Seven Factors of Awakening

Many people who meditate have problems with monkey mind. Like a monkey swinging from branch to branch, their minds move from thought to thought. I’m no different, which is the motivation for this blog.
The three elements of the Noble Eightfold Path related to meditation are Right Effort, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness. It takes a [...]

Tips for getting a good night’s sleep

First of all, a little background on my sleep problems. I had bouts of insomnia through my teens and 20s, and it become a chronic problem in my 30s. I didn’t get any relief until three or four years ago. Regularly getting a good night’s sleep has improved my life immensely.
Here are some things that [...]

Film: Reservation Road

My wife and I watch a lot of videos and last night we watched Reservation Road featuring two of my favorite actors: Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo. I can’t say it was a great movie, but the performances by Phoenix and Ruffalo made it worth watching.
The theme of the movie was that just because [...]

Mindfulness — the latest fad therapy?

The practice of mindfulness was the topic in a N.Y. Times article about psychiatric therapy. It seems that using the Buddha’s teachings have become a kind of fad therapy. Many therapists are now instructing their patients to practice mindfulness during the sessions as a way for the patients to accept events that have caused their [...]

Living a mindful life

I got back on the path yesterday after having veered off course into a drainage ditch of mind-clutter. This morning, I started practicing mindfulness as soon as I woke up, which quelled the urge to just lie in bed daydreaming or ruminating.
To live mindfully requires Right Concentration, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness (from the Noble [...]

Fell off the path again

I tell you, practicing Buddhism is one of the toughest things I’ve ever tried to do. I try. I have a little bronze Buddha statue right next to my monitor to remind me but I still fall off the path, especially when it comes to living a mindful life.
One reoccurring problem I’ve been having is [...]

Scientist finds bliss through a stroke

This article was in the N.Y. Times today. A scientist suffered a stroke and with it, temporarily lost the functionality of the left side of her brain — the side responsible for logic. The result, she claims, was bliss.
Link
When we meditate, we do the same thing. We don’t use process any thoughts but merely observe [...]

Tranquility

I found myself in a deep funk the other day. I guess that what some people refer to as depression, but I like the word “funk” a lot better. It doesn’t have the stigma of a mental disorder.
Like most people, things get to me once in a while — especially things that feel like people [...]

Which candidates follow Right View, Intention, Action, and Speech?

The Buddha taught that the way to end suffering in our lives and others is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. We’ll look at the first four elements of the Eightfold Path as they apply to the presidential candidates (in alphabetical order) Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama. The elements we’ll be looking at [...]

Monday morning walking meditation

Mondays can be a shock to your system after a weekend of stress free activity. One way to ease into it is by engaging in a little walking meditation. Meditation helps clear the mind and relax the body. It puts our troubles and worries aside for a few minutes and can provide insight into how [...]