I am curious if I am the odd few or is there more people like myself? Do you guys feel depressed, lonely and hopeless about life sometimes? When something goes wrong do you think of suicide Do you feel stuck in a meaningless physical world which you know is an illusion? Do you feel stuck in life sit...

Thank you for your contribution guys. I am full with you on that - however, after meditating and sitting with this I feel like actually attending my business is the most direct way to my liberation. I feel really good to book my retreat in advance for the next November and during this time really fo...

Greetings Sean, That's a good point which is where I'm little confused about. Some of the Dhammapada teachings are so intense urging people to meditate, to renounce and to leave the worldly stuff behind. Things such as "now it's time to wake up when your still young before you get old" th...

Greetings, Your insightful thoughts are welcome :) Whether insightful or not, I do not recall the Buddha advising lay practitioners to go on 20 day retreats. I do however recall him providing teachings to lay people about responsible financial management. Maybe the Buddha had his priorities right, ...

I have enough money coming in to cover me for the month off During this off period, do you also have financial obligations to anyone other than yourself? (wife, kids, old parents, etc...)? If not, go for it. yes i do have other obligations that are currently on hold until I make more money to pay t...

Hey friends Love your insights and suggestions. I am feeling an inner conflict. I have a chance to apply and sit for a 20 day Vipassana retreat for my first time - and to go deeper into the technique with S.N Goenka but I feel behind in my career and still carry financial debt and I really want to c...

What about this: https://www.liberationpark.org/retreat/persrets.htm You must bring & cook your own food but it appears to be for free although you probably have do to some work. Its near Chicago. Looks great actually - i just wish it was closer, its 22 hours drive and roads are terrible or $90...

Do you know anyone with a cabin that's not being used this winter? Or do your friends know, or maybe parents know of some cabin you could use... Spread the word. Make a request on social media or similar websites, saying something like "cabin or shelter wanted for 30 days of personal silent re...

thank you so much friends, appreciate your kind pointings. I Find that the retreats are all booked months ahead and have so many limitations and restrictions on how long one can stay. From reading their website they only allow up to 2 weeks. (which makes sense otherwise it could turn into a hostel f...

I am interested in taking time for silence for 30 days without any communication and I am currenlty living with other people. I"m living in Canada (Calgary) I'm eager to know where I can possibly go to be able to have a room and 1 vegeterian meal per day for a month for the lowest price possibl...

Awesome share! Love shinzen and never heard that concept before. I feel I belong to the mono-spiritual path for sure because I am finding so much commonality between so many paths. Specially the commonalities between Patanjali and buddhas teachings - its very neat and I find it increases my confide...

but according to him we now live in a time of synthesis where the east and the west are combining - the heart and the mind are coming together. This makes a lot of sense to me. From what I'm learning the teachings of the Buddha is the path of the mind (or no mind) and it is the teaching of investig...

You don't necessarily have to choose. That may even be counter-productive. Exclusivist types will usually be loudest and have some kind of lock-tight reasoning about "many wells," but exclusivists can be dilettantes as well. Ask instead what nourishes you, and keep asking as it will likel...

Does sex make you get bad kamma? Ah, very good, I understand perfectly now. No, sex does not give you bad kamma. Kamma is created by intention. If you have good intention in sex you will get good kamma, and if you have bad intention with sex you will get bad kamma. If you have mixed intentions then...

Sean, As you wrote: "I have greatly benefited from every single teacher I have had and I love each of them so much. However, I keep hearing that I must choose only one path and stick to it and this is causing me great trouble." Ignore that 'one path' advice of others, perhaps unsolicited,...