I was looking at him but I noticed he has aligned himself with the TWIM people and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I have found his materials helpful. Leigh braisington teaches light jhana which I find helpful because my mind gets more stable and bright so I can observe impermanence more clearly...

Sounds on point. I will definitely reach out, thanks! This organisation is tailor-made for lay people: https://samatha.org/ They are based in the UK, but initial teaching and regular classes take place worldwide via Zoom. There are certainly established groups in the US, although I'm not sure about ...

All, I have decided to delve deeper into shamatha this year after recovering from an extended illness. I do have some experience with Theravada practice/retreats, but an a bit out of the swing of things. I have already searched this site for information. Are there recommended traditions/teachers/res...

I'm tempted to ask: how can one NOT live in the present moment? Even thoughts of the past and future occur in the present moment.

I also don't think a teacher is required, especially not for keeping the precepts! However, I have found teachers at times to be indispensable. This is especially true in the beginning. A beginning meditation student is facing not only a lifetime of unwholesome habits, but a world which tosses many ...

I'd say, let them all go. Back to oral tradition!

I was taught that it was in the order of arising. First, there is a form. Immediately, we like, dislike, or neither like nor dislike the form. This is mixed in with the perception. These drive the various reactions. All of this gives rise to a continuous sense of self. Of course, in practice, they d...

amtown, I think you will find a variety of perspectives that fall under the banner of Buddhist teaching. There is Theravada, which is mostly what this forum is about. Within Theravada, there is a huge variety. There is also Mahayana with its numerous forms: citta matra, Pure land, Zen, Hua Yen, Tend...

Alex, I think you're hitting some important points about what happens when we atomize "moments". Your post sounds a lot like the arguments Nagarjuna makes. If time is made up of atomic moments, then how can there be room for motion or changed? Motion in the past is moved. Motion in the fut...

I've yet to see the sky and earth independent of mind.

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,

Mind precedes all experienced phenomenon, but does not precede the sky and the earth.

Metta,
Retro.

I thought the first page or so was interesting, then came the weeds.

So was the original question about deep sleep ever answered?

End suffering

It strikes me that looking for a reason is just another way of looking for a self.

Annapurna wrote:

PeterB wrote:I dont think beings are born as animals Anna. I think that animals are born.

Why are some born as animals and some as humans?

There must be a reason?

It seems that my initial impressions were correct: there is no contradiction between Pali and non-dual Buddhism.

I like Shonin's definition above. I think of non-duality as going beyond distinctions and discrimination. Another way to put it is that all distinctions and discriminations are empty. Classic dualities include: Mind and Matter Mind and Body Subject and Object Me and You Upon investigation, these dua...