One question we all need to ask ourselves is, Why do we come to a monastery? Whether we are monks, nuns, novices, lay guests or visitors, we should ask, Why have I come? We need to be clear about this in order to derive the greatest benefit from what a monastery has to offer. If we are no…
The two aspects of our being are mind and body. We have to pay attention to both of them, even though meditation is a mind exercise, not a body exercise. Some of the most common questions are: "How am I going to learn to sit?" "How am I not going to have any pain?" Tha…
When we chant together there has to be rhythm and harmony in it. We must pay attention to timing and to other people or we will be out of tune. The same is true when we live together. We have to pay attention to others, feel our togetherness, and create harmony. People need that as a fou…
Try to note the cessation or the ending of things in little ways by paying special attention to the ending of the outbreath. This in your daily life, you're noticing the ordinary endings that no-one ever pays attention to. I've found this practice very useful because it's a wa…
There is a wide-spread belief, particularly in the West, that the ideal of the Theravada, which they conveniently identify with Hinayana, is to become an Arahant while that of the Mahayana is to become a Bodhisattva and finally to attain the state of a Buddha. It must be categorically st…
TWO WORDS -- Mahayana and Hinayana -- cause much confusion among Buddhists, I would like to offer a different way of looking at them. They concern the Buddhist approach to life. Mahayana literally means "Great Vehicle" (of Liberation from Samsara, or the "Wheel of Change&q…
I'm aware there are some people whom are vegetarians here. Being somewhat health conscious myself, I'm almost one too. However, I can see that there are some seem to hold a view that I think they might like to reconsider -- i.e. the view that there is something spiritually wholes…
