An American Zen Buddhist training center in the Mountains and Rivers Order, offering Sunday programs, weekend retreats and month-long residencies.
Buddhism |
-
0 comments
A happiness that can't be taken from you (and four reasons we fear death)
What was behind the Buddha's decision to go off into the forest? A desire to be happy, Thai forest monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu teaches in the talk below. In fact, he says, this desire underlay all of Buddha's efforts. More » -
0 comments
Martine Batchelor's Tricycle Retreat Begins Today: Breaking Bad Habits
Each of the Tricycle Retreats has its own flavor. Martine Batchelor's is probably the most personable—we even get to meet her cat and have a look at the view from here terrace at her home in South of France—red-tile roofs as far as the eye can see (Martine and husband, Stephen, live just outside Bordeaux). All this before we settle in to a clear and accessible teaching on the fundamentals of meditation. What I especially like is that Martine begins with the basics—always a great way to open a retreat. Later, she'll explain how the type of meditation she teaches can work to change our habits at a fundamental level. You can check out the first teaching for free here. More » -
Do Less & Accomplish More
I'm sure multitasking has made me dumber and the NYT's lead this morning just confirmed my suspicions. But if Anna's post below disheartens you, here's the antidote: Marc Lesser's "Do Less & Accomplish More." Lesser offers step-by-step practical advice for making the most of your time. My own tip: Consider turning off TweetDeck, and let me know if you do: I haven't managed to pull the plug on it yet. More » -
4 comments
5 Day Buddhist Monk Diet? It works.
Here's what we read at Environmental Health News: People who adopted a vegetarian diet for just five days show reduced levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies. In particular, levels of hormone disrupting chemicals and antibiotics used in livestock were lower after the five-day vegetarian program. More » -
A flying kick at enlightenment
Whenever we post about martial-arts movies (or when Phil posts about Kill Bill) we get a few kneejerk criticisms for being sympathetic to—or at least tolerant of—representations of violence on the screen. There's a pretty basic formula for these films—flying kicks and extraordinary violence cut with shots of meditative practice or scenic recapitulations of spiritual lessons from the protagonist's early years with the master (remember Kung Fu?). Video games, too: I posted about the Karmapa's use of violent video games as "emotional therapy" and plenty found that practice pretty distasteful. More » -
5 comments
Go, Lakers!
I'll be in Boston at the end of next week so I hesitate to make this public. But what the heck, the title has already given me away: I'm a Lakers fan, and I couldn't be happier with the matchup. Lakers/Celtics has almost become a tradition, kind of like the Dodgers and the Yankees. But I'd like to make this post somehow Buddhist. So, in preparation for the game tonight, I suggest you read our 1994 interview with Phil Jackson here (granted, he was a Bull back then). More »
