Nirvana

What the heck is “the unconditioned”?

I often hear Buddhists talking about "the unconditioned." I'm extremely suspicious of this expression. In fact think it's positively unhelpful,…

March 15, 2023

Fourth reminder: The defects of samsara

Samsara Is an ocean of suffering, Unendurable, Unbearably intense. Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche So what is Samsara? Most of us…

March 4, 2013

The Fourth Truth: There is a path that leads us away from suffering

I used to be confused about why the third truth came before the fourth. And I realize now that if…

July 2, 2012

“Not knowing how near the Truth is, people seek it far away”

Some years ago I noticed an odd thing; a lot of the Buddhists I knew (including myself) didn’t talk much…

June 17, 2012

The third truth: The cessation of suffering is attainable

Whoa! Really? There's an end to suffering? An end to our pain? Our inner conflicts? Yes there is. Sadly some…

June 4, 2012

G.K. Chesterton: “The true object of all human life is play.”

The bodhisattva moves through life elegantly, "in the zone" and in a state of playful "flow," and he can do…

July 27, 2009

“The Meditator’s Atlas: A Roadmap of the Inner World” by Matthew Flickstein

What is the Buddhist Path? Can we become spiritually awakened through meditation alone, or do we have to take a…

March 25, 2008