Shaila’s Blog

It is all about relationships

Meditation teachers often ask their students, "and what is your relationship to that?" If there is a painful sensation in meditation, we look not only at the physical sensations of pressure, burning and sharpness, but also how the mind relates to it. Is the way of knowing pain affected by aversion? If there is a [...]

2011-02-27T22:13:16-08:00February 27th, 2011|Daily Life Practice, Mindfulness Practice|

Contemplating the cycle of dependent arising

I just spent three marvelous days contemplating and discussing the cycle of dependent arising with 20 students. The topic invites the reflection that nothing exists separately or independently. Everything related to mind and matter arises due to causal conditions, and it ceases when those causal conditions cease. It might seem easy enough to agree with [...]

2017-02-16T09:34:58-08:00February 22nd, 2011|Investigating body and mind, Not-Self|

Practicing Renunciation in Lay Life

Happiness comes when we let go, not when we hold on. Do you sometimes feel the joy that comes with simplicity—the ease and sense of sufficiency discovered when you are without all your stuff, perhaps when you are traveling or camping? Renunciation brings joy by lightening our burdens. Recently some students have expressed interest in [...]

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