Archive for February 2013

In metta (loving-kindness) practice, one widens the circle of concern from the self, to loved ones, to neutral and difficult people, and then to all beings. The question is, does the goal of minimizing suffering and maximizing well-being for all beings entail not killing any of them? From the traditional Buddhist point of view, it does.…

World’s First Materialist? Secular Buddhism is often described as a kind of materialism, so it might be helpful to investigate what that meant during the Buddha’s time. The Buddha’s references to the ascetic Ajita Kesakambalī are the place to look. Kesakambalī was the first recorded materialist in India, and perhaps the first in history. His…

“And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.” — SN 45.8 “Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless & unfaulted by knowledgeable people. Which five? It is spoken at the right time. It…

Our friends Roland Griffiths and Katherine MacLean are looking for a bit of help with their research, if anyone would care to participate here’s the information about what they’re looking for. “We’re conducting an anonymous, web-based study to characterize difficult or challenging experiences that people sometimes have on psilocybin mushrooms (i.e. “bad trips,” whether the…

In January of 2013, on a whim we started the Practice Challenge. Every day, we posted on FaceBook something to try, something to think about, or something to encourage everyone in their practice. On the suggestion of our friend Ben Fleury-Steiner, we’ve collected the posts and are sharing them here in one spot. Thanks again…