Telephone meditation is in the same spirit. Suddenly, you have a Bell Master from very far away. He or she invites the bell to ring for you. When you hear the telephone bell, just sit wherever you are and enjoy breathing in and out. The sound of the telephone is the bell of mindfulness. This is a very strong meditation.
Each of us has an Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva inside waiting to grow. So, this is not exactly a prayer, but more a kind of mindfulness practice. You evoke the name of the Buddha in order to bring about your capacity for listening, because listening is healing, relieving the suffering of the other person…
A Buddhist parable. The story of Kisagotami and the mustard-seed.
We all have to learn the comfort of being ourselves — and not someone else. It is much harder than it looks and the problem never really goes away.
Then, on the desire side we shall see, if we analyse it, that attachment develops owing to seeing something beautiful — beautiful colour, beautiful shape, beautiful hair, nose, eyes, mouth — it is like that, isn’t it? Now, there are two types of love and compassion and one type is conditioned — ‘beautiful face, beautiful body, beautiful sound,’ — that kind of love is greatly conditioned. As soon as these conditions disappear, then no more love!
Anybody who is able to comprehend the doctrine of dependent origination has the capability to engage in his own cultivation and end his suffering…
The crude, beginning level of the practice is a little hard to maintain, but the refined levels of virtue, concentration, and discernment all come out of this…
Download PDF copy of ‘It’s Like This’, by Ajahn Chah
The Buddha placed great emphasis on personal experience and understanding. But we’re inclined to forget this and try to obtain understanding second-hand…
Buddhism now 