In this teachings of the Buddha, quite often would describe two streams of consideration.  One is what we call "Conventional Truth" or "Conventional Reality", and the other is called "Liberation Truth", "Transcendent Truth", or "Liberation Reality".  In

In the mornings, we've been having some basic readings from the texts, which outline what we call the "Gradual Path".  The Buddha would read people's minds, and see a gradual way of introducing the ideas which lead to liberation.  There are a progressio

When a group of people develop a common form, a ritual, and then they use it for a sense of uplift, in this kind of endeavour we're involved in.  It's not [strictly] necessary, [as] we can just plunk down, put on a buzzer, and then leave, but then I thin

This is a monastery that offers training for men that want to become Bhikkhus, and it's also a residence for people like myself, as well as a place for Lay People to come and practice. Why do you need a monastery?  Why not just have a retreat center? 

The sense of time is an object of consciousness; you can know that.  Objects create a sense of a person in time.  There's movement of time--chronological time, memory time, but you can only know the present moment.  You can't become aware as a kind of

One of the criticisms of Western Buddhism is that it's a kind of 'feel good' philosophy.  There is a tendency sometimes with retreats and meditation situation where you get a kind of precious attitude.  You might think, 'This silence is so precious.' 

The abbot has tremendous influence just because of the nature of our hierarchy.  Just his personality has a tremendous kind of influence.  So, when an abbot changes, we can see how attached we can get to personalities.  So, our minds start to compare,

The central theme is the awakened mind.  If you trust in that and see that as important then the issue is what helps to sustain the awakened mind?  It's very simple that way, but our habits are complicated.

Sometimes you get committee members calling from your adolescence. One of the errors people make in Buddhism is to think "I am working through my Karma", as if you have got a certain amount of punishment you have to go through. This is wrong view.

We say that form follows function. Buddhism is really a very elegant form.  When I think of it, it's a very beatifully designed teaching.  But, it has a function.  It's not just an artifact that you believe.