I was sitting in meditation yesterday on my bench in the garden. A light wind stirred the tree above me, and cherry blossoms gently floated down all around me. I was reminded of the Buddha, on the night of his Enlightenment, turning the arrows and weapons of Mara into flower petals. How poignant ….. How […]
Blossoms on the Buddha Read Post »
In the ‘Jewel Ornament of Liberation’, Gampopa (as do other teachers of orthodox Dharma) asserts that there are three types of suffering, which are: 1 – the suffering of suffering2 – the suffering of change3 – all-pervasive suffering The suffering of suffering In brief, the suffering of suffering is simply the stuff that really hurts,
The Three Types of Suffering Read Post »
Appearance is mind and emptiness is mind. Realisation is mind and confusion is mind. Arising is mind and cessation is mind. May all doubts about mind be resolved. from The Aspiration Prayer of Mahamudra3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje How radically different this view is to how my mind often gravitates …. into seeing solid appearances ‘out
Reflections on All is Mind, from the Aspiration Prayer of Mahamudra Read Post »
I remember very clearly my new boss at a company telling me (upon my finding out that he was a Buddhist and asking him what practices he does), that he doesn’t practice, that he’s taking a ‘holiday’ in this life, and that he’ll practice in the next life. It struck me at the time that
The most amazing thing about my life …. is that after going to sleep at night …. each morning …. I wake up again! When I really think about this …. no …. really think about this …. how extraordinary that life continues throughout my dullness during sleep, during my unconsciousness …. and somehow I
I’d like to just name-check ‘Blogmandu’, who’ve kindly nominated Luminous Emptiness in the ‘Best Kind and Compassionate Blog’ category of their 2005 awards for Buddhist blogging. Blogisattva awards (no longer available) The list of nominees is a wonderful resource for Buddhist orientated blogs … and a great starting point for finding insightful and thoughtful posts
Blogisattva Award Nominations Read Post »
dharmaweb.org said… Your instruction is very nice (refers to previous post ) but since I am new to meditation I have to focus on something, such as my breath or my just below my bellybutton. Because if I don’t do that, my wandering thought is uncontrollable. Is this wrong? Hi there, my apologies for my
Shamatha With and Without Objects Read Post »
How hard it can be to leave things are they are! How hard it can be to not try to do something in meditation, and to not try to have an object. How hard to not contaminate your meditation by trying to find something, to correct something, or to judge it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Nothing to Meditate On Read Post »
In reply to a question from her son, Gangpa Muksang, as to what is the meaning of ‘devil’ Machig Labdron replied: That which is called devil is not some actual great big black thing that scares and petrifies whomever sees it. A devil is anything that obstructs the achievement of freedom. … Most of all,
Reflections on Machig Labdron – The Material Devil Read Post »
It’s interesting how the death of those close to us leads to something of a Bardo in consciousness – a space where so much which seems to flow on automatic stops – a place where we are afforded a vantage point from which to view what is, one that is so advantageous to us as
Impermanence and Death Read Post »
