Today is the observance day and we have a ritual that we bhikkhus do every fortnight. The ritual is that the bhikkhus come together and we do a ritual of mutual recognition of our commitment to this particular way we live our live. Also, a recognition of the structures, what we call the Vinaya and the Kor Wat–the ways of being a bhikkhu and the ways of the monastery.… Read the rest
To just be fully conscious of this moment, without comment, you have to stop. You have to stop and see what it’s really like. That’s not a commentary. So, if I say to you, ‘What’s it like?’ and you make a judgment about it, that’s not being fully conscious. That’s making a comment on the way things are.… Read the rest
These are just ideas and things to experiment with. But, if you choose the nostrils and really want to focus on the breath, you really have to be careful not to get too tight. So, where you might notice tightness is in the eyes, in the hands, and in the end of the outbreath. So, if you can keep the end of the outbreath really relaxed and just stay with it, the hands might have an enlarged feeling and the eyes will be relaxed. That can work well.… Read the rest
So, if you just contemplate the words I used at the beginning of the meditation, ‘non-becoming’. If there’s any sense of becoming, that acts as a mirror to that.… Read the rest
Vesak, obviously in Asia, is one of the big celebrations in our monasteries. When we celebrate Vesak, we think of the Buddha and the three events in his life–his birth, enlightenment, and parinibbana (death). As Ajahn Sumedho teaches, everyone’s going to experience birth and death. The purpose of human life is to realize that in between bit–enlightenment.… Read the rest
When I talk about Ottawa, that’s the world, isn’t it? It’s a place that some of you have been to, but most of you haven’t. As you’re listening, each of you hear the words of that story in a different way. This personal interpretation of what I said is another way of thinking about the world. This is the world in a different way. It’s not the world out there; it’s the world that i’m experiencing moment-by-moment. I like to think of that as stream of consciousness.… Read the rest
To discover anything new, to have any kind of insight, for vipassana to take place, you need to be available to the way things are rather than just conditioned by past perceptions and future possibilities. That’s not to deny memory. Memory is important to understand, but that kind of habit–the habit of always mulling over or planning or analyzing that we get caught up into needs to be noticed.… Read the rest
One of the practices that one sees a lot in Buddhism is called choiceless awareness, or shikantaza in Japanese. This is the case where you basically just sit in awareness and watch the show go by.… Read the rest
To some extent we remember our stories, but what we feel is the momentum of our stories. Even though I might not remember what I did when I was five years old or six years old or seven years old, I am still a part of that momentum.… Read the rest
Availability is an interesting word to use in meditation. So, when I say listen, you’re available; you’re with the moment. But, if you’re trying to get somewhere, get rid of something, or if you’re just off into thoughts of past or future, you’re not available.… Read the rest
