In response to my post on masturbation a reader introduced me to the idea that the orgasm is the part of sex that results in craving, not the sex. I've been thinking about this idea and there are definitely aspects of it that resonate with me. These are currently just thoughts for me, but it's …
Peace from Truth
Remember when "spiritual, not religious" was one of the options for publicly announcing your religion on Facebook? Or maybe it was MySpace. I always wondered what people meant by that. It seems to imply a Cartesian duality, where some immaterial spirit or soul is something you hold more precious than the bland solid matter encountered …
Life Direction
My internal compass has always lead me in a slightly different direction than my peers. I've had trouble finding satisfaction in the more traditional trajectories. I always felt that there was more to life than just building a career, getting married, and having kids. What was the point of living a predictable path where every …
Facing Discomfort
Life can be challenging. We all face difficult life changing moments. How we respond in these moments help define who we are. I've alway evaluated myself and others when adversity arises. We often see the a persons true nature in these difficult moments. I've always strived to face these challenges head on. My willingness to fight …
For Health
I used to be very competitive. I would push myself to accomplish some future goal or the other. In particular, I would compete with myself when working out. I would run to get faster or practice sports to get better or do push ups to get stronger. After meditating for a while, these motivations just didn't …
I’m The Root Of The Problem
Watching the news can be difficult with all of the violence in the world. One wonders, "What would drive someone to do that?" Most people feel helpless to the inertia of the world, but some start thinking, "How can I help?" For a long time I was one of these people. I was searching for …
Proud To Stop Harming Others
We're taught to push. To go do something. To build a resume. To accomplish a goal. If you want to help the world, go create something that helps. I had no idea how much harm I was doing in the process of trying to help. Vipassana has taught me to slow down to observe my …
Masturbation
While I read in one of Goenka's question and answer sessions that masturbation, or as he calls it, "self-sex", isn't breaking the sexual misconduct precept, I've started to wonder how healthy this really is. All of the precepts seem to have a sliding scale of strictness, and for sexual misconduct, that ranges for no rape or …
Towards the Sun: The Cross and the Bodhi Tree
Only by searching for your own truth can you come to understand what the great religious leaders of the past were trying to tell us. Consider these two images: The differences are striking. Besides being depictions of humans, these two religious icons seem to represent completely different ways of interpreting reality. One seems to endorse …
Continue reading Towards the Sun: The Cross and the Bodhi Tree
Prioritizing Precepts
It's no longer my meditation practice that makes me feel different. I was advised to take these two hours a day more as a private personal matter, and while I was resistant to hiding this part of my life, the reality is, nothing is more personal than sitting by yourself with your eyes closed. Accepting …
Living Vipassana 