Buddhist Women on a Path of Spiritual Awakening
Rescue Remedy
By practising awareness of your breath you will begin to understand your mental and physical processes and develop mindfulness. You will know what is happening as it happens, and you will be able to recognize a hindrance and turn it off. Spiritual regret for…
Now in Session
Here are step by step instructions to deepen our meditation by refining close attention to the breath. Gradually investigate the impermanent nature of wanting, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness, and doubt as they arise, and fall away. With resolve and curiousity, we dismiss these five great…
Commitment & Sacrifice
The meaning of the words “commitment” and “sacrifice” are spoken of in relationship to taking of vows and training as an anagārikā as well as to practice as a householder. Regardless of the form we use, it is possible for each of us to…
Solstice Heart
With the advent of the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year – comes the promise that the light will return. We can honour this principle in our practice by turning towards the light that is revealed in our own minds. The…
Batik Buddha
Ayya Medhanandi reflects on the meaning of the different mudras or hand gestures used by the Buddha himself when he gave teachings. Each represents an important quality for us to practise and develop such as fearlessness, faith or compassion. You can see these mudras…
Energy Audit
You can conduct an energy audit on the strength of your attention when you sit down to meditate. Notice if your attention is wavering and then patiently seal up the leaks so that your mind is no longer tempted by the world that the…
Empty of Fear
A dedication to a member of the community who is in the last stages of life. She struggles with breathing but is composed and at peace with the process. We are reminded how important it is to train the mind while we are able…
Medicine Heart Metta: Guided Forgiveness
May you be well, happy, and peaceful. Learn how to connect with the radiant, loving energy in your heart. Dissolve your opinions and unwholesome attitudes and deepen a quintessential quality for the Path – forgiveness. It is the key to greater loving-kindness for all…
Bhikkhuni Pioneers
Ayya Medhanandi offers a historical perspective on the bhikkhuni tradition as well as insights on how to live with compassion in the world. She describes how the monastic communal experience provides abundant opportunities for the exploration of personal and collective aspirations to fulfill the…
Life-Saving Treasure
A reflection on the Upaddha Sutta (Half of the Holy Life) about the importance of good friends, companions, and comrades on the Eightfold Noble Path. Good friends encourage and share in developing seclusion of mind, dispassion towards the sense pleasures of the world, and,…
~ Dhammapada Verse 54