GREETINGS
Welcome to the Meditation Circle site. This longtime Buddhist-oriented meditation group based at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 520 Kanawha Boulevard W., in Charleston, West Virginia, will be closing down its meetings for good effective with the end of June 2022, after a good run. See the ‘RESOURCES’ page for tips on setting up or deepening meditation practice. Be well!
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Author Archives: admin
Five Minutes of Dhamma: Are You Enlightened?
In the first of a series of short videos on a single Dhamma question, Bhante Seelanada answers a retreatant’s query: “Bhante, are you enlightened?” The question was posed during a March 2015 retreat at the Bhavana Society Therevadan Forest Monastery … 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
Loving-friendliness Meditation
There are many metta or loving-friendliness meditations to be found on the web. Here is one from the Meditation Circle’s Resources page, adapted from a metta meditation taught by Bhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society Therevadan Forest Monastery near Wardensville, … Continue reading
To those of you who are suffering
“To those of you who are suffering immediate and omnipresent hardships, my heart goes out to you. At my age, I’m well acquainted with pain. But the monk wants you to know that pain is a gateway to understanding. When … Continue reading
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Defining ‘dukkha’
Image from globalcool.org/lifestyle/top-cycling-apps Here is an excerpt from a wonderful essay, “A Holistic Mindfulness,” by Ajahn Amaro on the Buddhist context of the word “mindfulness,” which is so much the rage these days. The whole essay is worth a read, … Continue reading
The quality of quiet minds
“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
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Samatha and Vipassana Meditation
Bhante Seelanda gives a Dhamma talk on Day 1 of a retreat on Samatha and Vipassana meditation at the Bhavana Society Therevadan Buddhist Forest Monastery in West Virginia, from April 6-13, 2015. This is an illuminating talk on the relationship … Continue reading
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The purpose of meditation
“The purpose of meditation is not to concentrate on the breath, without interruption, forever. That by itself would be a useless goal. The purpose of meditation is not to achieve a perfectly still and serene mind. Although a lovely state, … Continue reading
New Bhavana Society Friends page on Facebook
Click on this link to get to the new Bhavana Society Supporters and Friends Facebook page. The page was created to provide an environment where supporters of the Bhavana Society Therevadan Buddhist Monastery and retreat center near High View, W.Va., … Continue reading
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Abiding in loving-kindness
Image from pixshark.com “One abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so above, below, around, and everywhere, and extending to all, one abides pervading the all-encompassing world with … Continue reading
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Awareness is your refuge
“Awareness is your refuge: awareness of the changingness of feelings, of attitudes, of moods, of material change and emotional change. Stay with that. because it’s a refuge that is indestructible. It’s not something that changes. It’s a refuge you can … Continue reading
Allow your thoughts to come and go
“Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don’t serve them tea.” ~ Shunryu Suzuki
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
Turning on the light
“It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn’t depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn’t depend on how … Continue reading
Awareness is aware
“Awareness is aware of doubts about our ability to meditate, about being aware. Awareness is aware of wondering what stage we are at or… what we have attained, or whether we are just hopeless cases. It’s simply that thoughts are … Continue reading
