Exploring the interface between Buddhist teachings, meditation techniques, academic Buddhist Studies, and the practical application of them into our lives as lay Buddhists
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about right speech, and one interesting point that came up from that was that the Buddha didn’t consider something being the truth as solely a good enough reason to express it; under some circumstances where it would cause harm it seems that a truth shouldn’t be spoken at … Continue reading The Truth is Merely As It Is
Following on From last week’s post about balance in our practice, this week I have been inspired by a sutta about acrobats. But the balance this time isn’t about being on a high wire, it is about striking the right balance between personal practice and practice aimed at helping others. There’s no doubt that this … Continue reading For Ourselves, For Others
I was reading a book recently that gave me a chance to think about what can happen when our practice develops in an unbalanced way, when we focus too much on one skill or area and end up neglecting others. The Buddha described his teaching as ‘the middle way’, which for those who practice it … Continue reading A Balanced Practice
Knowing what to say at the right time is something of an art, but we are lucky that the Buddha did give us some advice to point us in the right direction.I came across an interesting sutta recently while I was doing research for a previous post that gave me the opportunity to be reminded … Continue reading Right Speech and Conflict
Grace is a powerful and inspiring word, just bringing it to mind seems to have an automatically uplifting effect for me. There’s something about grace that seems to resonate with the qualities that we seek to develop when we follow a practice, and yet it isn’t a word that we come across very often in … Continue reading Grace and Practice
The chaos of Christmas week in the UK delayed my foray into exploring the importance of generosity in Buddhist practice. I had intended to use the seasonal themes of giving and goodwill as a starting point, but since for Buddhists generosity isn’t just for Christmas the topic is no less relevant now that the Christmas … Continue reading The Gift of Generosity
After thinking about new year’s resolutions last week, it seemed quite fitting to follow it with reflecting on a sutta that explores the limits of desire in helping us to achieve the outcomes we are looking for. So many new year’s resolutions fall quickly by the wayside because they were little more than hopeful wishes; … Continue reading The Wrong End of the Cow
The Buddha's teachings are rich with wonderful imagery and inventive metaphors that help us not only to relate the teachings to our own ordinary experiences, but also help us to reimagine an experience from a completely different perspective. I found another one of these rich images last week in a sutta that I hadn't come … Continue reading The Well Made Wheel
Buddhist practice is the practice of letting go; of thoughts, feelings, habits, opinions, even our sense of who we think we are. Unsurprisingly letting go and Buddhism are pretty much synonomous. Ajahn Chah famously said: “Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect any praise or reward. If you let go a … Continue reading Letting Go Too Soon
I don’t spend a lot of time studying other schools of Buddhism, but every now and again I find something that really supports my practice. I found myself pondering an aspect of Zen teaching this week, from the book Being-Time by Shinshu Roberts. Zen very much focuses on exploring non-duality and aims to break down … Continue reading Not Either But Both
Kalyana Mitta 