May 2008 Issue: "Practical Mysticism"

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On Practice

David Brazier: Mysticism and action

Are meditative experience and engagement with the world mutually contradictory? Guest contributor, Zen teacher and author David Brazier, examines the false dichotomy of mysticism and engagement.

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Mysticism: where the dharma rubber hits the road

In Sunada’s view, mysticism isn’t about indulging in out-of-body experiences as a way of escaping the world. It’s about meeting the world head-on and learning directly from it. It’s about as practical as it gets.

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Faith: credible mystery

Examining the place of faith in Buddhism, Nagapriya outlines why it is a crucial tool for understanding.

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Go Deeper Into Your Practice With The Open Circle

If you've been looking for the support and encouragement of a community of like-minded spiritual practitioners, the Open Circle may be just right for you.

The Open Circle is an ongoing discussion forum in which you can explore Buddhist teachings and apply them in your life. You can join the Open Circle at any time.

Part on-line book club, part course in Buddhism, Open Circle provides an opportunity to explore key Buddhist concepts and be guided through reflections and activities designed to integrate them into your life.

What are the topics for discussion and practice?

To begin with the discussions and activities are based on an exploration of the the very accessible book Buddhism: Tools for Living Your Life, by Vajragupta.

The focus of the Open Circle is on practice and discussion rather than simply study.

Each week we read and discuss a short section of the book, and take the principles and practices being covered into our daily lives.

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Ask Auntie Suvanna

This month our resident advice columnist Auntie Suvanna dispenses sage advice to a woman having problems with a boyfriend's excess body hair. What is the Buddhist position on waxing anyway?

Check out Auntie Suvanna's new column, and tell her your troubles.

Quote of the Month

"Uncontrolled, the hunger and thirst after God may become an obstacle, cutting off the soul from what it desires."
-Aldous Huxley

If meditation practice leads to the cessation of desire, then how are we to pursue spiritual goals? Are there good and bad kinds of desire? Can desire be spiritually helpful? Bodhipaksa explores a saying by Aldous Huxley in an attempt to shed some light.

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Book Review

"Gesture of Awareness" by Charles Genoud

How useful can books be in stimulating spiritual realization, when such realization must be grounded in experience? Paramananda takes a skeptical -- yet appreciative -- look at a new book attempting to pointing the way to non-duality.

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Meditation in the News:
Top Five Stories of Last Month

We've recently integrated our news database into our regular blog. We hope that you like the new arrangement as much as we do.

• Meditation technique can lower blood pressure
• Freedom in prison
• Scientists probe meditation secrets
• Olympic torch relay marked by protests
• Mixing meditation, yoga, and money management