The Liberation Teachings of Mindfulness in the Land of the Free Jake Davis grew up just a few miles from IMS. He first became involved in insight meditation through the young adults ’ retreat there. He went on to spend more than a year as a Theravada monk in Burma, learning the language, studying texts and practicing meditation. The Dhamma Dana Publications project, hosted by BCBS, is in the process of publishing Jake's book Strong Roots for free distribution, with the ongoing support of … [Read more...]
Sharing What You Love
Trudy Goodman lives and teaches in Los Angeles, and is a member of the Boston-based Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapist (IMP). She has been practicing Dharma for many years, in both the Zen and Vipassanā traditions. Trudy, in addition to being a long-time dharma practitioner and teacher, you are also a trained psychotherapist. What do you think of the recent confluence of these two traditions? I’m interested in the ways these two different traditions are already enriching one … [Read more...]
The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
Most practitioners of insight meditation are familiar with the four foundations of mindfulness, and know that the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (M 10; D 22), the Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness is the cornerstone of the vipassanā [insight meditation] tradition. The first foundation, mindfulness of the body, has to do with bringing awareness, attention, or focus to breathing and to bodily sensations. The second foundation of mindfulness, mindfulness of feeling, involves noticing the affect … [Read more...]
Lessons from an Illness
Marilyn Judson has studied vipassanā meditation with Shinzen Young for the past nine years, and with Thich Nhat Hanh for five years before that. She has a daily sitting meditation practice, meets weekly with her sangha for dharma and discussion and sitting practice, and attends several vipassanā retreats each year. I was lying in my hospital room and starting to feel desperate and afraid. I had a suction tube down my throat, an I.V. in my arm, and I hadn’t eaten in three days. Twenty-four … [Read more...]
Mindfulness of Breathing: Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)
Understanding Key Terms developed: bhāvitā This word is simply the causative form of the verb "to be," and thus means "causing to be," from which we get "development." It is a word used often for meditation in general, and for certain kinds of meditation in particular, such as the development of loving kindness (mettā-bhāvanā). cultivated: bahulākatā Used often beside development as a synonym, this term literally meant something that is done (kata) a lot (bahuli). The way we … [Read more...]
The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight Meditation
Abstract With the present paper, I intend to bring out key aspects of the practical dynamics that underlies insight meditation in the Theravāda tradition. I start with a brief survey of three modern day insight meditation traditions (I), followed by examining their common roots in the medieval scheme of insight knowledges (II), which in turn I trace back to the early discourses in the Pāli Nikāyas (III). (I) Three Insight Meditation Traditions In modern days, the three probably most popular … [Read more...]
The Four Assemblies and Theravāda Buddhism
Introduction In this paper I examine two significant developments in the Theravāda tradition from the viewpoint of the Pāli canonical teaching that the four assemblies—bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, male lay disciples, and female lay disciples—are the necessary foundation for the Buddha’s teaching to thrive. These two developments are the revival of lay meditation and the revival of bhikkhunī ordination. The Four Assemblies According to the Mahāparinibbāna-sutta of the Dīgha-nikāya, the Buddha … [Read more...]
A Comprehensive Matrix of Constructed Experience
These are the building blocks with which we construct our world. Every action which creates karma is represented on this chart. It is meant as an exhaustive categorization of all conditioned human experience. Try examining each of these options, one at a time, and look for examples of such activity in your own life and practice. You will find that such a matrix of experience provides a generic and de-personalized way of looking at what is taking place moment by moment, which supports the … [Read more...]
An Unabashed Enthusiasm for the Here and Now
Insight: What prompted you to first go off to Asia more than 25 years ago? CT: God knows! When I was a little boy I knew I was going to be a journalist. I understood then that a journalist was somebody who made journeys. So in April 1967 I left London with about $100 and a thumb and headed East. I kept going Eastwards and arrived back in London in May 1977. I think it was a case of never look back. But, of course, the truth of the matter is that there is no going back, no going forwards nor … [Read more...]
Dhamma as Skillful Kamma
There is a rather humorous text in the Middle Length Discourses called the Kukkuravatika Sutta, or The Dog-duty Ascetic (M 57). In the Buddha's time, the so-called spiritual scene was full of people who did extreme ascetic practices. In this text, we’re told of an ascetic who likes to practice like he’s a dog. He walks around on all fours, traipsing in and out of puddles, and will only eat food that is thrown on the ground. And he has an ascetic friend who likes to practice like he’s an ox. This … [Read more...]