Buddhism Archive

Applying Eckhart Tolle’s Teachings

September 19, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, Mindfulness

Reader William Vietinghoff asked me if he could pose some questions here for other students of Eckhart Tolle's work. I told him I'm happy to oblige. He writes: I am aware of Eckhart Tolle's work in audiobook form. I have heard The Power of Now, Practicing the Now, Gateways to the Now, and Stillness Speaks. Let me preface my questions by saying that as a result of his approach / suggestions I use the opportunities when I am driving or walking (and not distracted by people) to draw my attention to my inner self, to my surroundings, to awareness of my body, as ...

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Buddhist Psychology vs Buddhist Philosophy

August 26, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation

Amod left the following comment in defense of viewing Buddhism as a philosophy, and not just "a set of practices": Indeed, even for the Buddha himself, what meditation did above all was bring him a philosophical understanding of the way that the world works. And I wouldn’t actually say I’m advocating a “traditional” perspective myself. As I said, I don’t have objections to mixing traditions - I do it myself. But I will say that the most important thing I’ve learned from Buddhism is an ethical or psychological claim - that suffering comes in large part from craving - and I didn’t get ...

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Interview with Weezer’s River Cuomo about Vipassana Meditation

August 19, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation, Music

Robert Cuomo -- lead singer for the rock band Weezer, whom I've never heard -- has taken up Vipassana meditation in a serious way. This probably makes him the most high-profile proponent of Vipassana meditation in America. BeliefNet.com interviewed him recently, and the interview contains some interesting bits. For example, I thought he handled this question well: Is Vipassana in some way a turning away from experience? That's a common misconception about meditation. That it's turning away from experience or turning away from really feeling what's going on. And it's really like the opposite of what you're doing. With Vipassana you're taking the time to ...

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Life Is Zen

August 3, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Personal

I just received a very (very) kind letter from Bill Murphy, the gentleman behind the Life Is Zen web site. (He is also the owner of PurpleCrayon Direct and Notes from the Other Side. The latter site contains interviews with some ProgPower USA musicians I've never heard of.) His sites are well-designed. They show creativity, elegance, and discipline. Their motto at Life is Zen is "Mindful Marketing for Your Right Livelihood." Now how can you not like a slogan like that? It's the sort that makes you hope, inside, that they deserve the slogan. He came across Mudita Journal after doing a search ...

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Capitalism = Happiness?

July 30, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Current Events, Individualism, Integral, Politics

The situation may not be as simple as "Living Under Capitalism = Being Happier" but a new article in New Scientist called "Wealthy Nations Hold the Key to Happiness" suggests that such a conclusion is not far from the truth. The "Map of World Happiness" below sums it up pretty well. Red indicates happiness. Yellow indicates unhappiness. From the article: According to the analysis, a country’s happiness is closely related to its wealth, along with the health and education levels of its people. It is no surprise that people spending heavily on healthcare, such as US citizens, rank highly, says White, as ...

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What is Mind Identification?

July 15, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, Meditation, Mindfulness, Objectivism

I just posted the following on the Rebirth of Reason web site, in response to Luke Setzer's negative review of Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now. Luke writes: "[Eckhart Tolle's] thesis that 'mind identification' serves as the source for all strife in the world stands squarely at odds with reason as man's only means of knowing and his method of survival." Actually, this is not true. To explain why, we have to look at what mind identification consists of, and what the alternatives would be in everyday life. First, here's a working definition: 'Mind identification' is an unconscious process by ...

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Check Out Jay Allen’s Blog

June 28, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Integral, Intellectual, Meditation, Mindfulness, Objectivism

I recently discovered the bloggings of another Rand-influenced meditator, Jay Andrew Allen. Yes -- for those of you who remember -- this is the same Jay Allen that was a spirited defender of Leonard Peikoff from back in the day on alt.philosophy.objectivism. Jay tells me that he doesn't consider himself an Objectivist anymore, and I'm hoping to hear more of his thoughts on that subject at some point soon. In the interim, I've been greatly enjoying the diversity and incisiveness of his writings. You can find his old blog at jayandrewallen.com, but today he's blogging much more actively on his Zaadz blog, the ...

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Meditation and Chronic Pain

June 2, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, Health, Meditation, Mindfulness

A new friend has pointed me to a conversation on his blog about meditation and chronic pain. He invited me to comment since he knows I've got some experience with the topic. The original questioner asks: How do you deal with Chronic Severe Pain? It takes energy to have patience, and long term agonizing pain disrupts the spirit, makes meditation impossible, sends shock waves through the whole body constantly, relaxation cannot happen. Enlighten me. For help in this area, I highly recommend the book Break Through Pain by Shinzen Young. It is the best book I've read on the subject. I can relate ...

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Phuntsog Nyidron: Once Silenced in Tibet

April 19, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Politics

This article originally appeared in the Washington Times. The author writes with a powerfully quiet dignity. A voice once silenced in Tibet By Phuntsog Nyidron April 19, 2006 I was 19 years old when I made the protest that resulted in my imprisonment for 15 years. It happened in 1989, when my country, Tibet, was under martial law. Together with a group of fellow Tibetan nuns, I went to the Barkhor area of central Lhasa, and we shouted, 'Long live the Dalai Lama!' and 'Free Tibet.' We had been inspired by the news that His Holiness the Dalai Lama had just won the Nobel ...

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The Dalai Lama Sizes Up President Bush

April 3, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Current Events, Politics

The Daily Telegraph had a conversation recently with the Dalai Lama, which yielded some interesting gems about his perspective on President Bush. Of course, the press seized on the one (potentially) anti-war remark, "killing bin Laden will inspire ten more" and made that the headline. So let's skip the media spin and look at some of the Dalai Lama's actual comments: The Dalai Lama said modern terrorism was born out of jealousy of Western lifestyles. "Fundamentalism is terrifying because it is based purely on emotion, rather than intelligence," the ...

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