Samsara And The Realms Of Existence

Taming the monkey mind

This video came to me courtesy of my friend, Bhikkhu Samahita. He lives as a monk in Sri Lanka and sends me emails everyday. This one is about samsara and the realms of existence. Samsara refers to the Buddhist concept of our ordinary life as humans in a world of various activities that keep our [...]

Lama Surya Das: The Cliff Notes Of Buddhism

Lama Surya Das

This video contains an excellent overview of Buddha’s teachings by Lama Surya Das. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and spent 20 years in India, Nepal and France learning and teaching the dzogchen teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Surya Das touches on the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path, which is the fourth [...]

Practicing Right Speech – Roshi Joan Halifax

Roshi Joan Halifax from Upaya website

The article that contains the source material for this post about practicing right speech comes from the Upaya Institute and Zen Center blog. Roshi Joan Halifax is the founder and leader of Upaya. She is also a dharma teacher in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, so you can expect to see a [...]

Practicing Right View – Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on the Deck of his Hermitage in Plum Village

The following quote is from my teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He talks about practicing right view in order to relieve our suffering. Right View is one of the elements of the Eight-fold path along with Right Speech, Right Thought, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. As the first [...]