Author Archives: EricKVanHorn

A Good Man, and Oy! What a Memory!

Posted on June 13, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

The purpose of the Buddhist canonical literature is to preserve the teachings of the Buddha. To that end there is no intent to create a biography of the Buddha, or anyone else. Having said that, one of the things I … Continue reading →

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Honor… and Humility

Posted on May 25, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

Thich Nhat Hanh has this very beautiful teaching about our ancestors. He says that whenever we miss our parents or our grandparents or any of our ancestors, all we have to do is to look into our own hands. Of … Continue reading →

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Oh, Those Unruly Monks! (Finale)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

I suppose that every human institution has its dirty laundry. The sutta about the monks at Kosambi shows that this was true even in the Buddha’s own time and even in his own community. So it isn’t too surprising that … Continue reading →

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Oh, Those Unruly Monks! (Part 2)

Posted on April 28, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

When we last left the story, the Buddha had quietly slipped out of the monastery (really, just a park). He paid a brief visit to a friend and bhikkhu, Bhagu, and then went on to the Eastern Bamboo Park. It … Continue reading →

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Oh, Those Unruly Monks! (Part 1)

Posted on April 26, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

There are many remarkable stories in the Pali canon. One of my favorites is the Upakkilesa Sutta. “Upakkilesa” translates to “imperfections”. Yeah, I know. It doesn’t sound like a page-turner. But bear with me. This discourse has several sections. I won’t … Continue reading →

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The True Boston Brahmans

Posted on April 18, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

As I write this it is 3 days since the bombings at the Boston Marathon. I used to live in Boston, and I still go back there at least once a year. It’s a great city, like one, big small … Continue reading →

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Meditation Can Be Habit Forming

Posted on April 9, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

My daughter, in her usual thoughtful way, gave me a book for my birthday on the nature of habits. It is called “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business”. The word “habit” is … Continue reading →

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The Business of Buddhism

Posted on April 9, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

One of the things that I have always enjoyed about the Buddhist tradition is that from the time of the Buddha the teachings were always offered freely. India must have been quite something around 2400 B.C.E. when the Buddha lived. … Continue reading →

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Putting Your Story To Rest

Posted on April 3, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

Everybody has a movie, starring me, directed by me, produced by me, written by me… it’s all about me – Larry Rosenberg, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center Everybody has a story and we like to spend our time and energy telling … Continue reading →

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The Buddha Wasn’t Kidding – Really

Posted on March 28, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

When I first started to meditate it was in a Zen practice. We were told mainly to “just sit.” If any question or problem came up, the instruction was the same, to “just keep sitting”. To this day the words … Continue reading →

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