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Lion of Wisdom Meditation ( Bhante Rahula's Meditation Center In Maryland, USA ).

Hi Friends,

This Wednesday we will begin going over the Greater Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness, The Maha Satipatthana Sutta. This sutta is an elaboration of the Regular or shorter version of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness that many of you are familiar with. The discourse is the most detailed and profound teaching on the practice of meditation leading to realizing the Four Noble Truths and the stages Enlightenment.

We will be spending a number of weeks going through this Sutta.

Please begin reading this sutta with explanations and be ready with any questions that may arise.

Mahasatipatthana Sutta, DN 22

Starts 2024 November 27

Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm Eastern Time, USA

If you live near Montgomery County, Maryland, USA you can attend these dhamma talks in person.

See the web site for the address. It is off of 29 North.

These dhamma talks will also be broadcasted live on Bhante Rahula's YouTube channel.

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Western Buddhism is almost never mentioned together with Southern, Northern, and Eastern Buddhism. I suspect that the main reason for this is that, contrary to the other three geographical designations, Western Buddhism is not associated with a school, tradition, or broad current of Buddhism. While this is a fundamental difference, one may wonder whether the difference is largely due to time. Maybe 16 or 17 centuries ago, Eastern Buddhism was quite similar in this sense to Western Buddhism now. Maybe Western Buddhism is just an immature tradition or a proto-tradition, like Chinese Buddhism was then. If this is the case, how does Western Buddhism compare to Chinese Buddhism then? What is the current state and nature of Western Buddhism as an immature tradition? And what could it be like if it ever reaches maturity? (And can it even do so?) These questions are the topic of a long blog post that can be found here:

https://www.lajosbrons.net/blog/western-buddhism/

Comments are, of course, very welcome. (But if you post a comment here before reading the blog article, please say so.)

I have been meditating daily, focusing on my breath and usually after I exercise which usually at the very least consists of 3 miles. Recently I have found books in the self help category to be helpful and keep me mindful of my actions and help with trying to create a better version of myself. I was wondering if anyone had any book recommendations that helps them have a better daily practice, made them a better version of themselves, or just kept them in a grateful mindset?

If you want just the basic steps of the "noting" technique for insight meditation without reading a tome there is this free ePub, just 17 pages long

https://www.aimwell.org/Practical%20Insight%20Meditation.epub

People have said that depression is the most honest state and I think that that's true, in my experience at least. You can't get any less attached than losing interest in everything and everyone, and choosing to let everything go is the final straw.

I hope this interesting and useful quote still qualifies as secular. It is from a monastic who is also a scholar. It has no religious elements in it.

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I once lived outside the reach of the machine—or at least I thought I did. I created my own world, set my own parameters, and went after them. When I met my goals, I had enough. What were they? Very little, I must admit. My desire for “stuff” was small, my need for luxury even less. The happiest time in my life was when I lived in a small cottage less than 600 square feet. I had a motorcycle and whatever used car I could find for 500 bucks. I needed just enough money to buy an ounce of weed each week (I smoked from morning to night) and enough wine to keep my whistle wet. I had the looks and the talk to never be without a woman by my side—and if they disrupted my life, I made them go “poof.”

Today, even though I want to continue living that life—minus the women—things have changed. Now, even the monsters that once felt far away can touch me every day. The freedom I once had is gone. The economy has me stuck in a place that, while not terrible, isn’t where I want to be. The price of everything has me living more modestly than I did 40 years ago, but now not by choice. Almost everything I once knew is obsolete, and anything new I learn also seems to become obsolete before I can even get familiar with it. This world does everything it can to tell me it has no need for me. Only my medicine and the disciplines I follow offer any reason to keep going. And I blame it all on the corporations that have taken over every small business in America, the government that allowed it, and the greed that blinds people to it as they cling to the fantasy that they, too, can become billionaires. Meanwhile, the machine lets them play with their Lexus or BMW.

The billionaires laugh as they think we’ve “made it.” The most deluded people on this earth right now are those in the upper middle class who are somewhat satisfied, thinking they’ve figured it out, when in truth, those in control have simply let them have things to make them feel that way. But really, what’s a Lexus? What’s a BMW? What’s a 2,500-square-foot house in a gated community? Let me answer: nothing. They allow them these toys because they need them; they are cogs in the wheels of their wealth.

Consider this: all the jobs you see today will soon be filled by computers, robots, or cyborgs. All the coders, once valuable, are already becoming obsolete. All the engineers who used to design things are now unnecessary, and all the hands on the production lines, even the truck drivers, are being replaced. What will happen to millions upon millions of people who will have no work and therefore no income? Will they kill us, or will they be forced to give us universal income? And if they do, where will that income go? We’ll be forced to buy whatever the robots produce. I wonder how that’ll make us feel. It’s quite the circle jerk.

I feel blessed because I’m willing to live as I do. I’m competent enough to scrape together what I need each month. I’m healthy enough to enjoy a bike ride, a swim, or a run, and talented enough to sit at one of my keyboards and entertain myself. But if I’m not waking up—if I’m not becoming clear about the nature of my existence—then, as I approach my last hours, my only question will be: WTF?

The Buddhist teachers I follow are not religious; they’re pragmatic. They’re not preparing for life; they’re preparing for death, the one certainty, the great unknown. When we can separate from this flesh and blood and fall into the void, we’ll finally know the truth of what death is—that we’re merely temporary containers for something eternal, something undependable, something dying from the day we are born

Why this rant? Because without it, I’d allow what this world has become to trouble me, control me, and make me fearful of tomorrow. I’ve been able to ward that off, and I will continue to, right up to my last breath—when I finally leave this body without needing practice, because it’ll be my reality.

I love you all. I wish you well. Awaken.

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What I See, I Can Not Be

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There is a saying that sums up

awareness of objects very well:

"What I see, I cannot be.”

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Be Interested in How Thoughts Operate, Not The Stories They Tell

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When you observe thoughts,

you want to understand how

they operate, not the

stories they tell.

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Whatever is Happening Doesn't Belong to You

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Right view* is very important in meditation.

Otherwise, you'll become depressed when you watch your mind, because

you will identify with craving, aversion and delusion.

Whatever is happening doesn't belong to you.

The mind is mind;

craving and aversion are craving and aversion.

They don't belong to you.

For example, anger can happen to anybody.

No one can say: "Anger belongs to me."

Anger is anger; anger is nature.

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Understanding that the mind is nature, not an "I" or "me."

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Our thoughts tell a story.

This story is just a concept.

It is not who or what we are.

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Seeing the Mind Clearly Helps You To Let Go

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We need to look at what is

in our mind, and know it until

the mind realizes that it doesn't

want to be that way anymore.

That realization will help you

learn how to let go.

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Sayadaw U Tejaniya is a Theravada Buddhist monk from Burma. He advocates practicing for continual mindfulness during daily life. When he was still a lay person he cured himself of clinical depression by using that practice. His approach can be found in his book **"When Awareness Becomes Natural"**.

The Daily Tejaniya is an email list that sends you a quote of his about insight meditation once per day. No mythological religious elements included.

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Just wondering how this is possible?

I'm listening to Dan Harris' 10% Happier podcast (for the first time ever) and they have a few teachers discussing the idea of letting go. I haven't gotten to the end of the episode yet, and I think they will address my question, but curious about what others think too.

Such a big part of Buddhism is acceptance of what is. But personally as a woman in the United States right now, I do not feel like accepting this situation. I feel angry and I don't want to let that go, or feel okay with how things are. It's so important to fight for things to be better. I'm reading Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit right now and she also discusses how crucial it is to resist even in the most basic ways, like with your thoughts or small efforts. And I also don't feel like having compassion for everyone at this moment. I do not want to feel kindness toward people who are bigoted, and all the other many things I could say about how their actions and words have harmed others. I would never hurt them, I just don't want to wish them well right now and hearing otherwise honestly just makes me mad, and feels very privileged. It makes me want to turn away from the things I've learned in Buddhism.

I want to resist. But I think part of how Buddhism or mindfulness comes into it is that I can just accept exactly how I feel. I am angry, or devastated, or hopeful. I feel the pain of others. I cry when I want to. In that way I do let it go/let it be. Also trying to accept that my present moment is the only thing I can control.

Basically I am asking for ways to keep some ideals without giving away the agency of my emotions and desire to fight back.

I've seen so many people talk about how liberating this truth is and while it helps me at times I usually find it existentially terrifying, it hurts me and hurts my mental health. My abandonment issues are true, everyone will leave me or stop being that person I got happiness from. How do I make that not hurt? I'm in a bad place and I can't build up the energy and motivation to look for connections when I know they'll just be broken. I'm doing what nature has forced me to do and that sucks, I just want to sleep but I usually can't cause my brain won't shut up. I'm done with this emotional rollercoaster, this karmic game of carrot and stick. I am forcing myself to do anything else but veg out on SNL and I do wanna get past this but I also don't cause I know whatever coping mechanism I find will break down and I'll breakdown. I just want peace but that doesn't seem like something possible to have, you can't have anything.

If there is no self,then what is reborn? How can rebirth take place when there is no self, and if all things In life are impermanent, rebirth make little sense

it sounds like contradictory to me

I have been looking answers for this question but I got various 100 answers

I think literal rebirth seem like eternalism and I think buddha taught only moment to moment rebirth This question is not to create any division,no offense I have been following buddhism for only 7 months so various doubts are arising in me

Please share your perspectives

So I have been asking questions and posting comments in all buddhist reddit spaces

But I am practicing the core practices like meditation and following 8 fold path

Since secular buddhists don't believe in supernatural things in Buddhism like karma, rebirth and psychic powers but acknowledge and practice meditation,four noble truths and eight fold path and other things, and most secular buddhists are atheists and agnostics.

Can I say secular buddhism is spiritual atheism and buddha is a spiritual atheist or spiritual agnostic rather than non theistic

video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB7VSdQgHoU

Seeking contributors with some level of scholarly skill and knowledge for a small team.

If you're interested, let us know your background below (or by modmail if you prefer)

We will be in touch to connect eligible team members to begin the project.

Thankyou

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest the time in a deep look at the philosophy of Buddhism. It helps to be very familiar with Buddhist philosophy as well as some experience reading philosophy and in particular existentialism and post-freudian psychoanalytics.

From what I've internalized and understood, tried to understand by speculating and deducing myself(of course the best way would be to experience it)... It seemed like(but yet feels incomplete), that the general idea of how an Enlightened person/a Buddha deals with desire, after the flame has ceased, the candle has stopped the constant fire, is that..

In this experience, on daily life, a person experiences neither a clinging(Tanhã)/attachment to any experience of perception (feelings, thoughts, pleasure, discomfort, etc), nor a rejection, an aversion to experiences.

Complete freedom, where one, for example, when a pleasant sensation comes in(like, someone tells a good joke, for example), you feel the pleasure of the laugh, but, in the state of Buddhahood, there is neither rejection of the pleasure nor delight on it as an experience, a desire for more. Just pure peace added with a physical sensation of pleasure that you may pyisically, emotionally like, in the moment...

but you feel like, even if this sensation was completely removed for you 1 second later, you wouldn't care the slightest, like nothing was removed from experience, since there is no desire for more.

A mix of internal peace undependent on externals, because you realize that you can't rely on externals for solving suffering, mixed with non-attachment to whatever sensation comes... Pleasant or unpleasant.

Or, as in the analogy they say: If you feel a lot of pain, it would be like you would feel the physical sensation of it, but not the ""true sensation" of it, of suffering from it, because there is no aversion to it, since you don't rely on external experience for delight of life, for dealing with life. And when a pleasure comes, it is felt only as temporary sensation, but as long as it ceases, even if the happiness from the pleasure fades, it will be like nothing was removed at all.

(Of course, I'm theorically supposing. But on a secular view, even the idea of such state being possible can be doubted)

Because sometimes it feels like Nibanna, Buddhood, is similar to feeling nothing. Like, a pure peace of nothingness? Idk. Everything feeling equally the same?

If secular buddhist beleive that karma and rebirth doesn't exist or agnostic about it or to be metaphorical then same applies to nirvana also right?, nirvana also sounds metaphysical like karma and rebirth,what is secular buddhist stance on nirvana? and if they don't believe nirvana in traditional sense, doesn't it invalidates whole of Buddhism

For example I quite liked The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual by Ward Farnsworth which is considered arguably the best on Stoicism. Any other suggestions?

Buddhism and Religion

People often misunderstand Buddhism, labeling it as just another religion. But for me, Buddhism is more about practice than belief. It’s a path that focuses on personal experience and direct understanding. Unlike most religions, it doesn’t ask you to accept things on faith alone. In fact, it encourages questioning and self-exploration. You test the teachings in your own life and see if they resonate.

What sets Buddhism apart is its practicality. It’s not about worshipping a god or waiting for salvation from some external force. Instead, it teaches that everything we need is already within us. The Buddha wasn’t a divine being, but a man who woke up to the truth of life and showed others how to do the same.

While some people turn Buddhism into a religion, full of rituals and doctrines, I see it as a way of life. It’s a framework for training the mind and cultivating compassion, wisdom, and peace. It doesn’t require you to believe in a higher power or follow a set of rules blindly. Instead, it invites you to look deeply at your own mind and transform your suffering through understanding.

In my experience, Buddhism is more about how you live your life every day, not about how often you pray or go to a temple. It’s about being mindful, present, and kind. It’s about finding peace in the chaos of life and helping others do the same. It’s a practice that’s open to everyone, regardless of what you believe or where you come from.

What you see here is a piece of gold jewelry I had made after my Lama told me that I was a protector. Below you’ll find an breakdown of what both banes mean… both names have a lot in common. Interesting.

1. Gabriel: This is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my strength” or “God is my hero.” In religious contexts, Gabriel is one of the archangels in the Bible and is known as a messenger of God. In the Christian tradition, Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary, and in Islam, Gabriel (Jibril) is believed to have revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. The name carries a sense of divine strength and purpose. 2. Joseph: Also of Hebrew origin, Joseph means “God will increase” or “God adds.” In the Bible, Joseph is a prominent figure in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, Joseph is known for his ability to interpret dreams and rise to power in Egypt. In the New Testament, Joseph is the earthly father of Jesus. The name suggests protection, guidance, and humility. 3. Forzano: This is an Italian surname, which could be derived from the verb forzare, meaning “to force” or “to strengthen.” It might also be associated with strength or fortitude, adding a sense of resilience or power to your full name.

Together, your names suggest qualities of divine strength, increase, and personal fortitude. It’s a powerful combination that reflects strength, guidance, and purpose.

1.	Karma: In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Karma often refers to “action” or “cause and effect.” It reminds us that our actions, thoughts•	2. Tsewang reflects the power and vitality you bring into your life and the lives of others, reminding you of your role in nurturing life energy. • 3. Dorje represents your commitment to wisdom and spiritual strength, encouraging you to embody clarity and resilience in your practice.

Together, your name suggests a journey of mindful action, life-giving power, and unshakable wisdom, emphasizing the importance of spiritual strength

I am honestly impressed and surprised by just how much and how quickly Buddhist practices and philosophy are helping with my depression and anxiety!

I must admit that I am also taking an amazing new anti-depressant, but an anti-depressant alone cannot really have the power to change my mentality towards myself and others in a short amount of time.

This is not to suggest that Buddhism is a mental health magick bullet, but I just wanted to say that I noticed myself becoming more compassionate towards myself and others, and a bit less anxious about what people think about me...I ruminate a lot less and look forward to the future instead of thinking about past traumatic events. I'm also less offended and intimidated when people disagree with me.

As well, I am watching a video serious on YouTube called "Let Go of Past Trauma", and it helped me think of my relationship with my mother is a healthy, balanced, and more positive way....even though it's always been rocky, difficult, and complicated.

Just wondering if other people experienced similar improvements??

Obviously mental health is complex, but I must say that I didn't expect to feel much better even though I know that a lot of things are a matter of perspective and my perspective was very skewed before I started meditating regularly and reading/watching content about Buddhism!

I wonder what everyone thinks about teaching some Buddhist concepts and meditation to troubled teens....because I could have used that as a teen!

I was under the impression that compassion towards ourselves and others was an integral part of Buddhism and rationally follows from an understanding that everything is impermanent and interconnected (in a secular way, I mean).

All the reading and watching of stuff about Buddhist ethics also helped me see that I was judging myself and others in very unfair ways and making generalizations about others' character and what I thought about what they were saying.

I am wondering if others here have also come to the conclusion that compassion and non-judgment are a natural consequence and extension of a Buddhist world view?

I really don't understand why some people here feel the need to be rude and to swear and tell me that what I'm saying is dumb when my intention in asking questions was to understand and learn more, but also to examine and challenge certain fears I had about Buddhism.

I would think that trying to challenge our fears and to learn can be regarded as positive things based on what I know about Buddhism?

This is one of the rules of this subreddit: "When posting, always be mindful of whether or not something may be unskillful, harmful and minimize harm whenever possible."

Why is this not being observed and why is nothing being done about people swearing and posting hurtful things in response to honest inquiries?

I was into secular Buddhism for a while a long time ago but then a Chinese friend got mad at me and said that secular Buddhism is cultural appropriation and that westerners should come up with their own philosophy.

I took that to heart and kind of distanced myself from secular Buddhism for a while.

However, I wonder how a philosophy that is meant to be about the fundamental nature of self and the world can be culturally appropriated when it doesn't seem to belong to any particular culture even though some cultures will say that theirs is the right way to practice and understand life?

I have also since read academic articles that explain why it's not cultural appropriation and today I checked with the local Buddhist temple and they said I'm more than welcome to come and listen to the dharma and participate in the community and the meditation classes.

Is this "cultural appropriation" thing just a trendy thing that social social justice warriors really believe in?

It confuses me because actual Buddhists are so welcoming to anyone who's genuinely curious!

I am reading 'Rebel Buddha' right now and the author is basically saying that our "self" and our "ego" are not real and it makes me wonder...

From what I've read about personality and discussions I have had with professors in my program, personality is pretty stable across time, at least when it comes to traits such as introversion, which have to do with how sensitive we are to stimuli (especially social stimuli)...

...how can that be an illusion? How can everything we think we are not be real when Buddhists also believe in cause and effect, which suggests they believe to some extent that how we were brought up shapes our personality.

I am wondering if I am misunderstanding something...

I wonder if it's also how the author words things that makes it confusing?

Maybe the idea is just that personality is dynamic and the illusion is that it doesn't change and that it's set in stone? Maybe the illusions are just our limiting beliefs about ourselves? Or is it that the real self is some pure, shapeless awareness of our thoughts and emotions?

Also, it's maybe worth questioning the "big 5" personality test and others like it, because based on neuroplasticity, our brains can change much quicker than they used to think they can...

Is the truth somewhere in the middle maybe? We have tendencies and sensitivities that are shaped by environment, but we can re-shape our brains and mind rather quickly through training?

I mean...I just started seriously getting into reading and watching stuff about Buddhism and meditating more regularly, and I already notice significant changes to how I perceive myself and others (positive changes).

What do you think about the idea of non-self? and do you think that neuroscience and psychology support the Buddhist conclusions about the nature of self?