About Bodhipaksa
Hi, I’m Bodhipaksa, and I set up Wildmind with the help of my friends Roger and Beth. I’m a member of the Western Buddhist Order, I’ve been a practicing Buddhist since 1982, and I’ve been teaching meditation since the late 1980’s.
I was given the name Bodhipaksa when I joined the Western Buddhist Order in 1993. “Bodhi” means enlightenment and “paksha” (there’s a dot under the “s” which gives it a “sh” sound) means “wings.” So my name means “Wings of Enlightenment.”
I was born and brought up in Scotland, although I now live in the US. For three years, I was the director of Dhanakosa retreat center, in the Highlands of Scotland, and after that I ran the Edinburgh Buddhist center. For three years, I taught Buddhist meditation in the Religious Studies department at the University of Montana, before moving to New Hampshire with my wife.
I love teaching meditation. It’s had a tremendously positive effect on my own life, and I’ve seen it have an equally large effect on the lives of my students. Over and over again, students have told me how learning to meditate has changed their lives.
For many years I’ve been excited by the potential for bringing the benefits of meditation to millions of people over the Internet. That enthusiasm is what led to me setting up Wildmind.
Wildmind started as a project while I was completing a Masters degree in Montana. Supported by a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies, I worked with Dr. Alan Sponberg to develop an innovative Internet based meditation course for the University of Montana, and that experiment formed the basis of Wildmind.
I hope you find these materials useful, and I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to drop me a line using the comment form below. If you want to write more privately use the “contact” link above — the message will get to me.
I also have a personal blog where I post a ragbag of opinions, rants, family photographs, etc. It’s at Bodhipaksa.com.
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Comments
Comment from Steve
Time: June 27, 2007, 9:44 pm
I have been listening to your Guided Meditations for calmness, awareness and love. It seems to be helping.
Thank you
Comment from Stacey
Time: October 9, 2007, 4:49 pm
Can you please tell me what Bodhipaksa means..? I know what Bodhichitta means and Bodhisattva, but what does bodhipaksa mean?? thanks
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 9, 2007, 5:15 pm
Did I forget to say what my name means? Phonetically it’s Bodhipaksha (there’s a dot under the “s” which makes it a “sh” sound) and it means Wings (paksha) of Enlightenment (bodhi).
Comment from c.
Time: December 10, 2007, 9:28 pm
hi,
I want to thank you for your guided meditation for stress reduction cd. i’ve been struggling with insomnia and depression for some time and listening to your cd at night has been a life saver, truly. Your voice is incredibly soothing and I feel guided and oddly safe. your good intentions really come through. I’m very grateful to you for this.
Can you tell me what other cd’s you “narrate” (for lack of a better word)?
thank you,
c.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: December 11, 2007, 7:32 am
Thanks for the kind comment, C. It’s always good to hear from people who have benefited from what we do.
If you check out Wildmind’s online store you’ll find my other CDs listed there.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Tracy
Time: February 16, 2008, 7:57 am
Hi Bodhipaksa,
I wanted to thank you for your guided meditation cd. I have been using it almost every day for about two years and I have found it truly wonderful and beneficial. It has allowed me to slowly open my heart more and more and to become more and more alighned with my higher self. It is like a good friend that is always there to turn too with it’s calm reassurance.
Thank you for shining a bright light in my life,
Much love, Tracy xxx
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: February 16, 2008, 4:51 pm
You’re very welcome, Tracy, and I’m really delighted to hear of the benefits you’ve been experiencing.
Comment from Erik Iwersen
Time: March 16, 2008, 12:08 am
Hello Bodhipaksha,
I used to be a student at the U of M in Missoula, circa 2001-2. It has been several years since I have been back or spoken to anyone who introduced me to Buddhism. I just wanted thank you (and Satayaloka, Saramati, and co.) for teaching me how to meditate and exposing me to the path of Buddhism. I doubt that you would remember me, I’m sure you had hundreds of students at the time, but the impact that you and Saramati and Satyaloka had on me is something that has changed me for the better ever since. I am a special education teacher in Chicago, and a regular practitioner of meditation. I have been practicing with a group out here called the New Kadampas, a Tibetan tradition, and my life is far richer because of this practice. I would never have known of meditation or the Buddhist path had it not been for you guys. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your practice with me. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Please continue to spread the word. Thanks.
Erik Iwersen
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: March 16, 2008, 4:51 pm
Hi Erik,
It’s great to hear from you! I have a picture of a tall guy with fair hair (and maybe glasses) come to mind when I hear your name. I wonder if that’s you?
Anyway, good luck with your practice, even if luck doesn’t have much to do with it!
With metta,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from PJM
Time: May 12, 2008, 5:07 pm
i first found your guided meditations on Itunes. i have just completed the UMass MBSR course. i liked it so much i took it twice in a row. But I wanted to investigate other meditative approaches, so I discovered your stuff. I have suffered from clinical depression off and on since I was 16 years old (40 years ago, and was hospitalized 3 times as a result.) I think meditation can be an amazing tool in the treatment of depression in conjunction with exercise or medication etc. For me it tends to require a multiple pronged approach. However, the fact that meditation does not bring the side effects of medication with it and can engender better physical health makes it a very important tool. I live outside of Boston. i was just wondering if you run any in-person workshops? i went to dartmouth, and both my parents used to live in NH so i’m used to driving all over the place up there.
Overall, i think the website is very well done. I think the melding of eastern thoughts and techniques with western analytical processes (by the scientists) are one day going to conquer depression.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: May 13, 2008, 1:58 pm
Hi PJM,
I’m really pleased to hear that you’re finding meditation to be useful in dealing with depression.
At the moment the only face-to-face teaching I’m doing is in prison and at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in Newmarket, NH. But my friend and colleague Sunada (who teaches our online courses at present) is running classes in Cambridge. I’m sure she’d be delighted to work with you.
See http://www.bostonfwbo.org for details.
Comment from Atula Shah
Time: August 4, 2008, 6:13 am
Hello Bodhipaksa,
I am practising Buddhist, & find your website really amazing & very helpfull to my path. I have been practising sitting & walking mediatation, now after attending a 10day Vipassana Mediatation course here in Nairobi(that is where I am from)as taught by S.N. Goenka it is truly changed my prespective to life & people aroundme, events & issues.
Thank you for the guidance that you have shared in your mediatation sites. The Posture site was helpful as I am difficulty with sitting postures as I need back support & to practice Vipassana one has to sit upright without support.
With Metta
Atula
Comment from me
Time: November 4, 2008, 10:11 pm
My only complaint is that you don’t have more CDs! I actually started with Kabat Zinn CDs but stumbled across you in a random Amazon search. Now I prefer yours over any I have and listen to one every day. You have the perfect voice for leading meditation. I also like how I feel comfortable even though I am not Buddhist because they seem adaptable whatever your beliefs. More please! I have them all!
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 5, 2008, 12:33 pm
Well thank you, “me,” for your kind comment. I have a couple of CDs coming out through Sounds True next year, and another through “One Spirit” (although it’s just a kind of “selected highlights” from the ST sets). And I’ve recorded another CD for publication through Wildmind, but just haven’t gotten around to getting it pressed yet. So your wish will come through before too long!
Comment from Rachel
Time: December 15, 2008, 11:02 pm
Hi,
I have been listening to your guided meditation for stress reduction and your guided meditations for calmness, awareness and love CDs for a while now. I suffer from fairly severe anxiety and I have found your meditations to be immensely helpful particularly at night when things seem to worsen. I just wanted you to know that you are doing a wonderful thing, and for a number of us it has been truly life-changing. Keep it up Bodhipaksa, go well!
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: December 16, 2008, 10:32 am
Thank you for your kind comment, Rachel. I’m very pleased to hear that the techniques I’ve been taught are helpful to you as well. I offer gratitude to the practitioners of the past 2,500 years who have passed on these meditations.
Comment from beckie
Time: May 1, 2009, 8:11 am
Greetings,
I have been studying Buddhism mostly independently with the help of books, cds, and the internet. I recently had the opportunity to attend a retreat on wisdom and lovingkindness at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. I have great interest in metta meditation and I am looking for a ’sitting group’ in my area, which is the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. I see that you live in NH, so perhaps you can help to guide me to a nearby group or give suggestions on how I might ’start’ an informal sitting group.
mettta
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: May 1, 2009, 9:17 am
Hi Beckie,
I don’t know of any sitting groups in your area. I guess you’ve already tried Google and haven’t found anything, or presumably you wouldn’t be asking. The closest group I know of isn’t very conventional — it’s the dharma group that meets in the State Prison for Men in Concord on Thursday afternoons. Getting involved there is a very viable option — it’s a friendly group and at the moment it’s mainly run by a couple of women, Lori and Candace. I’ll be joining in a few weeks once a study group I lead on Wednesday mornings comes to an end.
Apart from that, the only other place I know of is Aryaloka, in Newmarket. I do some teaching there from time to time and they are excellent folks.
I’ve never started an informal sitting group from scratch so I’m not sure how useful my opinions would be. If I was going to do that myself, and if I was at your level of experience, I’d probably advertise locally and start by having a group that listened to CDs, rather than trying to teach or lead the practices myself. Once the group was a bit more consolidated and some mutual trust had built up would be the time, I think, to start experimenting with leading meditation.
If you have any questions about the prison group or Aryaloka, feel free to email me. A reply to the notification email should get to me.
Comment from sandy
Time: May 1, 2009, 3:28 pm
just back from a family retreat, which also gave sophie and i a chance to have smritiratna and amodhavira do our mitra ceremony at dhanakhosa – 14 years late as smriti said. we remember one of our early retreats which you lead with fondness and are delighted to see you having fun.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: May 1, 2009, 8:02 pm
Ah, I remember that retreat. It was a work retreat, wasn’t it. With a lot of people from Sheffield in attendance. 1995? It’s good to hear your news, and I also heard this morning that Smritiratna was doing the former Dharmapala’s (re)ordination. Congratulations all round!
Comment from Teresa Dorey
Time: May 15, 2009, 6:18 pm
Dear Bodhipaksa
Do you still offer a meditation mentoring service? I have been meditating for quite some time, but am quite isolated in Jersey, Channel Islands. I belong to a Buddhist group here practising with FWBO materials, but we are seld supporting. I subscribed to your service some time ago – I would be grateful if you could confirm how the support service works as I can’t remember, and how much the fees would be per month. Thank you, Teresa
Comment from Sunada
Time: May 17, 2009, 9:42 pm
Teresa,
I do offer a meditation coaching service — you can learn more about it here: http://www.wildmind.org/mindworks/med-coaching. I also teach the online courses here at Wildmind and have been doing so for the last 3 years.
Best wishes,
Sunada
Comment from Mike
Time: June 7, 2009, 5:01 pm
Hi Bodhipaksa,
Last year, as a member of the Open Circle, I was quite the smart-arse at a time when Shrijnana had her hands full and could well have done without the extra bother of dealing with me.
I did eventually realise this, and quit.
Older, and probably no wiser, but after some metta practice, and looking to take part in the Urban Retreat, I’ve now found the grace to offer an apology, which perhaps you’ll pass on.
I continue to find Wildmind very useful, with its continual improvements.
With metta,
Mike
Comment from Patty
Time: June 12, 2009, 3:45 am
Dear Bodhipaksa,
Your meditation insruction has turned my life around. Never have I experienced such comfort and peace from a human voice. So glad I have discovered you. I have also turned a few open-minded friends on to your meditations. Thank you so much! Patty
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: June 12, 2009, 7:45 am
Hi Patty,
I’m so glad to hear that you’ve found my meditation teaching to be helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share your appreciation.
Comment from Tuan
Time: July 16, 2009, 2:46 pm
Hi Bodhipaksa,
I was looking for the way to recite the Buddhist Mantras correctly, I tumble across your site. Your, information published here are quite informative. Just let you know that you have done a great service for all of us who are seeking for guidance, I thank you for that and keep up this good work.
With metta,
Tuan
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: July 16, 2009, 3:12 pm
You’re very welcome, Tuan. The mantra section is the busiest part of our site, and I’m glad to be able to pass on what I’ve learned.
Comment from kum kum bhasin
Time: August 14, 2009, 11:23 pm
I took a berathing meditation course from your website 4 years ago- i notice that you dont offer those any more- is that correct??
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 15, 2009, 9:27 am
Hi Kum Kum,
I’m not too sure what course it is you mean. We have four regular courses that we run every month, but we also sometimes host courses taught by other teachers. Perhaps it’s one of those that you’re recollecting?
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Mike
Time: August 27, 2009, 6:42 am
Bodhipksa —
Your meditations are key to my daily life — every AM. Is your Wildmind orgaization strictly an online experience or do you host or lead live meditation groups?
Mike in Newburyport, MA
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 27, 2009, 9:36 am
Sunada teaches classes in Somerville (http://www.bostonfwbo.org). I do some teaching at Aryaloka in NH (http://www.aryaloka.org) but since I have a new baby I don’t get out much these days! I’m looking forward to getting back to teaching.
Comment from margaret
Time: September 12, 2009, 7:13 pm
Hello from Scotland I found about you whilst doing a search on Amazon one of the people who had written a review had mentioned your Scottish accent this was for me a reason to purchase 2 of your meditations discs I have recently been off work due to stress and have suffered from very painful IBS and anxiety I have suffered from panic attacks over the years and require tranquillisers to go on flights or long journeys due to claustrophobia I am desperate to find something which will help me become much calmer as I have always been a nervous and anxious person.I enjoyed reading about you and look forward to practising meditation to help me become much more relaxed in every day life
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: September 16, 2009, 9:42 am
Hi Margaret,
Thanks very much for writing. I hope the CD helps you to feel more at ease with yourself. Feel free to let me know how you get on.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Robin
Time: November 12, 2009, 11:29 pm
Hi,
I love the idea of teaching meditation to prisoners. I just contacted Dr. Kent Kiehl of the Mind Research Institute (in the US). He performs fMRIs on violent prison inmates who are undergoing cognitive psychotherapy and studies the results. I asked him if he knew of any studies of prisoners who have undergone any kind of relaxation therapy. He said he has heard of this in some prisons but did not know if there were any studies about it.
Anyway, I found Wildmind and you and thought I would ask if you knew of any prisons where relaxation therapies were performed (like shiatsu or reiki, etc.)?
Thank you for your time!
Robin
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 13, 2009, 11:59 pm
Hi Robin,
I’m afraid I don’t know of any programs like that.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Jeff Bell
Time: November 16, 2009, 10:27 pm
Hi, Bodhipaksa. Just wanted to thank you for helping spread the word about my new book, WHEN IN DOUBT, MAKE BELIEF. I’m very heartened by the response this book is getting from the Buddhist community–especially because of the immense role that Buddhist mindfulness has played in my own battles with uncertainty.
Gratefully yours,
- jeff bell
http://www.BeyondTheDoubt.org
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 16, 2009, 11:35 pm
You’re very welcome, Jeff. You’re doing good work and I hope your book is reaching a wide audience.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Lisa Lassner
Time: December 17, 2009, 12:39 pm
Hi Bodhipaksa,
I have some questions on the Opening the Mind meditation. You talk about the fact that when you are intensely focusing on something the muscles tense etc. Is this based on research? I’d be very interested in any links you have on the subject. I think this might be part of what has caused chronic tension in me my whole life.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: December 17, 2009, 4:05 pm
Hi Lisa,
It’s just based on my experience of myself and of watching others. A lot of the physical tension that builds up in our bodies through normal day-to-day usage seems to be from “concentrating” in an unhelpful way. I’m afraid I don’t have any articles to offer, although this page, for example, describes tension headaches as being “the product of tightening muscles caused by such things as emotional stress or physical straining.”
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