The Buddha’s original teaching on non-self is based on the five aggregates, skandas, of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. He claims that form in not self, feelings are not self, perceptions are not self, mental formations are not self and consciousness is not self because they are impermanent and they cannot stand by […]
Fourteen Verses on Meditation
May 11, 2016 by
These Fourteen Verses on Meditation were written by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and translated from Vietnamese by ChanCo, Maple Village May 2016. I want to express my gratitude to ChanCo who wrote regarding the translation, In my translation, I have considered that these verses are verses of practice so I have tried to make […]
Highest Kind of Happiness
February 2, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from Shaila Catherine express the highest kind of happiness – the happiness equanimity. Shaila Catherine is the founder and guiding teacher of Insight Meditation South Bay and author of Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity. What she says about the highest kind of […]
Vipassana Meditation Day 3
August 30, 2014 by
The video in this article is from S. N. Goenka’s Dhamma Discourses on Vipassana Meditation Day 3. This follows after the Vipassana Meditation Day 2 and Vipassana Meditation Day 1 that we presented on June 30, 2014 and July 20, 2014, respectively. In the video from the first day, we learned that awareness of breathing […]
The Raft is Not the Shore
June 12, 2014 by
These words of wisdom spoken by the Buddha are still as valid today as they were 2600 years ago. He is telling us that “the raft is not the shore”. What does this have to do with our lives? The Buddha is saying that we must study the dharma, i. e., the teachings, and they should […]
No Permanent Self
November 13, 2013 by
One of the main teachings of the Buddha is now coming forward in the scientific community. This teaching is that there is no permanent self. Along with impermanence and nirvana, non-self is one of the three Dharma Seals. All forms of Buddhism have these Dharma Seals. When we look into impermanence, we see that everything changes. […]
Lincoln And Enlightened Leadership
February 17, 2013 by
This week’s Words of Wisdom chosen by Lama Surya Das is about the movie, Lincoln. The movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Jackie Earle Haley, Tommy Lee Jones, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and was directed by Steven Spielberg. I’ve heard that Sally Field gained a lot of weight to play the part of Mrs. Lincoln. Lincoln’s struggle to […]
The Buddhist Teaching of Non-Self
September 24, 2012 by
In a recent post on Best Meditation Videos, I asked the question, “Is there a self?” The post was inspired by a video featuring Dr. Thomas Metzinger, a philosophy professor and cognitive scientist. His answer to my questions is, “No!” The Buddhist teachings on non-self were outlined in that post. Here, we provide deeper look into the […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.