Nirvana for Everyone, by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

 When you hear the phrase ‘Nirvana for everyone’, you may shake your head in disbelief. People in general believe that nirvana is a special place where there is no suffering, only happiness, the place usually being reached after death by those who have already achieved perfection in thousands of incarnations. Buddhist ordinands mostly pay lip service to their request to be ordained for the sake of realising nirvana. Old monks [in Thailand] sometimes say that nirvana can no longer occur today.

A 12-Minute Meditation to Explore What’s True

In this episode of 12-Minute Meditation, Mindful founding editor Barry Boyce leads us in an inquiry practice to become aware of our preconceptions, loosen our grip on what we think we know, and explore what’s true.

What our heart feels is influenced by what our mind sees. Preconceptions govern what we see and what we perceive. Sometimes these habitual patterns are helpful to us.

Take Refuge in Your Body

When the storms of life hit, your body can be a place of refuge and healing. 

My beagle, Little Bit, can sense a storm gathering. The reason I know this is because Little Bit uses the language of her body to communicate her fear. From just the slightest shift in air pressure, her chunky little body starts quivering. Then, at the first clap of thunder, she springs off her stubby legs and torpedoes herself through the air, taking aim for the familiar protection of my arms. I am her port in a storm.

A Peace Movement Led by Everyday People

 After World War II, the United Nations was established in 1945 to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Unfortunately, since then, some 250 armed conflicts have broken out around the world, claiming hundreds of millions of lives. Today our world seems to be in a never-ending cycle of war and devastation.

True Peace of Mind, by Harada Sekkei Roshi

 Zazen Is the Dharma Gate of Comfort and Ease (The Way of Peace of Mind)

In our lives, we find we have entered into a labyrinth of conflicts and perplexities from which there seems to be no way out. Our nerves are frayed because of the complications of human relationships. Isn’t it at such a time that from the bottom of our hearts we de­sire to find peace and tranquillity by quietly seeking for the Way of Peace of Mind? It is when we become aware of our anxiety that we begin to sit in zazen.

A Body Scan Meditation for Stress Relief

 From your facial muscles down to your toes, body scan meditation can relieve stress and help you discover what your body really needs.

In a body scan, we systematically focus our attention on different parts of our body, from our feet to the muscles in our face. This creates a rare opportunity for us to experience our body as it is, without judging or trying to change it.

NI SU TINH QUANG - DIỆU KHÔNG TEMPLE

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Founder of Thich Nu Tịnh Quang

Art to Zen

I. Basic Principles of Zen

ZEN IN CHINA shared much with the Taoism of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, so much that it is difficult to determine how much of Zen has Buddhist origins, how much Taoist. It is important to remember, in this connection, that we are speaking of the so-called "philosophical" Taoism and Zen, as opposed to the later "degenerate Taoism" and "institutionalized Zen" of more recent times.

How To Practice Zen

 Zen is a path that must be studied, practiced, and actualized. The core of Zen is zazen, which requires motivation, patience, discipline, and dedication, and is cultivated through repeated, consistent practice.

Formal Zen practice begins with two basic activities: we sit, and we breathe, with awareness. From that basic engagement, we extend the activity to include walking, chanting, eating, working—every aspect of daily life.

Approaching Life with Beginner’s Mind

By Leo Babauta 
A lot of our troubles could be solved by one simple practice.
A lot of joy could be found with the same practice.
And it is simple: practice seeing life with a beginner’s mind.

Traditional versus secular Buddhism

By Bhikkhu Bodhi 

As the winding river of Buddhist tradition flows beyond the boundaries of its Asian homelands and enters the modern West, it has arrived at a major watershed from which two distinct streams have emerged, which for convenience we may call ‘Classical Buddhism’ and ‘Secular Buddhism.’ The former continues the heritage of Asian Buddhism, with minor adaptations made to meet the challenges of modernity. The latter marks a rupture with Buddhist tradition, a re-visioning of the ancient teachings intended to fit the secular culture of the West.

The purpose of life is to be happy

By His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The basic source of all happiness is a sense of kindness and warm-heartedness towards others. We are all the same as human beings. We are born the same way, we die the same way, and we all want to lead happy lives.

Refuge: A Safe and Meaningful Direction in Life

Taking refuge is the foundation for all the Buddhist teachings and practices. It’s called “the gateway for entering the Buddhist path.” When we understand that taking refuge means working on ourselves, then we see that it is an active process of putting a safe and meaningful direction in our lives. We work on ourselves by following the methods Buddha taught for ridding ourselves of confusion, disturbing emotions and compulsive behavior and for developing all good qualities. This is what all the Buddhas have done and the highly realized masters are doing, and what we try to do by following in their footsteps.

The Buddha’s Noble First Teaching

Tulku Thondup on the four simple and practical statements that encompass the entire Buddhist path, the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths.

After his attainment of full enlightenment, the Buddha’s first teaching was on the Four Noble Truths. In it the Buddha explains the mental and physical evolution of the mundane world and the same cycle in reverse. He gave this teaching to his first five monk-disciples at the Deer Park, now known as Saranath, near Varanasi in India. The Buddha said, “Oh Bhikshus, there are four noble truths. They are the noble truths of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering.”

Living the Compassionate Life

The Dalai Lama explains how the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness and compassion lead inevitably to feelings of self-confidence and kindness.

As human beings we all have the potential to be happy and compassionate people, and we also have the potential to be miserable and harmful to others. The potential for all these things is present within each of us.

The Dharma of Staying Calm When Facing Challenges

When we can’t – or don’t want to – avoid facing challenges (our own or those of others), what does the Dharma offer us in terms of preventing anxiety, fear, overwhelm, burnout, depression, or despair? I talk about what is really means to stay calm, the value of staying calm, and some practices that can help us do this.

A Guided Meditation Script to Help Kids Explore Feelings About Change

This meditation can help children mindfully notice and cope with the big emotions that come with the nature of change.

All things must change, and we do not always know the outcome—if we’ll like the new thing or not, if it will be easy or not, if we’ll get used to what’s different. The inevitability and unpredictability of change is what can make it so uncomfortable and challenging to manage. Especially when things feel comfortable where they are, it’s easy to understand why we resist change.

What Are The Benefits of Zen Meditation?

Zen meditation has been a spiritual practice for centuries and is recognized for its numerous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. 

This practice involves focusing on the present moment and observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judgment. While Zen meditation is primarily associated with spiritual and mental benefits, it also have strong positive effects on physical health.

Consciousness and Dependent Arising

By Bhikkhu Anālayo

Reciprocal Conditioning
In the context of dependent arising, the relationship between consciousness and name-and-form differs from other links, as these two are shown to condition each other reciprocally.

Love in Action

You can’t simply dictate the heart. Lovingkindness, goodwill, and compassion naturally arise from our meditation practice, but feeling compassion is not the end of the path. The next step is love in action.