Latest posts
-
The Unshakeable Ground: Cultivating Truthfulness (Sacca) on the Buddhist Path
Key Takeaways Introduction In a world saturated with spin, curated online personas, and the subtle art of the “white lie,” the concept of truth can feel increasingly malleable. We navigate a complex web of social niceties, strategic omissions, and half-truths, often losing sight of the simple, profound power of honesty. Yet within the Buddhist tradition,…
-
Emptiness (Śūnyatā) in Buddhism: 108 Contemplations
Introduction Emptiness, known as Suññatā in Pāli (Śūnyatā in Sanskrit), stands as one of the most profound and frequently misunderstood teachings in the entire Buddhist path. Far from denoting a bleak nothingness, Suññatā points to the absence of a fixed, independent, permanent essence in any person or phenomenon. The Buddha treated this teaching with such…
-
Abhidhamma Explained Simply: A Guide to the Buddhist Psychology of Experience
Key Takeaways 1. Introduction to the Higher Teaching The word Abhidhamma translates as “Higher Teaching” or “Higher Doctrine” [Abhidhamma]. While the Buddha’s general discourses, collected in the Sutta Piṭaka, often used stories, parables, and everyday examples to point toward inner peace, this third collection of texts takes a markedly more analytical and systematic approach. If…
-
How to Start a Buddhist Practice: A Simple 30‑Minute Routine
Key Takeaways Introduction You started with a ten‑minute daily meditation. It was manageable, a tiny oasis in a busy schedule. The mind settled a little, the timer rang, and you stepped back into the day. But now, a quiet voice asks: “What would happen if I gave this more time?” Perhaps you feel the practice…
-
The Five Remembrances (Upajjhatthana Sutta) – A Guide to Contemplating Life’s Unavoidable Truths
Key Points at a Glance Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and the Upajjhatthana Sutta Buddhist psychology is not an abstract academic discipline. It is a practical, lived framework for understanding how the mind creates suffering through its habitual resistance to the natural flow of reality. While many Western psychologies emphasize biography, personality formation, and developmental conditioning,…
-
112 Contemplations for Buddhist Psychology
A modern synthesis drawn from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Theravāda Abhidhamma, and Mahayana mind‑training texts. These contemplations aim to be faithful in spirit to their source traditions while offering a practical, psychologically accessible curriculum for contemporary readers. They are offered as humble tools for direct investigation, not as absolute dogma. 1–12: Establishing Mindfulness 1. Mindfulness of…
-
The Buddhist Concept of Good and Bad Conduct: Body, Speech, and Mind
1. Key Takeaways 2. Introduction In the rush of modern life, we often make quick decisions about what to do, say, or think without stopping to consider their impact. Buddhism offers a practical, time-tested framework for understanding the quality of our actions. This framework is not based on blind faith or obedience to an external…
-
Generosity (Dāna) in Buddhism: 108 Contemplations
Introduction Generosity, known as Dāna in Pāli, stands as the foundational virtue that opens the entire Buddhist path to liberation. Far more than mere charity or occasional giving, Dāna represents a profound spiritual practice of letting go—of possessions, of self-interest, of the very illusion of a separate self. The Buddha placed generosity at the very…
-
How to Be Compassionate Toward Yourself
Key Takeaways Introduction What does it mean to see yourself with compassion? For many people, this question feels unfamiliar, even uncomfortable. We are often taught to be hard on ourselves, to push through pain without acknowledgment, or to believe that self‑criticism is the only path to improvement. Yet there is another way – a way…