Meditation
Amazing Meditation Experiences: What Do They Mean?
If you have been meditating for some time, sooner or later you may find that you have some amazing meditation experiences - which is a time of rejoicing, and a time for concern. Meditative absorption, as coveted as it may be, is not the point of...
How Much Should I Meditate to See Results?
I'm often asked, "How much should I meditate to see results?" Before offering more specific guidelines for meditation, to help gain perspective, I like to point out the importance of repetition in mastering anything. We also need to take into...
My First Month Long Silent Meditation Retreat
In 1988, in an effort to explore the Buddhist path, I decided to do a month long silent meditation retreat in the forests of Vermont. It was a stretch. Outside of a few weekends of meditation I had never tried to practice for so long. I walked up...
Three Downsides of the Mindfulness Revolution
The benefits of mindfulness are legion. However, I do believe there are downsides of the mindfulness revolution, because wherever you find light, you find the near enemies. 1. Scientism As potent as mindfulness is, it is not a panacea. Just like...
The Evolution of Abuse
It’s happened again, most recently in the Shambhala community. And it is heartbreaking. Scandals in spiritual organizations will never end until we understand the processes that give rise to them. The wisdom traditions maintain that if we can...
Shamatha Meditation as a Preparation for Death
What Is Shamatha Meditation? Shamatha meditation is a fundamental form of mindfulness meditation. Shamatha means “peaceful abiding”.”Mindfulness is the meditation common to all schools of Buddhism. It is the ground meditation upon which all...
Shamatha Meditation Instruction
In this audio program, I offer meditation instruction on Shamatha, or calm abiding meditation. This is a fundamental form of mindfulness meditation. This is excerpted from my audio learning course (available through Soundstrue.com) Dream Yoga: The...
The Power of Perspective: The Straw Effect
Take a look at your own experience and see if it’s not true: when the mind gets small, problems get big; when the mind gets big, problems get small. That is where the power of perspective can help. One of the biggest problems we have in life is...
Meditation is Difficult Because Waking Up Hurts
Meditation is difficult because waking up hurts. And if we don’t understand why, we will run from the pain and abandon the path. There are countless people who have become spiritual dropouts, or who are lost in detours because they have not...
