Dharma Wheel

Seated meditation is half lotus or full lotus for me; I don't have any problem with flexibility in my legs, just a small sideways S curve in my back. The problem is that I can't easily balance my head over my spine so that my back muscles aren't constantly working. It ends up in severe cramps withi...

Mod Note: This has certainly been a long and winding topic. By and large it's been a civil discussion with little need for moderation. Thanks to all who have participated with thoughtfulness on a sensitive subject. With a thread this long, a number of side issues that have come up for discussion. U...

I have a followup question. I have mild scoliosis so seated meditation is difficult for me. Will I need to get that treated before I can really meditate properly? How important is precise posture in meditation? (Before answering, I'd like to ask some questions. They will help in better understandin...

Rehashing an old thread after speaking with some Advaitans and I was wondering if anyone could explain how vāsanās and the arising of thoughts are to be seen from an Advaitan perspective since they've yet to explain. From Guru Vachaka Kovai , on p.21 David Godman comments, Vasanas are mental habits...

Anyway, I am not interested in the propaganda of one side or the other regarding the issue, I am interested in whether the quote YOU POSTED is from a Theravada or a Mahayana source. I bet it is Theravada. As far as I can tell, the quote that Nicholas posted comes from Peter Harvey himself. As Buddh...

TharpaChodron wrote:

anjali wrote:Ok. The salami jokes were funny enough not to delete (at least for me), but it's time to get back on track with the topic...

apologies for my last post.

No worries. It's all good.

Ok. The salami jokes were funny enough not to delete (at least for me), but it's time to get back on track with the topic...

National Geographic published an article a few years ago on, Solar Eclipse Myths from Around the World . I particularly liked this one, "My favorite myth is from the Batammaliba people in Togo and Benin" in Africa, said Holbrook. In this myth, the sun and the moon are fighting during an ec...

When I was growing up in Hawaii Buddhism was very much confined to and identified with ethnicity. This has changed somewhat but this rule of thumb appears to still be operating largely. This is one reason why Buddhism has more or less been dying for the past two generations - it is seen largely as ...

A beautiful temple and setting. I've never been to Hawaii, although it is on my bucket list someday. I was wondering if there is a kind of pilgrimage circuit of Buddhist temples one could go on?

Nicholas Weeks wrote:Near the end of the Avatamsaka Sutra is a famous bodhisattva aspiration or prayer; here is one translation of it:

http://community.palouse.net/lotus/kingprayer.htm

The link doesn't work.

For example, in Sakya they have a system where one can visualize oneself as a Hevajra, and practice it as a yidam. One can also practice Hevajra Guru yoga where one visualizes the guru as the mandala of Hevajra. But theory behind each practice is completely different. They are separate paths. The l...

A friend's daughter just graduated from University of California San Diego, where the Dalai Lama gave the commencement speech. I was able to find it online here. Thought others might enjoy watching it.

Several photos of Chetsang Rinpoche and Garchen Rinpoche arriving at Yavapai College, from The Daily Courier, a local paper in Prescott, Arizona. Another article, also from the Daily Courier: First time in U.S., Buddhist celebration to take place at Yavapai College . An interesting tidbit about Chet...

Quay wrote:To put it briefly, this is the best data they can get, one should "use caution when interpreting it on diagnoses of HIV infection," and that there is a probable +/-v20% error rate for which there is currently no way to correct.

Good point.