Search Results: mindfulness
Lamrim: the fast “mapped” path to Buddhist realizations: “It expounds the entire path” — Dalai Lama
In the quest for Enlightenment, the "swift" lightning path is Vajrayana. The key reason it is the fast path is its step-by-step structure — with teachings organized carefully into proven systems. One of these is Lamrim — the lamp of the Path. H.H. the Dalai Lama explains why the step-by-step approach is...
Interview with meditation teacher Kimberly Brown, author of Steady, Calm, and Brave: 25 Practices of Resilience and Wisdom in a Crisis
In our interview with author Kimberly Brown, the popular meditation teacher describes "Practices of Resilience and Wisdom in a Crisis" — all the more important in these times of COVID-19. Buddha Weekly is also pleased to publish an excerpt chapter "Not Harming is Helping" from her popular book Steady, Calm, and Brave:...
Dealing with the Monkey King: Meditation Techniques for People With Unsettled Monkey Minds
Coping with the Monkey Mind — a meditation term indicating an "unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable" mind — is one of the biggest obstacles to meditation and mindfulness practice in Buddhism. The monkey mind disturbs peaceful reflection and creates endless obstacles to mindfulness practice, and, although it sounds...
Body mandala practice in Vajrayana Tantric Buddhism — and riding the winds of the inner body “Where mind goes, the body follows”
"Where the mind goes, the body follows" is an ancient unattributed wisdom saying — although it is credited to Arnold Schwarzenegger in modern times. Arnie was probably paraphrasing a quote often attributed to Zhang San Feng, the Taoist monk who developed the martial art Tai Chi: "The chi flows where the mind...
Transforming demons; “Get thee behind me Mara!”: how Buddhism exorcises demons; transformation but no destruction
Shakyamuni Buddha, raised among Brahmins (priests) and kings, left the palace behind and sat under the Bodhi Tree to face his inner demons. Of course, his mission wasn't to exorcise devils and demons; it was the lofty goal of saving all sentient beings from Samsara, from suffering. The demons can be seen...
Mahayana Sutra Of The Three Superior Heaps — now, is always the right time to confess downfalls and purify them
Venerable Thubten Chodren explains the importance of the Sutra of the Three Heaps, and why it should be part of everyone's practice: "There are a variety of purification practices, The Bodhisattva’s Confession of Ethical Downfalls being one of the most popular. We all have done actions that we now feel badly about...
Buddha on Dharma Prayer Wheels: “defilements will be purified and the face of the deity will appear”; Guru Rinpoche: you will “be able to attain mystic powers…”
It's unlikely you'll be levitating off the ground any time soon — even if you undertake millions of prayer wheel spins — so what did the great Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava mean when he wrote: you will "be able to attain mystic powers... eliminate immeasurable karmic obscurations" in teachings on Prayer Wheels? We...
Overcoming Fear: Three Remedies for Fear; What Buddha had to Say About Fearlessness in Abhaya Sutta
Today, in this time of fear in the face of a pandemic — fear has become top of mind, again. It's easy to say, "I can't live my life in fear" and then pretend to go about your business. But, even if you bravely brush the fear aside — in the background...
Benefits of meditating before bed; especially now, as we endure lockdowns, meditation can help you relax and sleep
If you practice meditation, you can probably vouch for its wide array of health benefits, as meditation has the ability to improve your concentration, relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and put you in the right mindset to take on your day. That’s one of the main reasons why it’s common for most...