Category Archives: Teachings of the Buddha

Reverse Engineering the Buddha’s Enlightenment

Posted on March 3, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

I was dumpster diving through my hard disk the other day and found a paper that I wrote a few years ago called “Reverse Engineering the Buddha’s Enlightenment.” I have posted it to the “Papers and Projects” section of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddha's Enlightenment, Teachings of the Buddha | 15 Comments

Additional Resources

Posted on February 15, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

Books Buddhist History The Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin This is a remarkably unbiased book about all of the Buddhist traditions and the history and evolution of Buddhism. I cannot recommend this book enough. I discovered it some years … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhist history, Buddhist meditation, Buddhist practice, Teachings of the Buddha | 10 Comments

Pseudo-scholarship in Buddhism

Posted on February 15, 2015 by EricKVanHorn

Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious about the fact that I spend so much time debunking what I hear other Buddhist teachers saying. However, I feel a little bit better about this since I heard Thanissaro Bhikkhu point out that … Continue reading →

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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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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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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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The Buddha and His Son

Posted on March 18, 2013 by EricKVanHorn

There is a quite endearing discourse by the Buddha in the Majjhima Nikaya called Advice to Rahula at Ambalatthka (Ambalatthaka means “Mango Grove”). What makes it endearing isn’t so much the content as the context. Rahula was the Buddha’s son. … Continue reading →

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