If interested, Soto Zen is non-mystical with no rebirth according to monks like Gudo Nishijima (see his interesting 30 questions below). He has a theory that meditation is a way to balance the autonomic nervous system. http://www.dogensangha.org/questions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return...

I think the Iranian Poets Rumi, Khayyam, and Hafez seem Buddhist: I sent my soul through the invisible, some letter of that after-life to spell and by-and-by my soul returned to me and answered, "I myself am heaven and hell". - Omar Khayyam In these one, two, three days a lifetime has passed, like c...

As danielLion mentioned, Congative Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is highly effective and compliments Buddhist meditation practice. My understanding of CBT is that emotional disturbances are caused by irrational thoughts. You have to catch these thoughts and dispute them rationally. This is where meditati...

Thanks for the link to Pyrrhonism: How the Ancient Greeks reinvented Buddhism. ( http://www.e-reading.org.ua/bookreader.php/134630/Pyrrhonism.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). I am interested in stoicism but could not find information on what practices they used to reach their go...

I find the 10 min dhamma talks that Thanissaro Bikhu gives to the monks at Metta Forrest monastery before they meditate to be motivational. The talks seem to be intended to motivate the monks to meditate, and deal with issues that come up during meditation. They are available at dhammatalks.org

I am not a Goenka student, but so far have found whole body awareness as taught by Thanissaro Bikhu to be most effective for daily mindfulness. Its not hard to keep the window of awareness large enough to fit your whole body. When the window of your awareness starts to shrink up you can use body sca...

Attachment to views, even right views, is a hindrance. If we have a good understanding of the Dhamma, we shouldn't get too upset when other disagree with us. If we argue too vigorously for our POV, it indicates some doubt and insecurity. When someone disagrees too vehemently, it is best not to resp...

It seems that you feel entitled to guidance but perhaps you have to earn that over a long period of time. THeravadan culture is not western culture. Also, I think we all tend to convert our personal preferences, in this case your preference that the monk reply to you, into absolutistic demands (he s...

With the birds chirping in the background it seems like you are sitting in the forest listening to the buddha

Interesting post. When you consider animals the logic of rebirth seems to break down. Its like asking if animals go to heaven

"As such, skillful means is a provocative and sophisticated idea that served the purpose of advancing a new religious ideology in the face of an already established canonical knowledge."

I don't see the connection between a new perspective or interpretation and the creation of a new ideology.

Friend Beeblebrox, Thank you for your wise counsel in presenting us with a relevant Sutta quote. I should've stuck to my original plan and not responded again. Alas, I am filled with defilements and they are showing. :embarassed: I want to apologize to everyone, especially Cittasanto, for being arg...

Thanks for the replies. I paraphrased the quotes from dhamma talks but will have to find them on my mp3 player. Below is some additional info that I found. "In trying to answer the Koan, the student will come to a mental "precipice", as it were, where all the methods and procedures of accepted think...

Thanissaro Bikhu says that maybe this famous koan is referring to sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that clap against the mind and cause it to clap back. Is the koan referring to the mind that does not clap back and does not react to the senses but just observes them ? That is the mind that we are ...

I would try changing your focus by either moving from nose to abdomen, or focusing on whole body plus breath at the same time to see if the pressure related to what your are focusing on. Ajahn Lee's method 2 (below) discusses relieving pressure (headaches/tension) by moving your focus from the nostr...