As a lay follower of the Buddha, I sometimes think about enlightenment. “What does it feel like to live as an enlightened person?” I ask myself before I close my eyes and sit down to meditate. It’s not a question that comes up often in my daily practice. But when it does, my thoughts and … Read more
You’ve clicked on this article because a typical reading list includes from five to ten books, and you don’t have time to read that many right now. I’ve been there. This issue is further complicated by the fact that Buddhism has many schools that may interest you. However, I can confidently say that there is … Read more
Much has been written about lovingkindness, compassion, and altruistic joy in my previous articles. Now we turn to equanimity, the last of the four brahmavihara meditations, also known as the four sublime states of mind. The most important thing to keep in mind about equanimity, or upekkha, is that all three other brahmaviharas are implicit … Read more
Hey everyone, I’ve been wanting to do a meditation habit challenge for a very long time now. But up until now it has stayed an idea in my head. Today, I’ve decided to finally do it. The idea is to develop basic awareness skills before you dive into more complex meditation techniques. Most of you … Read more
In his seminal work titled “In the Buddha’s Words,” renowned scholar-monk Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi writes that the Buddhist way of life is open to all people, monastic or lay. He also writes that many of the Buddha’s lay followers were accomplished practitioners. But even then they could be regarded as an exception rather than a … Read more