I stepped away from Buddhism for about a year because I had felt really put off and a bit freaked out by the practice of mindfulness and the concept of not-self. What I found difficult was how much Buddhist teachers advised us to let go of the thinking process, iterated how many problems that thinking creates. My ego rebelled, and I ran. Continue reading “Making Way for My Muse” »

I just finished listening to a fabulous radio talk online called East Meets West: Dharma Days and Dharma Nights about America’s interest with Eastern spirituality: how dharma retreats and yoga vacations are becoming a part of the Western lifestyle, and Buddhist teachers explain what Buddhism has to offer a consumer culture. Continue reading “East Meets West Radio Talk” »

People come to Buddhism from many angles: wanting to learn meditation, mindfulness, or compassion. We’re drawn in through a need of self improvement. But unlike most self-help instruction, Buddhism does not cater to those who want to pamper themselves and coddle their fragile egos, their wants and desires. On the contrary, Buddhism chases those delusions right out of our heads. Continue reading “Buddhism Is Not for Wimps” »

I seem to be lucky or blessed to have a naturally happy disposition. It takes an unpleasant event or situation to send me into the land of grumpiness or pessimism. Even so, sadness and despair are no stranger to me, and during these times, I have reached outward, trying to grasp at something to bring that happiness back. Sometimes it’s a good book to help me forget, sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s new stuff, or new friends. It never works. Continue reading “Trying to Hop on the Horizon” »

The other morning I awoke earlier than usual. I rolled over with the intent of going back to sleep, but saw a spider crawling around a small area of my bedroom ceiling. Within a few minutes, it was drifting downwards, dangling by a web too thin to see. A bit later it crawled back up to the ceiling, and then back down. Up and down it went for about half an hour, until eventually it got its footing back on the ceiling and scurried away behind the window blinds somewhere. Spiders are fascinating creatures. Their webs are sheer feats of marvelous engineering. Continue reading “Relating without Reacting” »

The second of the Four Noble Truths says that craving and attachment are the causes of suffering. This is easy to see when we look at hardcore addictions like smoking, alcoholism, and other drug addictions, as those substances tend to have an ill affects on the mind and the health. But it’s harder to see how craving creates suffering in the things that bring us pleasure  and don’t interfere with walking a straight line. Continue reading “Curbing Cravings” »

I’ve read in many Buddhist books that we are not our thoughts. This was a difficult concept for me to grasp or accept. But the Buddha did not expect us to simply accept, but instead to see for ourselves, to investigate by watching our own minds. The tool to do this is through meditation. Continue reading “Thinking, Thinking, and Thinking” »