Category Archives: Dukkha

Restlessness and remorse and the karma of lives past and present

By Paul | Published: September 11, 2009
Together, restlessness and remorse are the fourth of the five hindrances to meditation as well as to leading a happy life. Restlessness is a general sense of dissatisfaction with how things are. Feelings of restlessness can be very subtle or very intense. The result is a need to move, to do something. Remorse is a [...]
Also posted in Buddhism, Change, Delusion, Desire, Impermanence | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Watching a doubtful mind

By Paul | Published: June 28, 2009
My visit to Abhayagiri Monastery last week – and the 13-hour drive to and from – is in the past. So too is the feeling that overcame me shortly after arriving early Friday evening. The Buddha speaks of three kinds of feeling: pleasant, unpleasant and neither pleasant nor unpleasant. What I experienced during the initial [...]
Also posted in Buddhism, Delusion, Desire, Dhamma, Dharma, Suffering, The Buddha, Upasaka | Leave a comment

What is Happiness?

By Paul | Published: May 25, 2009
Six bhikkhus in ochre robes sat along the wall to Ajahn Liem’s left (see previous post). Below the altar and to his right sat his translator, Ajahn Siripanyo, abbot of Wat Dtao Dam. To the right of the altar sat two anagarikas. The two were conspicuous in their youthfulness, in their stark white robes, and [...]
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A Simple Formula for Ending Suffering

By Paul | Published: October 13, 2008
Earlier I wrote about my fears regarding the outcome of the election. I hesitated to publish those thoughts because I knew they were based in my wanting things to be different from what they are. Yet I felt compelled to get my ideas into some manageable form. Fear is suffering. If there is suffering, there [...]
Also posted in Buddhism, Fear, politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments