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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Tag Archives: Meditation
Spring 2016 Bhavana Society Newsletter
If you have never checked out the newsletter of the Bhavana Society Therevadan Buddhist Forest Monastery in High View, W.Va., the Spring 2016 quarterly newsletter of “The Forest Path” would be a good place to start. It has a long … Continue reading
Gradual training
“The gradual training essentially involves learning how to quiet down and observe your thoughts and behavior and then to change them into something more conductive to meditation and awareness. It is a slow process, not to be hurried.” p16-17 … Continue reading
Taking it breath by breath in 2016
In 2016, the Meditation Circle will be focusing on anapanasati, a core meditation practice in the Buddha’s teaching, focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of the breath and the 16 steps or instructions involved with deeply investigating the breath. This … Continue reading
Establishing a meditation practice
The following encouragement and advice about establishing a regular meditation practice comes from Samanera Jayantha, a recently ordained novice monk at the Bhavana Society Theravada Buddhist forest monastery near High View, W.Va. Are you having a hard time building a … Continue reading
Just stay
Image courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_meditation “In meditation we discover our inherent restlessness. The pith instruction is to stay….stay….just stay. So whenever we wander off we gently encourage ourselves to stay and settle down. Are we experiencing restlessness? Stay. Discursive mind? Stay. … Continue reading
Sitting through fear
“States of fear sometimes arise during meditation for no discernible reason. It is a common phenomenon, and there can be a number of causes. You may be experiencing the effect of something repressed long ago. Remember, thoughts arise first in … Continue reading
What we do when we meditate
“… That’s what we do when we meditate: We step back from all the influences inside our mind — ideas that this is good, that’s bad, you should do this, you shouldn’t do that. You have to stop and really … 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
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
Introduction to Meditation Retreat at Bhavana Society
Wanted to pass along this post below from the Bhavana Society Facebook page. Registration for the first retreat of 2015 at the Therevadan Forest Monastery in the woods of eastern West Virginia is now open. It’s a good one if … Continue reading
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Aspiring to make Dhamma central to one’s life
I recently attended a retreat on Metta or loving-friendliness meditation at the Bhavana Society, led by the Buddhist monastery’s abbot, Bhante Gunaratana. You can experience that retreat for yourself, including all the great Dhamma talks and the very rich and … Continue reading
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Tagged Dhamma Talk, Meditation, Video
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A Guided Primer on Breath-centered Meditation
If you are just starting up a meditation practice or looking for a refresher course on breath-centered Buddhist meditation, here is a very good 15-minute, audio guided meditation by Bhante Gunaratana, abbot of the Bhavana Society Therevadan Buddhist Forest Monastery … Continue reading
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New Bhavana Society Social Media Resources
Those of you who have visited the Bhavana Society Therevadan Forest Monastery in High View, W.Va., the first Therevadan forest monastery in North America, know what a special place it is. Led by internationally known abbot and Buddhist scholar Bhante … Continue reading
A Meditation on Forgiveness
A Meditation on Forgiveness, A Guided Meditation by Ven. Ayya Khema “Please put the attention on the breath. “Have forgiveness in your heart for anything you think you’ve done wrong . Forgive yourself for all the past omissions and commissions. … Continue reading
