Selflessness and Selfishness

November 29th, 2009  ·  1 Comment

Buddhism is; in respect to selflessness one of the most unique religions in history. Buddhism characteristically describes ‘existence’ in terms of process and relation rather than an entity or substance or creation, and therefore does not believe in the existence of a self or soul (considered the same) the idea of a separate soul is an invention of early church philosophers found in the west and is a philosophical notion of an immortal and immaterial essence left over at death.

It is important to understand the etymology of the modern idea for soul for the western mindset. Early Greek philosopher …

Hindrances in Meditation

January 12th, 2008  ·  6 Comments

Meditation is the cornerstone of Buddhist practice. It can not be overstated. The pure act of meditation is the vehicle by which self knowledge is achieved. We as practitioners of meditation, if we are to be successful, need to be aware of the factors that impede our personal achievements in meditation. Theravada Buddhism stresses the need for meditation using the technique known as Vipassana or Insight Meditation.

There are found in Buddhism chiefly two types of meditation techniques. The Buddha developed two interrelated systems of meditation which enabled him to achieve enlightenment. The first meditational system is called the …

Understanding Our Transient Nature

September 9th, 2007  ·  No Comments

Charles Dickens wrote “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

He was speaking on the duality of things happening around us. All that we have, we measure against that which we do not possess.

It is our nature to look at a glass half empty or half full. What would happen if we just looked at the glass regardless of its contents? We look at nature around us and see in front of us the tree so barren in winter. We wish it were filled with flowers or flush with green leaves, in the hopes …