Buddhism Archive

Mudita Forum is now at Google Groups

March 18, 2009 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, FLOW, Individualism, Integral, Intellectual, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mudita Forum, Objectivism, Witness Consciousness

Check out the new Mudita Forum, if you think you might be interested. The purpose of Mudita Forum is to provide a stimulating, thoughtful environment for discussing Eastern consciousness-raising practices — such as meditation, mindfulness, and the cultivation of presence — while using Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism as a basic philosophical frame-of-reference. The old group got lost when I was changing servers a couple years ago, but recently I've been contacted by new people wishing to join. My hope for the new group is that it will be much like the old one: low-volume, high-quality, and stimulating on many levels. I sent invites ...

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On keeping our heads, and hearts, this election season

September 6, 2008 · Category: Buddhism, Current Events, Integral, Intellectual, Politics

I received the following from a new reader, Andrea Pflaumer. She offered that I could publish it here for Mudita Journal readers, and I'm delighted to take her up on the offer. For the next two months we can expect the airwaves and blogosphere to heat up with negative rhetoric on both sides about the candidates. That is, unfortunately, the way things are in the world of politics today. But I want to focus on something much bigger. If we all just step away from the drama for a minute I think there's an awful lot that we can ...

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Eastern traditions and the moral-practical unity

August 22, 2008 · Category: Buddhism, Intellectual

In a friends-only post (which he's given me permission to quote here), Joe Duarte wrote: ...I've always been struck by similarities between the Objectivist approach to ethics and politics, and the sage wisdom of Eastern traditions like Buddhism and possibly Confucianism. Particularly when I think about the issue of moral-practical unity -- it seems to get at some underlying feature of reality, a unity or synchrony in how to think about issues. This principle biases us against any claim that some coercive policy is necessary or useful, because we understand that reality will not accommodate it -- in the end, there ...

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When mindfulness hurts

May 27, 2008 · Category: Buddhism, Health, Meditation, Mindfulness

A friend pointed me to the very interesting article "Lotus Therapy" in today's NY Times, which discusses the current state of the research, pro and con, on mindfulness as a clinical intervention. Criticisms of mindfulness are particularly interesting to me, partly because I experience mindfulness, at root, to be a simple increase in awareness -- and not even at the "synthetic" level of thought, but rather at the even more basic level of perception. Since the practice of mindfulness is virtually synonymous with an increase in perception, or elementary awareness, I often find myself wondering, "How on earth can raising awareness be ...

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Jon Bernie: To awaken is to dissolve

May 24, 2008 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness, Witness Consciousness

As many of you know, over the past couple years I've become increasingly interested in the teachings of Adyashanti, Jed McKenna, and the like. Jon Bernie is one of Adya's friends and colleagues. I met him briefly and attended one of his satsangs (sitting & teaching events) last time I was in San Francisco. Below is a brief teaching he sent out to his an announcement list. (Thanks to Marsh for the forward.) I think it's a well-expressed encapsulation of this perspective. You might find it worth contemplating if you're open to this sort of thing. For ...

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In the Mail: Stephan Bodian’s “Wake Up Now”

March 21, 2008 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Intellectual, Mindfulness

I just received a review copy of Stephan Bodian's new book Wake Up Now: A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening. Bodian is a long-time student of Adyashanti's, but -- according to a friend of mine who spoke with him -- does not claim to be fully enlightened himself. However, the book is very well blurbed by Adyashanti... Both profound and practical, Wake Up Now guides the reader through the intricacies of awakening as only someone who has walked the walk themselves can do. The clarity and compassion it offers are both rare and welcome. ...and Adya is someone I've come to ...

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Does Suffering Build Character?

July 30, 2007 · Category: Buddhism, Health, Individualism, Intellectual, Mindfulness

This somewhat-throwaway comment, from a post by Virginia Postrel, caught my eye: Contrary to what you may have heard, the only sort of character suffering builds is the ability to suffer -- a useful ability in a world where suffering is the routine nature of life but not a virtue that makes the world a better place. I say "somewhat-throwaway" because I don't think her overall argument stands or falls on this point. But on this point itself... Do you agree with her? Or do you see ways in which suffering builds character? Do you feel that suffering has built your own character? ...

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Jed McKenna, the Howard Roark of Spiritual Enlightenment

April 30, 2007 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness

At Damian's suggestion, I recently listened to the full audiobook for Jed McKenna's Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing. I enjoyed it tremendously. McKenna is a exceptionally good storyteller. Even better, he is without a doubt the Howard Roark of spiritual enlightenment -- beginning with his persistent (relentless, really) emphasis on honing your own vision and first-hand judgment, rather than relying on others' judgment, about what is true at the deepest level. After many years of shying away from truth-oriented teachings -- because of my acute awareness that identifying with abstractions can get in the way of real growth -- I find McKenna ...

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Enjoying Adyashanti’s “Spontaneous Awakening” Lectures

January 9, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews, Witness Consciousness

I just received my CD of Adyashanti's "True Meditation" by UPS this morning. I'm ripping it to my hard drive to put on my mp3 player. Should be able to post what I think after I return from retreat next week. In the interim, I've been listening to his "Spontaneous Awakening" lectures, which a friend gave me, and I have to say I have enjoyed them very much. Adyashanti is very easy to relate to. I get a sense of genuineness about both his person and his teachings. He speaks the truth, it feels to me. And I like ...

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“True Meditation” by Adyashanti

January 6, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews, Witness Consciousness

Just received this recommendation from a close friend who shares my interest in Buddhist meditation: Last night, I bought and listened to the first hour of this 3.5 hour program. Then I meditated for 20 minutes according to the instructions therein. Then I went to bed. I ended up spending the entire night lying in bed in a very deep state of witness consciousness, feeling the pulsations of the ego all night long, with the exception of a couple hours of sleep interspersed. And there was at least one moment of disidentification ...

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