Wildmind's meditation blog
Wildmind's blogs are where you'll find book reviews, commentary, podcasts, and articles that don't fit neatly into the more structured guides to meditation that you'll find on the main part of the site. Articles are arranged below by date, and you can also browse by author and category using the links on the left.
Barbara Sher: “We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music.”
We all want to be happy, but often we’re not. Bodhipaksa argues that this is because of the way we treat ourselves as a thing that lacks happiness, and happiness as a thing to be grasped.
In a parable in the Buddhist teachings, a king hears the sound of a lute for the first time and asks to see what produced such sweet music. A lute is produced, but the king is not satisfied. He … Click to read more »
Stop samsara, I want to get off!
Finding contentment in a materialistic world, or, how our author didn’t buy an iPhone, and then did, and then didn’t again.
I admit I struggle with an attraction to shiny objects, and in my mind nothing shines with quite the seductive luster of a latest-model iPhone. When I first heard that the iPhone was in the works, about three years ago, I was filled with what can only be called technolust — a … Click to read more »
Bid for freedom
Is it possible to combine spiritual practice with professional poker, to remain detached and equanimous in the midst of a game full of bluffing, and where the aim is to take away other people’s money? In 2005 Vishvapani talked this over with Andrew Black, one of the world’s finest poker players — and a devout Buddhist.
The World Series of Poker at Binions Casino in Las Vegas is down to its last five … Click to read more »
Mark Twain: “Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol…”
Bodhipaksa explores the relationship between hats, iPods, desires, and needs. And also figures out what the Pali for “Palm Pilot” is. Oh, and he also offers a radical approach to dealing with distraction in meditation.
“Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.”
Twain argues that when you find yourself desiring, say, a hat, it’s … Click to read more »