Category Archives: Readings

Summer 2016 “Forest Path” Newsletter Online

The Summer 2016 edition of “The Forest Path,” the online newsletter of the Bhavana Society Therevadan Buddhist Monastery and retreat center in High View, W.Va., in Hampshire County, is now online at this link. From the introduction to this newsletter: … Continue reading

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mindfulness just accepts it

“It is psychologically impossible for us to objectively observe what is going on within us if we do not at the same time accept the occurrence of our various states of mind. This is especially true with unpleasant states of … Continue reading

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The heart of our true nature

“…To forgive does not necessarily mean to forget. Sometimes to forget is not wise, but to forgive is wise. And it is at times not easy. It can, in fact, be quite challenging. It will come as no surprise that … Continue reading

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Walking to Lhasa

“… The mind is very powerful. There’s a tremendous strength there, and it makes such a big difference how this mind, this will, this intention is being steered. And everything depends on whether it allows itself to relax and be … Continue reading

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Hold to your precepts

Here’s a wonderful interview from Mask Magazine with the Buddhist scholar monk, Thanissaro Bhikku. The whole thing is worth a read, but these paragraphs really stuck out: “Try to have a part of your mind that doesn’t buy into everything … Continue reading

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Acknowledging the problem

“We carry addictions. The first step is acknowledging that. The acknowledgment itself is the purpose of the First Noble Truth. If you really look at the Buddhist tradition, the First Noble Truth is to understand the truth of suffering, which … Continue reading

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Understanding Cause & Effect

  Bhante Gunaratana “Once we understand that everything we think, say or do is a cause that leads inevitably to some effect, now or in the future, we will naturally want to think, say, and do things that lead to … Continue reading

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When Fear Arises WITHIN OUR MEDITATION

Image from WikiMedia When fear arises within our meditation, we apply an antidote. Recognizing what is happening at each instant as mind, we remain in the present. It is important to remember that patterns don’t have to repeat themselves. Through … Continue reading

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Purifying the Mind

pixshark.com “Nibbana is not a location or condition somewhere outside of us. Rather, it is within. Nibbana is the total destruction of all defilements. The very moment our greed, hatred and ignorance are destroyed, nibbana arises. The key to overcoming … Continue reading

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The Five Wonderful Precepts

Here is Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh‘s take on the Five Precepts in Buddhism, which expands their definition to include some wonderful nuances. (Thanks to Robin Wilson for passing these on). The Five Wonderful Precepts FIRST PRECEPT Aware of the … Continue reading

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A primer on karma

Check out this Tricycle article on the much misunderstood Buddhist concept of karma. It’s an interview with Matthieu Ricard, born in France in 1946, and who trained as a molecular biologist at the  Institute Pasteur before taking up robes as … Continue reading

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Excerpt: Breathing Life into the Suttas

Except from the article “From Thought to Stillness: Breathing Life Into the Suttas,” by Rodney Smith | TRICYCLE, Winter 2012 | Read the whole article by becoming a Tricycle online member By Rodney Smith | Tricycle Winter 2012 |The constant … Continue reading

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Links to the Buddha’s teachings on breath-centered meditation

“Getting to Know the Breath” is the ongoing theme for 2012 we’ll be considering in the weekly 6 p.m. Tuesday gatherings of the Meditation Circle of Charleston at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation building in Charleston, W.Va. In past weeks. Thad … Continue reading

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An inescapable fact and challenge

In this uncertain political season, full of angst, anger and fear, I have wondered what to remark about the current agitated national scene in America. I will not use a Buddhist blog to share my own particular points of view … Continue reading

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“A Pilgrimage in Autumn”

NOTE: An earlier posting of this excerpt contained several misspellings. This one fixes them! Regular readers of this occasional blog will know of my current infatuation with the book “Longing For Certainty: Reflections on the Buddhist Life,” (Wisdom Publications) by … Continue reading

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