New Meditation Section

I have added a new tab to the web site called Meditation. It currently has two entries, an “Introduction” and a description on “Establishing a Sitting Posture.” The goal is over time to develop a comprehensive guide to meditation and indeed the whole of the Buddhist path.

I know that there are – certainly – many meditation guides out there. However, I have never seen one that I find completely satisfying. The closest two are “Breath by Breath” by Larry Rosenberg and “With Each and Every Breath” by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. “Breath by Breath” limits its scope to Anapanasati (literally “Mindfulness of Breathing“), but is an excellent source. I also really like “Breath by Breath“, but I find the format a little confusing, especially for newcomers to meditation.

The goal here is to provide a guide that is a) consistent with what the Buddha taught (i.e., it is canonical), and b) to provide a complete guide to the Buddhist path, at least up to and including jhāna. This includes the cultivation of sīla (virtue), samatha (tranquility), and vipassana (clear seeing), all grounded in right view.

I am going to take advantage of the flexibility of the Internet in order to be able to write this step by step. If I waited to finish the entire thing it might never see the light of day. But because I can post articles on an incremental basis, I can at least get people started, and add to it topic by topic. I can also update and edit easily, which is hard to do with paper.

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