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”

The Science of The Dharma

A rational explanation of the project of Buddhism, and why the newly emerging science of the mind is essential to that project.

The Problem of Dukkha

This blog will be about dukkha, and the end of dukkha. Dukkha is a pali word which has been translated as ‘suffering’, ‘insufficiency’, ‘pain’, ‘unsatisfactoriness’, and ‘dissatisfaction’. It includes all those things and more.

Dukkha is that to which all problems can be simplified, and our attempts to solve it are written in the stories of our lives.… Read the rest “The Science of The Dharma”