Category Archives: Upasaka

The mindful way of letting go of a gathering storm

By Paul | Published: May 3, 2010
On Saturday, just a couple of days ago now, I was in a bad mood. Not my occasionally cranky self, but the worst mood I’d been in for perhaps 15 years. It had been building all week, like a storm on the horizon. In contrast I had spent the previous weekend – Thursday evening through [...]
Also posted in Buddhism, Delusion, Dhamma, Dukkha, Practice, The Buddha | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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, Dukkha, Suffering, The Buddha | Leave a comment

Upasika Renewal at Abhayagiri

By Paul | Published: June 18, 2009
Sunday, while many are celebrating Father’s Day, I will be at Abhayagiri Monastery participating in the annual Upasika Renewal Day. I’ll be traveling there tomorrow with several others from Portland Friends of the Dhamma. It will be my first visit to Abhayagiri. We plan to arrive by 5:30, in time to share tea and conversation [...]
Also posted in Buddhism, Meditation, Practice | Leave a comment