treatment at this clinic. Is … [Read more...]
Healing the Wounds of the World
Andrew Olendzki
Many of us in America today are thinking about security, wondering how best to keep our families and our nation safe. Because so much of the danger in the world lately seems to be focused in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, we most often encounter Islamic, Jewish and Christian perspectives on affairs in these regions. Perhaps it would be helpful to hear from one of the other great world religions. What is the Buddhist view of how to achieve safety and security in the world’s trouble spots, in … [Read more...]
From Self-Judgement to Being Ourselves
Diana Winston
Diana Winston has been involved with IMS's Young Adult Retreat since 1993. She teaches dharma to teenagers and adults, and is currently training with Jack Kornfield as a vipassanā teacher. Her upcoming book, due out from Perigee Press in Summer 2003, is called Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens. She is also the founder of the Buddhist Alliance for Social Engagement (BASE) Program. Tonight I am going to talk about something that many of us deal with, especially in our teenage years: … [Read more...]
The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia
dhammesu dhamm-ānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhā-domanassaṃ One abides contemplating mental objects as mental objects, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. —Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta The Bhāvana Program is a seven-day vipassanā retreat of sitting and walking practice which includes a textual study session each morning. This new model, unique to BCBS, allows for an in-depth investigation of the Dhamma using both … [Read more...]
The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
Andrew Olendzki
dhammesu dhamm-ānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhā-domanassaṃ One abides contemplating mental objects as mental objects, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. —Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta The Bhāvana Program is a seven-day vipassana retreat of sitting and walking practice which includes a textual study session each morning. This new model, unique to BCBS, allows for an in-depth investigation of the Dhamma using both … [Read more...]
Instructions for Entering Jhāna
Leigh Brasington
These instructions have been taken from a nine-day retreat offered by Leigh Brasington at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in April of 2002. The Pali word jhāna (Sanskrit dhyāna) is sometimes simply translated as "meditation," but more accurately refers to an "absorption" into a very focused, very stable state of concentration. In the classical tradition there are several stages of jhāna, each one more focused than the previous. Some people will experience some of the jhānas on this … [Read more...]
Resistance in Meditation
Bill Morgan
Bill Morgan, Psy.D., a Boston-area psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner, is a member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP). These remarks are excerpted from a talk given at a joint BCBS/IMP program called "Buddhist Psychology in Contemporary Perspective" in Cambridge, MA in the fall of 2001. There is a saying in Buddhism, “Meditation is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end.” I don’t know how it is for any of you, but my experience has been … [Read more...]
