Dialogue between a student and teacher about 3 topics: About suffering: Zen says that desire, hate, and illusions are the main causes of suffering and I have to be mindful of them in order to have better control of my emotions and delusion. Right? YES But if I want to control my desires, hate or […]
How the ego intellectualizes existence Angela I am struggling with the contrast between the roles that I perform, the clinging and aversion that are attached to these roles, and the desire to be free of it all. I know that my roles are just social constructs and are not “real” but as a mother, […]
Why boredom is exciting When we’re bored, we become uncomfortable and restless like a withdrawal from an addiction. In our Western culture, being bored carries the feelings loneliness, laziness or even being useless. Our self-image is wounded because our ego perceives boredom negatively, sort of failure. Our ego say “ I must be busy […]
DIALOG BETWEEN STUDENT AND HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER These 11 Q&A are presented to new monks and spiritual aspirants. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is a well-known Hindu saint who passed away in 1886. He suffered from throat cancer but did not let the disease to limit him. He led a very productive life and his many sayings have […]
Suffering: a mental habit Apart from external painful events, suffering is a self-generated mental habit: doubt, guilt, shame, resentment, regrets, anger, fear, frustration, blame, I want, I don’t want and many more. This mental habit is affecting not only you but also others and these persons may impose their mental habit on you. A […]
“I am awake” said the Buddha What did he mean? From over-thinking to awakening: a path towards serenity & compassion “ I am awake” declared suddenly and loudly Prince Siddhartha Gautama 2500 years ago after 9 years of ongoing meditation. This is why he received his nickname “the Buddha” meaning “the awakened one.” […]
The sunlight of awareness Is there a difference between consciousness and awareness? All experts consider the words as synonyms meaning: knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. Therefore, we should not try to differentiate the words to avoid being trapped in an non-productive sematic trap. When we go outside, and thru our 5 senses, […]
The root of the word meditation came from the Latin meditatio meaning, “To analyze”. This is the intellectual definition of meditation. There is another definition of meditation, less, analytic, less judgmental and more spiritual. This non- analytic view of meditation is founded in all spiritual practices and, above all, in the Oriental ones such as […]
Perception vs reality: role of acceptance Probably the hardest challenge in life is accepting how things, events and people are in reality and not how we perceive or want them to be. Perceptions are just that: not necessary based on fact, not necessary right or wrong. Many brakes are blocking our way to accept […]
Breathing: experiencing reality of the moment We are breathing around x20,000 every day. This automatic vital function is subconscious and the trigger reflex is controlled by the CO2 in the brain. Why breathing is considered so important in the practice of meditation in general, mindfulness, mindfulness-based meditation in particular, and many other techniques of relaxation? […]
