Concern over a lack of food for Burmese Buddhist nuns during the pandemic receives a boost.
Read MoreA groundbreaking fundraising operation to offer food to nuns suffering during the ongoing pandemic
Read MoreMettā through Zoom!
Read MoreAn upcoming online retreat available for meditators around the world.
Read MoreA Burmese meditator in Monywa reflects on the value of taking time to practice Vipassana meditation.
Read MoreThe long-awaited four-series volume on Burma, by acclaimed author and activist Alan Clements
Read MoreSeveral large meditation centers are facing existential crises in California.
Read MoreA Burmese monk living in seclusion on the Thai border.
Read MoreA Swedish meditator in Hpa-An describes how the traditional Buddhist alms walk of monks and novices in Myanmar has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreCarl Stimson reviews three books by American vipassana meditators who discovered Dhamma in the 1960s and 1970s: a hippy, a Vietnam veteran, and a former CIA agent who take up practice after traveling through Burma, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Nepal. Initially reflecting on the experience of these Western pioneers who brought themselves to the practice in an age when the mindfulness movement is firmly entrenched in the West, Stimson goes on to reflect about how (and if) meditation can be sustained after the honeymoon period has ended.
Read MoreDavid Sudar, an American former monk, reflects on his time with Sayadaw U Tejaniya and how he has been able to apply his teachings in daily since since studying under him.
Read MoreThe blogger “riverflows” describes a pilgrimage two years ago to Webu Sayadaw monastery in Ingyinbin, an inspiring read for meditators who one day wish to visit here.
Read MorePannobhasa Bhikkhu describes his strange experiences as being the first Westerner to meditate with Tant Kyi Taung Sayadaw on an intensive retreat.
Read MoreDan Kaminsky published this article on the Living Vipassana website, concerning his quest to find out why the male and female meditation cushions must be washed separately at vipassana centers in the tradition of SN Goenka. The article touches on many issues: the question of blind faith, a hierarchical-organizational structure, a belief in the role and importance of subtle vibrations, and even the issue of free speech, as some meditators have called for such content to be immediately removed from this and other blogs, and the authors to refrain from writing or talking further on the topic.
Read More“Since the beginning of pandemic, the part of my Buddhist training that I came to rely on the most is "Paticca Samuppada", or "The Law of Dependent Origination." In other words, as we can see clearly in the world today, all things and people are connected to each other. This is true of economies, or politics, or climate, or whatever….everything is interrelated.”
Read MoreWith Burmese monks unable to go out on alms rounds due to a nationwide lockdown, basic food and medical supplies are becoming difficult to attain at many monasteries. How can age-old Buddhist traditions be maintained in the Golden Land in the face of such disruption?
Read MoreLast year on Living Vipassana, Ryan Shelton penned the following essay about the 10-day silent retreat format in the tradition of the S.N. Goenka. Shelton reflects on the comparative value between these intensive retreats as they are currently offered, and the possibility of reaching students in new and different innovative ways by focussing mainly on anapana instruction.
Read MoreThabarwa Monastery has long pushed the boundaries of how a Burmese Buddhist monastery is expected to operate. Existing within a traditional, conservative, Burmese Buddhist society that is steeped either in age-old religious conventions or centered around post-war, highly structured, teacher-centered meditation retreats, Thabarwa is re-inventing the very role that a monastery can play in society.
Read MoreSupport Aung Ko Ko’s donation drive to collect funds to support the most impoverished families now affected by the coronavirus in Mandalay!
Read More