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Theravada
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    If you can breathe, you can meditate... Paid Member

    Posted by James Shaheen on 27 Jan 2011
    That's the subtitle of the first chapter of Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation. Here at Tricycle we've begun the countdown: 5 days until we begin the four-week Meditation Challenge. For details, see yesterday's post. And by way of introduction to Real Happiness, the consummate meditation guide that will serve as our North Star throughout the 28-day meditation period, here's a taste: What is Meditation? Straightforward and simple (but not easy), meditatoin is essentially training our attention so that we can be more aware—not only of our own inner workings but also of what's happening around us in the here and now. Once we see clearly what's going on in the moment, we can then choose whether and how to act on what we're seeing. More »
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    It's Back: The 28 Day Meditation Challenge! Paid Member

    Posted by James Shaheen on 26 Jan 2011
    Last week I joined Sharon Salzberg and 30 or so others at Tibet House in New York City to prepare for a 28-day meditation challenge that begins on February 1. Participants will run the gamut, from a fireman to an investment banker to a TV producer, from beginners to old pros. Sharon gave initial instruction and plenty of encouragement, especially to those who are new to meditation practice. More »
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    Before he was the Buddha Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 25 Jan 2011
    Thanissaro Bhikkhu's book Skill in Questions alternates between Readings—texts from the Pali canon—and Discussion sections—in which the author, a monk in the Thai forest tradition, gives background material and analysis. Chapter 2 of Skill in Questions looks at the Buddha when he was a bodhisattva, or bodhisatta in Pali. (Though the Mahayana is sometimes referred to as the Bodhisattva Vehicle, Thanissaro Bhikkhu takes issue with this, arguing that the desire for enlightenemnt is in the Theravada as well. I'll have to find the reference.) Chapter 2 of Skill in Questions is called The Bodhisatta's Quest and follows the historical Buddha, or bodhisattva, as he is called before his enlightenment, on his journey toward Buddhahood: More »
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    The Rhetoric of Compassion Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 21 Jan 2011
    Most contemporary connotations of the word rhetoric are negative today, but Thanissaro Bhikkhu writes in Skill in Questions that the Buddha's enterprise was essentially a rhetorical one: More »
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    Generosity Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 20 Jan 2011
    Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Tricycle Retreat, "The Ten Perfections," is now in its third week. The topic is generosity and letting go. Visit the retreat here. (There's a free 2-minute preview of the teaching if you're not a Supporting or Sustaining Member of the Tricycle Community.) One of the best things about Tricycle Retreats is that you get to discuss your retreat experience directly with the teacher. Here's a great comment from this week at the retreat: More »
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    The 5 Rewards of Listening to the Dhamma Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 19 Jan 2011
    “There are these five rewards in listening to the Dhamma. Which five? “[1] One hears what one has not heard before.[2] One clarifies what one has heard before. [3] One gets rid of doubt. [4] One’s views are made straight. [5] One’s mind grows serene. “These are the five rewards in listening to the Dhamma.” — Anguttara Nikaya 5:202 - quoted in Skill in Questions by Thanissaro Bhikkhu In January, to accompany Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Tricycle Retreat The Ten Perfections, now in its third week, we'll be offering Skill in Questions for download. We are offering this special e-book edition for free. More »