Search found 112 matches

by twelph
Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:21 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?
Replies: 140
Views: 23167

Re: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?

The Buddha never taught anything resembling Plato's theory of The Forms or The Good, and to suggest associating the Buddha with one of the most misguided philosophies ever recorded does the Buddha, the religion and his follower a great injustice. In response to this, I will quote myself. When I tal...
by twelph
Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:23 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?
Replies: 140
Views: 23167

Re: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?

As a side note, meditation has the benefit of stilling the mind to the point where evaluating one's thinking can be directly linked to different sensations in the body. When critical thinking talks about trying to determine your own bias, using the body as a frame of reference to notice when you fe...
by twelph
Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:47 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?
Replies: 140
Views: 23167

Re: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?

Well, according to the video's conclusion, critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improve it. However, It's orientation depends on it's telos, or goal. When combined with Buddhism, the goal becomes quite clear, as you've rightly noticed from Reverend Tejani...
by twelph
Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:02 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?
Replies: 140
Views: 23167

Re: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?

...it's interesting to compare critical thinking with Sayadaw U Tejaniya's method of asking questions about your thoughts during meditation. For sure. Do you have any of his particular writings or talks in mind? Honestly it's throughout all of his teachings. He is constantly offering up questions f...
by twelph
Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:11 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?
Replies: 140
Views: 23167

Re: Is Critical Thinking Active Vipassana?

as it says on the tin, "Is critical thinking active vipassana? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLyUHbexz04 it seams to me that it is, but I would like to have your thoughts on this. I would say it is because it is the application of right effort inwardly to oneself (as described in the video a...
by twelph
Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:36 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Four Types of Meditation suitable to the Majority
Replies: 8
Views: 3832

Re: Four Types of Meditation suitable to the Majority

Not the majority of westerners, I reckon. Breath, vipassana, and metta for westerners. The other stuff is too far out for westerners who are pretty weirded-out by Buddhism anyway. What meditation do people think is unsuitable ? :shrug: Is it different of westerners and Asians? :sage: Graham From ex...
by twelph
Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:54 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: A Whole Book on Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Replies: 5
Views: 2807

Re: A Whole Book on Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

I've been waiting for him to make a book like this. As much as I appreciate his constant quoting of the Suttas, it gives the book a disjointed feeling.
by twelph
Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:15 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Replies: 266
Views: 73073

Re: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

No she doesn't. She consistently teaches, as she says over and over, a combination of methods from all her teachers. Plus, Reverend Tejaniya is likely very influenced by Mahasi. She just consistently does retreats in the style of Saydaw U Tejaniya. http://audiodharma.org/series/2/talk/1925/" o...
by twelph
Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:36 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Is watching *just the mind's movement* bona fide?
Replies: 4
Views: 1640

Re: Is watching *just the mind's movement* bona fide?

Hello all, did the Buddha teach any sitting practice that comprised just observing wherever the mind is in the present moment? Not bringing it in to the body, or anywhere else in particular, but rather, just observing whatever is apparent with equanimity, even observing how attentiveness ebbs and f...
by twelph
Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:41 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Replies: 266
Views: 73073

Re: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Keep in mind that there is no Buddhist Theology, and never is it suggested that you must believe a certain way. The Buddha taught to his listeners, and gave them appropriate responses. I think Thanissaro is dong his best to get through to the people he is teaching. That's his job, right? Yes, espec...
by twelph
Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:39 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Closing Your Eyes and Breathing Through the Nose
Replies: 5
Views: 2377

Re: Closing Your Eyes and Breathing Through the Nose

As far as I can tell, there are no such details on technique in the suttas. Whether or not to close the eyes, where to be aware of the breath, whether or not to control the breath, tricks for maintaining mindfulness (such as counting breaths), whether to walk fast or slow when doing walking meditat...
by twelph
Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:53 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Closing Your Eyes and Breathing Through the Nose
Replies: 5
Views: 2377

Closing Your Eyes and Breathing Through the Nose

I was reading through the Satipatthana Sutta and thinking back about everything in the Pali Canon I've read, and I can't seem to recall a place where the Buddha recommends keeping your eyes closed during meditation and breathing through your nose. It seems to be the way it is most often taught, I wa...
by twelph
Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:10 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Replies: 266
Views: 73073

Re: New Book on Mindfulness by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

This is why we always have to be open to whatever comes up in the course of the meditation - whatever insights, whatever realizations, whatever issues arise - because a lot of times the things that come up are more valuable than what you thought you were looking for. You focus on the basic techniqu...
by twelph
Mon Jan 07, 2013 3:03 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Not-Thinking as a practice
Replies: 54
Views: 13902

Re: Not-Thinking as a practice

A worldling who believes that the abandoning of māna consists in the deliberate avoidance of thinking and conceiving will be going about things the wrong way. He will probably just end up frustrated, unless he’s a jhāna-wallah and very strongly committed to deliberate abstention from thinking, in w...
by twelph
Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:21 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Not-Thinking as a practice
Replies: 54
Views: 13902

Re: Not-Thinking as a practice

Could you please link a source outside of the Abhidharma stating that anicca, dukkha, and anatta are found in all Dhamma? A lot of what you are saying is very reminiscent of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, who acknowledges that his teachings stem from this source. In Dhammapada it states that all sankharas are...