Vipassana Meditation

According to Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein, authors of “Insight Meditation”, Vipassana Meditation can be traced back to the Buddha, and allegedly he practised Vipassana Meditation (in some form). Later when Buddhism diversified into various schools, the Vipassana Meditation technique persevered, and is today practised (with variation) in all Buddhist traditions. The essence, or focus, of Vipassana Meditation is concentration and mindfulness, enabling us to quiet the constant stream of thoughts and emotions passing through our mind, so that we can be in a state of pure awareness. The end goal is to experience the truth about or lives and our actions, undiluted and without distraction. Most often we’re distracted by both our mind and by the world around us, distorting our perspective and clouding our mental clarity. Vipassana Meditation is an antidote and it’s helped me to gain more mental clarity, and more importantly (to me anyway) more peace of mind. Living where I do, I can’t find many (if any) truly skilled Buddhist meditation masters that can help me. For that I need to travel, but as a supplement I’ve learnt a lot from Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein’s meditation course “Insight Meditation”. I highly recommend this course.

Processing Buddhism

Once in while I think about whom I was before I met Buddhism. I was the typical agnostic, nonreligious atheist that most philosophy students tend to be. So what happened, did I see the light? Well not really. I’ve not converted in any traditional sense of the word, and I still have some of the mindset that I picked up through high school and at University. But at the same time, I do follow the eightfold path as best I can, I meditate regularly, and study Buddhism when time allows. But one significant change has materialised, without any effort. Now I believe (in something). I’ve come to the realisation that the way we (westerners) think and describe the universe, via logic and scientific proof, and dismiss what cannot be explained within that framework, is unsound or unfulfilling. Either you try and prove or refute anomalies or e.g. the existence of God, or you just simply believe, “problem” solved. But belief is not that simple, well not to me anyway. I don’t believe in an omnipresent, omnipotent God, distinct from myself. I do however believe that every being has the potential to gain insight and true understanding (knowledge) of any mystery or anything, for itself, and by itself. Can this knowledge be communicated to others? I don’t think (believe) so. So what is that knowledge worth, if it is only something that you can discover, but never share? I think the key issue here is to understand that it is the process of insight, the process of gaining knowledge that is important, not knowledge itself, or the end result. In fact, I believe that there is no “end result”, only process. So what about Nibbana (Nirvana)…I don’t honestly know, I’m still in the process of figuring that one out…

Lama Ole Nydahl - a Modern Lama?

A few months back I went to a session with the Danish Lama, Lama Ole Nydahl. I’m primarily interested in Theravada Buddhism, but of course (almost) any type of Buddhism has my interest. So I went to the lecture with Lama Ole, not really knowing what to expect. I’ve seen Lama Ole on TV and I’ve visited his website a few times. At face value he “presents” himself as a modern Buddhist teacher that likes to provoke (thought) with harsh or sarcastic remarks, travelling the world around twice a year, driving a big BMW, skydiving, and often posing for the camera with a crew-cut and (army) camouflage clothing. I think it’s easy to some (it was to me) to write him off as a “rock-star” Buddhist with little or no substance – however I quickly realised that this was due to my own shortcomings and prejudice, and not fair to Lama Ole. So I went to the lecture with an open mind, or so I thought. Lama Ole spoke about the life and teaching of the Buddha for 3.5 hours non-stop and without a written manuscript – pretty impressive by any standard. What was less impressive was how he presented the subject at hand. Not to say that he couldn’t teach me anything, or that he couldn’t inspire and help me comprehend new aspects of Buddhism, on the contrary, he could all that. But for me, what clouded the lecture was his “rock-star” attitude and way of communicating. Mostly when he talked about Buddha and his life and teachings, Ole Lama would be very calm and composed. But when he talked about skydiving and driving a big BMW, his eyes, voice and body would light up with energy, truly captivating his audience (Seeing that, I understood his popularity. I should say that his stories about skydiving and his BMW were valid and had a very good point.) What I didn’t like was that this “glow” wasn’t present when he spoke directly about Buddha and his teachings - when Lama Ole spoke of that, it was without passion. I realise that this is (probably) not a fault with Lama Ole, but it is more likely me having certain expectations and prejudices about “how a Lama should be and teach”. So I can only say this: Lama Ole Nydahl, Thank you for teaching me something about myself.

Buddhist studies anyone?

I just thought I would give you a heads up on good books to read if you're interested in Buddhist studies. This list is taken from the Buddhist studies programme at the University of Sunderland in the UK. I’ve read most of the books on the list and they all come highly recommended if you’re into serious studies about Buddhism.

-Harvey, P. (1990), An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, Cambridge University Press.
-Gethin, R. (1998), The Foundations of Buddhism, Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press.
-Bechert, H. and Gombrich R., eds. (1991: date of the paperback), The World of Buddhism: Buddhist Monks and Nuns in Society and Culture, London, Thames and Hudson.
-Gombrich, R. (1988: those with a later date are still the same edition), Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London and New York.
-Williams, P. (1989), Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, London and New York, Routledge and Kegan Paul
-Williams, P. (2000) Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, London and New York., Routledge and Kegan Paul
-Conze, E. et al (1995), Buddhist Texts Through the Ages, London, Oneworld and New Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal
-de Bary, W.T. (1972), The Buddhist Tradition in India, China and Japan, New York, Vintage
-Strong, J.S. (1995), The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretation, Belmont, Ca., Wadsworth (or the 2002 second edition)
-Walshe, M. (1996), The Long Discourses of the Buddha, London, Wisdom.

If you should have any suggestions for other great books within the field of Buddhist studies, please feel free to leave a comment.

It’s all in a glance

Have you ever noticed how simple it can be to bring happiness and joy into peoples lives – and your own for that matter? Since I started Buddhist meditation I’ve been more open and forthcoming towards people I don’t know. And my experience is that a simple glance of the eyes, filled with friendliness and no-judgement, spurs a positive and joyful reaction in the receiver. Basically we all know this, because most often we experience the opposite in our going about in the modern city life: stressed motorists, an obnoxious salesperson in the grocery store, an impolite mechanic at a car dealer or what have you. And when we receive one negative glance we tend to take it into our soul, and send it on to someone else. So all of us already know what effect a negative approach can do to our own life and perspective. But most often we forget this knowledge and more importantly we forget the lesson that can be learnt – that if we turn the table, focusing on the positive, friendly, non-judgemental approach to strangers, we give joy and receive joy. And all we really have to do, we can do with a glance – it’s that simple. Try it, and write me your experiences.

Buddhism plain and simple

Lately I've been reading Steve Hagen's "Buddhism plain and simple" for the second time, and I must say that it's worth the second read. Simple and to the point Steve Hagen guides you through the fundamental issues of Buddhism and he does so in a way that is unpretentious. This book is highly recommended for anyone, scholar or beginner, interested in Buddhist studies. I particularly like his approach to living the Buddhist way, making it a hassle-free train of wellbeing and loving-kindness without the “I’ve seen the light” dogma that so often overcomes many with a religious belief. Check this book out and get enlightened without loosing your (common) senses.