Author Archives: EricKVanHorn

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 The language is repetitive, the cultural references are – of course – 2400 years out of date, and the concepts … Continue reading →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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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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