Mindfulness a talk by Ajahn Sumedho

Posted on 24 May 2013 by Buddhism Now

Ajahn Sumedho Buddhist Summer School 2001.The Buddhist meditation practice of mindfulness, a talk given by Ajahn Sumedho at the 1994 Buddhist Summer School in Leicester, England.

(59 mins some background noise for the first 40 seconds.)

Subjects include: Mindfulness, Consciousness, and how we create ourselves.

More posts by Ajahn Sumedho here.

Filed under: Ajahn Sumedho, Beginners, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Talk, Theravada | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Buddhism a path of awareness. Diana St Ruth

Posted on 15 September 2012 by Buddhism Now

Buddhism whatever else it is, is a path of awareness, awakening.

Monju seated on a lion. British Museum. Photo by Mistvan commons.wikimedia.org.You sometimes hear widely accepted teachings in Buddhism being argued about and all but dismissed, but Buddhism is for testing. Isn’t that the whole point? But you do hear these tussles going on.

There is one aspect I feel would be hard to reject by anyone and that is the emphasis on awareness—simply becoming clear about what is happening as it happens. We might be in the habit of getting caught up in day-to-day circumstances. (more…)

Filed under: Beginners, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Diana St Ruth | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Four Noble Truths, talk by Ajahn Sumedho

Posted on 14 April 2012 by Buddhism Now

Ajahn Sumedho gives a Dhamma talk on meditation, the Four Noble Truths and the impermanence of all conditioned phenomena.

Short film 43mins

The talk was given in January 2010 at a retreat center in Janda Baik, a small town in Pahang.

Read more articles by Ajahn Sumedho

Filed under: Ajahn Sumedho, Beginners, Buddhist meditation, Theravada, Video | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

We have a choice, by Corrado Pensa

Posted on 2 April 2012 by Buddhism Now
Yoshi Yoshi. Calligraphy by Tangen Harada Roshi, Bukkoku ji

Calligraphy by Tangen Harada Roshi

As a result of impermanence our lives go from unpleasant situations to pleasant situations to neutral ones, on and on—sometimes on a small scale, sometimes in a dramatic way. The point is, we have a choice. Every difficult or unpleasant situation can be used as further training for our aversion, anger and hatred or as training in our dharma practise. Any pleasant situation can be used to further our training in attachment, fantasising and possessiveness or to kindle attention and exercise our capacity to open up and let go. Neutral situations can be used as further training for our boredom and confusion or as training for the practice, as another way of learning and relearning how to kindle the flame of attention. This means that within this painful situation, we have a choice which is very promising in terms of freedom. (more…)

Filed under: Art, Beginners, Buddhist meditation, Ch'an / Seon / Zen, Corrado Pensa, Theravada | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Something in the training, by Trevor Leggett

Posted on 10 August 2011 by Buddhism Now

Hurricane Katrina 2005A teacher once pointed out that there is an instruction in Buddhist training about going on one straight line, about keeping to one thing, and yet at the same time: ‘You’ve got to accept things; you’ve got to be flexible.’ The example he gave was of a spinning top or gyroscope. If you have ever played with a gyroscope as a child or seen one spinning, you will know that its balance is so good that when it is revolving, it can travel down a string on the little notch at its base whilst keeping a bal­ance on that string. It couldn’t do that unless it was spinning. But because it is revolving about its centre, it can keep a perfect balance. And if you blow the gyroscope it will bow, but come back to its balance again; it will give way to passing things, but will come back very strongly to its point of bal­ance and settle itself. (more…)

Filed under: Beginners, Books, Buddhist meditation, Ch'an / Seon / Zen, Trevor Leggett | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Compose your minds, by Ajahn Sumedho

Posted on 20 April 2011 by Buddhism Now

Stone Buddha. Photo: © David BlancoCompose your minds, look inwards and become aware of the here and now ― the body, the breath, the mental state, the mood you are in ― without trying to control or judge or do anything; just allow everything to be what it is.

For many people the attitude towards meditation is one of always trying to change something, always trying to attain a particular state or recreate some kind of blissful experience remembered from the past, or of hoping to reach a certain state by practising. When we practise meditation with the idea of having to do something, however, then even the idea of practice ― even the word ‘meditation’ ― will bring up this idea that ‘if I’m in a bad mood, I should get rid of it’, or ‘if the mind is scattered and I’m all over the place, I should make it one-pointed’. In other words, we make meditation into hard work. So then there is a great deal of failure in it because we try to control everything through these ideas, but that is an impossibility. (more…)

Filed under: Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho, Beginners, Books, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Theravada | Tagged: , , , , , | 10 Comments »

Mindfulness is not thinking, by Trevor Leggett

Posted on 30 March 2011 by Buddhism Now

Monk and friend Art © Marcelle HanselaarMindfulness is not thinking, this is one of the reasons it is so powerful.

It is a common view that mindfulness is thinking — Now I’m walking. Now I’m talking. Now I’m not walking or talking, but just standing. Now I’m sitting down... It is just like a running BBC commentary. But, as a matter of fact, words cannot describe these things. Words can never describe what you do when you walk. There is only the actual living experience. If you say ‘walk’, does that mean the toe comes down first, the heel comes down first, or the foot comes down flat? The living experience is awareness of it all, but words can never describe it. (more…)

Filed under: Beginners, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Trevor Leggett | Tagged: , , , | 7 Comments »

How to Meditate on the Breath, by Ajahn Gavesako

Posted on 18 February 2011 by Buddhism Now

How to Meditate on the Breath, developing Mindfulness. By Ajahn Mitsuo Gavesako (Japan) of Wat Sunandavanaram, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

… watch video

Filed under: Buddhist meditation, Theravada, Video | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Teachings of a Buddhist Monk

Posted on 20 January 2011 by Buddhism Now

Teachings of a Buddhist Monk by Ajahn SumedhoTeachings of a Buddhist Monk

by Ajahn Sumedho

ISBN 13: 978-0946672233
ISBN 10: 0946672237

Buddhist Publishing Group
Published: 1990/2001
Paperback, 148 pages.

£8.95 / $13.95

Modern practical teachings from an American monk living within one of the oldest Buddhist traditions.

Spiritual life is not about becoming someone special but discovering a greatness of heart within us and every being. It is an invitation to inwardly drop our opinions, our views, our ideas, our thoughts, our whole sense of time and ourselves, and come to rest in no fixed position. Ajahn Sumedho invites us all, ordained and lay people alike, to enjoy the freedom beyond all conditions, a freedom from fears, from gain and loss, from pleasure and pain. This is the joy and happiness of the Buddha.

You can buy Teachings of a Buddhist Monk from the Book Depository for around £7.20 with free worldwide delivery. See below for other online sites (more…)

Filed under: Ajahn Sumedho, Biography, Books, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Buddhist Publishing, Theravada | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Experience Beyond Thinking

Posted on 19 January 2011 by Buddhism Now

Experience Beyond Thinking, by Diana St RuthExperience Beyond Thinking

Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation.

by Diana St Ruth

ISBN 13: 978-0946672264
ISBN 10: 0946672261

Buddhist Publishing Group
Published: 2008
Paperback, 172 pages

£9.95 / $14.95

An easy to follow guide to Buddhist meditation and the reflections of an ordinary practitioner.

If you want to learn how to meditate, this is the book for you.

You can buy Experience Beyond Thinking from the Book Depository for around £7.50 with free worldwide delivery. See below for other online sites.

Extract:

Have the courage to let a thought slip by and not chase after it. Not clinging to thought, not rejecting it, the mind will open to a natural awareness. And awareness moves where life moves, not where hopes, fears, and wishes move. Come away from the wandering dreamy mind into the reality of the moment and cling to nothing. Be totally free. This is a distinct possibility for you, for me, and for anyone who has the courage to trust life, fore go the past, and allow the moment to be itself.

(more…)

Filed under: Books, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Buddhist Publishing, Diana St Ruth | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

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