Exploring the interface between Buddhist teachings, meditation techniques, academic Buddhist Studies, and the practical application of them into our lives as lay Buddhists
I don’t know about you, but I find it intriguing and sometimes perplexing that I can feel pretty sure I understand the principle of not-self and yet there are times when I still get caught up in taking things very personally. I know I am not alone in having this experience, it is something that … Continue reading Everyday Self
Ownership is a subject that gets a lot of coverage in the teachings of the Buddha, largely from the angle of recognising all the things that are not ours – although we often take them to be. Thinking things belong to us when they actually don’t is one of the big problems that the Buddha … Continue reading Borrowed Goods
When we commit ourselves to a practice sometimes it can be easy to forget that what we are ultimately aiming for is some kind of happiness. We can get so caught up in mastering particular techniques or work so hard on our mindfulness and ethical behaviour that we end up perpetually earnest, feeling like we … Continue reading Non-Desire and Strategies for Happiness
Last week I touched on the subject of techniques that help us to develop equanimity and there are many techniques of a similar kind that help us to loosen the grip of self-view, to see through our mistaken sense of permanence, and to understand dukkha. The Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah is particularly rich … Continue reading Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
The Brahmaviharas Part 1 I’ve been writing about mind states and latent tendencies recently so now seems like a good point to explore the role that positive mind states can play in our practice. The Brahmaviharas are the most obvious example of these kinds of practice that focus on the deliberate cultivation of positive mind … Continue reading The Brahmaviharas – Immeasurable States of Mind
My practice has brought me to the contemplation of mind states recently, which is one of the primary practices in the famous Satipatthana Sutta. The section on the investigation of the mind tells us to look for certain mind states, and in doing so I found a lot of useful insights into the nature of … Continue reading The Heart of Mind States
Change and uncertainty are an unavoidable aspect of life, a point neatly reiterated to those of us living in the UK in yesterday's announcements that changed Christmas plans for many, myself included. For a lot of people without a practice, constant change is something that they want to stop or to delay as long as … Continue reading Understanding Impermanence
In my blog post a couple of weeks ago I was exploring the role of habit in our sense of personality, and I have been thinking a lot about Maha Boowa’s idea that our feelings of self comes from attaching to the kilesas. The kilesas are usually translated as mental defilements, and can be as … Continue reading Making Friends With Kilesas
In last week's blog I was exploring the connection between self and tasks, and off the back of it I found myself with an important question. One day last week I was feeling tired and headachy but had an important job to get finished. Strong feelings of resistance to doing the job, or anything else … Continue reading Person or Personality?
Whenever we find ourselves struggling to raise some enthusiasm for a dull chore or persistence in a long, drawn out activity, the Buddhist approach to motivation often involves recalling the principles of not-self. Feelings are not-self, so we tell ourselves that the feeling of wanting to give up is not-self and we try to let … Continue reading No Person, No Task, No Start, No End
Kalyana Mitta 