Last week I taught Fingernail Meditation. This is where one uses the fingernail(s) as a subject of meditation. Although this has probably never been taught before by anyone as a standalone meditation subject, it is a subsection of a meditation instruction that all monks are given on their ordination day. That is called, “The First Five Body Parts,” Yes, it…
Interested in how the monks survive on Miracles? Read on. Four stories are included.
Kauai Update #3 I have moved from the Botanical Gardens recently. I was able to stay there for 5 months and the majority of the time there was wonderful. However things were changing and it was time for me to look for another place and now I am staying in a new long term location in Kilauea. It all happened…
I often recommend a free 10-day vipassana meditation course found at https://dhamma.org . Is is possible that there would be a 10-day meditation retreat that gives you food and lodging for free? Not only that, but would they refuse to accept money prior to taking such a 10-day meditation course? Is that possible? Of course it is possible! You see, they…
Below is a chart comparing special allowances by tradition which is useful for making a decision on where to ordain. If you need an explanation, read further.. Dhammayut Wat Pah Pong Wat Khao Sanamachai (Hua Hin) Pa-Auk Cigarettes Allowed No Smoking No Smoking No Smoking Betel Nut Allowed No Betel Chewing allowed No Betel Chewing allowed No Betel Chewing…
Monk bowls are black because they are fired with sesame oil 5 times to protect it from rusting. There are two types of bowls allowed; Iron and Clay. Iron bowls need to be fired 5 times and clay bowls only need firing twice. Obviously, the clay bowls do not need to be black in color but are rare to find…
How to Pronounce Theravāda Have you ever wondered if you were pronouncing Theravāda correctly? Read this article to find out how to properly pronounce Theravāda. Most of the resources out on the web mispronounce the word Theravāda, and Google has failed me when I did a search too. However, it was a good excuse to write this small article. The “Th”…
Going For Broke: Travelogs On Becoming a Buddhist Monk is a compilation of travel stories. It is an anonymously written book about a lay person who quit his job in order to travel the world and then become a Buddhist Monk. Most people either love it and read it in a few days or never finish it. Here is…
Free Book: Abhidhamma Lessons PDF Download Abhidhamma Lessons PDF Here is a book I wrote long ago that relates the Abhidhamma to Computer Science. As a programmer from the nineties, I “clicked” with the abhidhamma after reading just a small amount. When I learned that the mind does only one thing at a time, it instantly clicked with a graduate…
The Seeds From Long Ago I remember when I first learned how to meditate on my breath some time in 1990, during my university years. Back then, meditation was not so well known. The beat generation’s Zen trend in the 60’s had died out with disco in the 70’s. Barnes and Noble maybe had only a few shelves in a…