-
The Practice of Giving: Understanding Generosity as a Core Buddhist Virtue
Generosity is a key practice on the path to spiritual enlightenment in Buddhism. Giving and Wisdom Before I began engaging in a regular spiritual practice, I was not particularly generous. I nearly always placed my own selfish desires above any other concerns. I’m not unique in that particular spiritual failing. As I became more focused…
-
Floating Through the Mind: My Journey of Self-Discovery in a Float Tank
How I came to spend several hundred hours in a float tank practicing Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim. A personal journey From the time I was very young, I observed the activity of my mind. When I was three or four years old, I remember several occasions when I lay in bed and noticed this odd feeling…
-
Earning Heaven: Parallels Between Pure Land Buddhism and Evangelical Christianity
Salvation in the afterlife is the shared quest in Pure Land Buddhism and Evangelical Christianity. Salesmanship of Organized Religion Religions must compete in the marketplace of ideas. If the sales pitch isn’t compelling, people won’t follow it. Without adherents, the religion dies. Religions all use a carrot-and-stick approach. Some emphasize the carrot, like the Christian…
-
The Bodhisattva Vow: A Path to Compassion and Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhist views on the significance and practice of the Bodhisattva Vow. Embracing the Buddhist path requires letting go of this life’s attachments to focus on improving future lives. Interestingly, by doing so, one often finds that their current life is enhanced significantly, a fact that helps motivate continued practice. To attain tranquility in the…
-
Exploring the Six Perfections: Transforming Mind and Spirit by Embracing Buddhist Virtues
Daily life for a Buddhist practitioner is following the Six Perfections in pursuit of enlightenment. The Six Perfections include generosity, ethical conduct, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. They are called Perfections because these practices are all motivated by Bodhichitta, the desire to obtain enlightenment for the sake of others. Similar actions and behaviors that are…
-
How to Create a Dry Float Sensory Deprivation Enclosure at Home for Meditation
A dry float tent was far more practical than installing an at-home float tank, and it’s nearly as good for meditation. The call of the mystic When I was in my early teens, I watched the movie Altered States, a horror film based loosely on the life of John C. Lilly, who, among other accomplishments,…
-
Turning Anger into Peace: The Transformative Practice of Patient Acceptance
Identifying the causes of anger and mastering the art of patient acceptance to conquer anger. In the Buddha’s Third Noble Truth, he taught that true cessation of human suffering exists. The suffering of jealousy ceases with the practice of rejoicing. See: The Joyful Cure: How Rejoicing Leads to the Cessation of Jealousy The suffering of…
-
Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: The Intermediate Scope
A comprehensive overview of the practices associated with the intermediate scope in the Lamrim teachings. The Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim teachings on the intermediate scope focus on progressing beyond the initial stages of spiritual practice and aspiring for liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara). Lamrim teachings emphasize a deeper understanding of the suffering…
-
Suffering and Salvation: Understanding the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths were the key insights and first teachings of the Buddha. The Four Noble Truths are foundational teachings in Buddhism, expounded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. They form the core of Buddhist philosophy and provide a framework for understanding the nature of suffering and the path to liberation. Below are…