Tag: Buddhism

The teachings of the historical Buddha and his followers.

Emptiness Part II – Mountains, Rivers, and Wheat

The classic metaphor to describe emptiness is two sheaves of wheat leaning against each other. This structure – their “stand-uprightness” is not an effect of either one or the other sheaf of wheat, but arises from their interaction.

In my last blog I wrote about what emptiness means in a Buddhisty context, and some ways to understand emptiness on an intellectual level.… Read the rest “Emptiness Part II – Mountains, Rivers, and Wheat”

A Whole Bunch of Ways to Think About Emptiness

Here are some ways to get a good intuition for the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness.

Introduction

Emptiness – it’s a word that comes up a lot in Buddhist thought, and often in a way that makes it sound very important. This was quite frustrating to me for some time because I didn’t get what people were actually talking about or why it was relevant to contemplative practice.… Read the rest “A Whole Bunch of Ways to Think About Emptiness”

I Wasted 8 Years of Meditation Because I Didn’t Understand These 4 Things

Most people meditate for a long time with little improvement because of these four myths.

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Striving for unusual or one-off experiences
  • Misunderstanding non-judgemental awareness
  • Thinking that trying to exert any kind of effort in meditation is a mistake
  • Extremely vague or unstructured meditation instructions
  • Conclusion

Introduction

“I’ve been practicing meditation for a few years, but I still can’t keep my attention on my breath for more than a few seconds at a time.… Read the rest “I Wasted 8 Years of Meditation Because I Didn’t Understand These 4 Things”