Category Archives: Teachings of the Buddha

Learned Helplessness

I just got an email from one of my very dearest Dharma sisters. I met her in India and her friendship has been one of the great blessings of my life. I know that I have said this before and … Continue reading

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Ego

I recently heard someone use the word “ego” at a meditation group. I had not heard that in a while and it got me to thinking. It is unfortunate that the word has come into common use in Western Buddhism. … Continue reading

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Humility

I am not sure that Buddhism will ever again see the kind of glory that it saw in the heyday of the Silk Road. And unfortunately some of the most spectacular and humbling sites from that era have been destroyed. … Continue reading

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Rebirth and the Thicket of Views

I am writing a book on rebirth and the Buddhist cosmology. Rebirth is quite a hot topic in Western Buddhism. I think that it is safe to say that most Western Buddhists do not accept the doctrine of rebirth. That … Continue reading

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The Greatest Carrot of All

As I have worked my way through the Little Books series and visited and revisited each topic, I have come to think of practice as having three levels: The worldly level, in which the goal of meditation is to ease … Continue reading

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Dukkha

Sharon Salzberg tells this story about her time in India. She was really struggling with her practice, and when all you are doing is practicing, that is quite a struggle. I remember when I was at my first silent retreat … Continue reading

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New Biography of the Buddha

For those of you who are wondering why there is such a long time between my posts it is because I am working on the seven-part series of “Little Books on Buddhism.” I am in the process of releasing book … Continue reading

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Buddhism 101

I recently went out to the University of New Mexico web site to see what they have in the way of resources for teaching Buddhism. The good news is that there are a number of professors who teach various aspects of … Continue reading

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Books

Foundations of the Buddha’s Path The Buddha’s Path Series: Volume 1 Meditation, Ethics, and Daily Living by Eric K. Van Horn Kindle Version ePub Version Print Version The Heart of the Buddha’s Path The Buddha’s Path Series: Volume 2 Buddhist … Continue reading

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Joy

I recently heard a Dharma talk on the topic of joy, and it got me thinking about the different contexts in which joy occurs in the Pali Canon. Those of you familiar with the practice of jhāna – meditative absorption … Continue reading

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