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Did the Buddha teach us to get rid of our emotions?

We may think—or even hope—that Buddhist practice will help us switch off unpleasant emotions so that we don’t have to experience them. Sorry, but emotions are part of being human! However, they don’t have to cause so much suffering.

Sytse Boonstra

Aurelie Giraud

Kalpalatha Thiyagarajan

Oana Ratiu

Lorraine Smith

Shereen T Sy

Buse Gocmen

from

Denmark, Aalborg

Singapore

Budapest, Hungary

UK, Minchinhampton

Philippines, Makati City

Turkey, Istanbul

The Near and Far Enemies of Fierce Compassion

by Dr. Chris Germer

CMSC Co-Founder

September 3, 2020

Social justice work is not for the fainthearted. Now more than ever, we are obliged to acknowledge our own complicity in systems of oppression as well as to assert our individual agency to bring about a better world. Committed action by many people will eventually become a powerful force for systemic change. And yet many of us grapple with some basic questions: “What can I do?” “What should I do?”

I’ve been a student of meditative techniques and contemplative traditions for a while. I
have a decades-long personal practice and academic degrees in both religious studies and
psychology. And I have mixed feelings about the kind of attention mindfulness is currently
receiving and the ways it’s often conceptualized today in the West. On one hand, the
fact meditative practices and contemplative experiences are getting increased study I feel
is deeply beneficial and long overdue. On another, with only slight exaggeration, I’m

In Psychological Inquiry, 2007, 18 (No. 4), pp. 258-264.

Department of Psychology

University of California, Berkeley

1st mix of In-person and Online 

Meditation-related challenges

Reading the Academic Report: Progress or Pathology? from Lindahl et al 2020

This post offers a reflection on a recent academic paper and may be of particular interest to those who engage in mindfulness teaching, training and practice.

Making Mindfulness Safe and Effective for People Who’ve Experienced Trauma

The Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Podcast:

A monthly podcast hosted by David Treleaven featuring a variety of guests speaking about the intersection of mindfulness, meditation, and trauma.

https://davidtreleaven.com/podcast-2/

Here are my recommendations for further reading about the Satipatthana Sutta, in order of relevance:-

• Analayo - Satipatthana path to realization
• Analayo - Satipatthana Meditation a practical guide
• Living with Awareness - Sangharakshita

Hanka Čechová

Kim Young

Fernando Balsera

Eddy Cheng

David Rick

Anita Kleijn

Marta sanchez-capuchino

Tatiana Barillova

Kvetoslava Sarvasova

Karen Steele

Elise Lefebvre

Karolina Mazurek

Sunita Lama

Elena Sushko

Judit Hărdăut

Paolo Casartelli

Bilge Güçbilmez Buluş

Lesley Kidd

Kate Avis

Melanie Banerjee

Jacqui Edmiston

FROM

Chech, Prague

Thailand, Bangkok

Strengthening teaching integrity through practice, inquiry and community.

Mindful Academy Solterreno Teachers Sit with Inquiry:
A review of a COVID-19 support for MBSR Teachers.

Open Groups for Mindfulness Teachers

Background

Yes there is fear.

Yes there is isolation.

Yes there is panic buying.

Yes there is sickness.

Yes there is even death.

But,

They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise

You can hear the birds again.

They say that after just a few weeks of quiet

The sky is no longer thick with fumes

But blue and grey and clear.

They say that in the streets of Assisi

People are singing to each other

across the empty squares,

keeping their windows open

so that those who are alone

Pandemic

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath—

the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel.

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now,

on trying to make the world

different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those

to whom you commit your life.

Center down.

And when your body has become still,

reach out with your heart.

Know that we are connected

in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.