Author Archives: EricKVanHorn

New Meditation Section

Posted on February 2, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

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 … Continue reading →

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New Jhāna Update

Posted on January 5, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

One of my shorter posts in this blog simply references a study that I did on jhāna (meditative absorption) in the Majhima Nikāya. (That post has since been deleted.) The reason that the post is so short is that the … Continue reading →

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The Cascading Four Noble Truths

Posted on January 2, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

Many teachers emphasize the non-linear nature of the eightfold Noble Path. Each step in the path helps to reinforce all of the others. And of course that it’s true. However, there is also a method behind the order in which … Continue reading →

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Being, Doing, And The Active Art of Meditating

Posted on November 2, 2014 by EricKVanHorn

Those of you who follow this blog know that I am at odds with many of the teachings of what is commonly called “Vipassana meditation.” I have been pleased in recent years to discover that I am not alone. Two … Continue reading →

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Making a Difference

Posted on October 19, 2014 by EricKVanHorn

I am sitting here at the Starbucks in Mt. Laurel, NJ. A very dear old friend of mine from Cherry Hill committed suicide on Monday and I am here for the funeral. I first met Bill the summer after my … Continue reading →

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Same old, same old

Posted on July 19, 2014 by EricKVanHorn

Life is mainly about what happens in your heart and mind. In Pāḷi there is a single word for “heart and mind”; that word is citta. When Henry David Thoreau was on his deathbed, his aunt – who today would … Continue reading →

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Keep Calm and Carry On

Posted on July 11, 2014 by EricKVanHorn

Since my last post I have moved to New Mexico and become a part of the Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha. What I see there is the same thing that I see in other local groups and at retreats and anywhere that … Continue reading →

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A Single Excellent Night

Posted on October 1, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

There is a lovely sutta (discourse) in the Majjhima Niaya called “A Single Excellent Night”. In it, the Buddha offers these verses: Let not a person revive the past Or on the future build his hopes; For the past has … Continue reading →

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The Diamonds Under the Coal

Posted on July 12, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

I often encourage serious students of the Dhamma to read the Buddha’s discourses. This can be something of a hard sell. The language is repetitive, the cultural references are – of course – 2400 years out of date, and the concepts … Continue reading →

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Oh, What A Tangled Web….

Posted on July 9, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

A dear Dhamma sister of mine just got back from a retreat at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. It was a retreat nominally devoted to learning how to do jhana (tranquility) practice, although it is not limited to jhana. … Continue reading →

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