Pilgrimages to sacred Buddhist sites led by experienced Dharma teachers. Includes daily teachings and group meditation sessions. A local English–speaking guide accompanies and assists.
Vipassana |
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NY Insight 15th Anniversary Benefit: An Afternoon with Sylvia Boorstein
On Sunday, March 17, our friends over at New York Insight Meditation Center will be hosting a benefit in honor of their 15th anniversary. Senior teacher and Tricycle contributor Sylvia Boorstein will be teaching the Metta Sutta, the Buddha's sermon in impartial kindness, as the complete guide to practice. The afternoon will include study, meditation, and a Q&A—all suitable for beginners. The event will take place at New York Insight on Sunday, March 17, from 1:30 to 4:30pm. The cost is $50. Find more details on their website here. More » -
Meditation Month, Day 28: You Happy Lucky Idiot
Meditation month is wrapping up, and though I'm pretty sure I've achieved nothing, I have—I hope—developed some insight into "real happiness." The most pronounced of these is the insight that real happiness isn't so great. In fact, for anyone with half an imagination, it's opposite ("fake happiness," "conventional happiness"?) is far superior. While conventional happiness is filled with bouts of joy and connection, not to mention endless congratulations, awards and achievements, Cold Beer and Beautiful Girls, real happiness has something to do with sustained attention and—can't forget—accords with reality. More » -
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Meditation Month, Day 21: Acknowledging Anger
It was only a few years ago that I realized just how angry I was. I had been immersed in Buddhist practice for some time, but was in the habit of glossing over the token “Anger” chapter in Buddhist practice literature. In Tricycle’s “Dealing with Anger”-type articles I would maybe read the pull quotes and move on to the next piece. I would acknowledge a point well made, but operated under the entrenched assumption that it didn’t really apply to me, or that if it did, it wasn’t the main area I needed to focus on; there were other qualities and realizations and mental states that required development and my immediate, unwavering attention. More » -
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Meditation Month, Day 13: Get thee to the cushion
I've heard plenty of discussions about how difficult it can be to establish a regular meditation practice. There are whole lists of tips about how to go about this. But the best advice I've ever heard is short and sweet and comes from the Buddha himself: Here are the roots of trees. Here are empty places.Get down and meditate. Don't be lazy.Don't become one who is later remorseful.That is my instruction to you. This comes from Bhikkhunupassaya Sutta, in which the Buddha explains what "directed" and "undirected" meditation are. (If you want to know more about these two forms of meditation, you can read Andrew Olendzki's translation of the sutta here.) More » -
A Buddhist Holiday Survival Guide: Service as Generosity
In today's Buddhist Holiday Survival Guide dharma talk, teacher Gil Fronsdal speaks about service as generosity. It's the perfect reminder for those of us who are feeling stressed and exhausted about shopping for gifts—as Gil reminds us, the result of generosity should be peace, not being burned out and in conflict. If we are feeling the latter instead of the former, we might want to examine whether we're giving in the spirit of selfless love or out of a sense of duty and obligation. If you missed Gil's previous talks, you can find them here and here. More »
