Traditionally in Buddhism, hindrances were considered obstacles or things that get in the way of concentration in meditation. Here is one list of hindrances that I found. 1.  Sensual desire 2.  Ill-will 3.  Torpor and sloth 4.  Restlessness 5.  Doubt Some of these—such as “torpor and sloth”—may sound a bit out of touch with our current meditation practice. “Doubt” here, I believe, refers to a lack of faith in the practice. These were considered conditions

An oil-woman kept a parrot which used to amuse her with its agreeable talk and friendliness, and she had him to watch her shop when she went out and about. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat chasing a mouse caused such commotion that it rattled the parrot’s cage and upset one of the oil-jars. When the oil-woman returned home she thought that the parrot had done this mischief, and in her anger she struck the parrot

I believe that every human being has valuable qualities and deserves some kindness and compassion, but I can’t always feel and act this way. The desire to reconcile this ‘so called’ discrepancy distorts my thoughts and feelings, and can keep me trying to correct my actions, rather than understanding how this view* is intricately woven into my daily life.  Sometimes, it just sucks that I can’t surgically remove this complex from my experience, fix it up, and then put it back into my

On the first evening of a nine day retreat, I was surprised to discover that the retreat had a theme: “meditation and creativity”.  I was initially very intimidated by the encouragement to write or draw something, to produce an object, to “create”.  But seeing and hearing how others were encouraged by the “permission” to represent ourselves in some undefined way, I decided to see if any inspirations would appear and, if so, to follow where

June 8, 2018 Hi Linda, Winton, Ramsey: I was contemplating our first online study group and the discussion. The irritation came about the “Ultimate Concerns” in connection with the 4P’s. If you ask me Linda what are my concerns or what would I add to these 4P’s then it is Joy. But I sense there is a mistake in the question. Looking at Stephen’s Book and how he writes about the 4P’s I understand this 4 P’s

A few weeks ago I suggested to some of the reflective meditation teachers to write something about Gratitude within the Buddhist teachings. I have become more and more inspired by the history of dharma teachings through conversations, and I wanted to see what a written conversation might look like. What emerged is a creative, secular endeavor – a written conversation from modern times; there was no written language in the time of the Buddha. We hope

A nine minute audio recording from Linda and meditators in San Luis Obispo, CA Because I don’t quite get to an adequate explanation of ‘bottom line’ in the talk, I will say here that the intention behind using the phrase is for meditators to explore their values and why they have a meditation practice.  Listening before you meditate, and then reflecting can contribute to a meditation practice that values your own unique understandings. https://satisangha.org/wp-content/uploads/Bottom-Line-Meditation.mp3

Meeting online for our first After Buddhism study group, meditators who practice recollective awareness and reflective meditation joined us from California, Washington, Maryland, and Michigan, as well as eastern and south Australia. All of us have been practicing recollective awareness and reflective meditation, so we have had plenty of permission to broaden the definition of meditation and other Pali words from Buddhist teachings. However, in our discussion with Winton and Ramsey, the suggestion to broaden

A meditator’s question: In your orientation towards meditation, I want to question what seems like a bias that this practice is more “natural”.  Can you say a few things about this? Linda’s response: These days in teaching, I don’t tend to use the word “natural” about our practice, and yet, many meditators speak about the ease and relaxation that comes from taking a more “natural” (relaxed, fitting with their body type) posture, or how having a sense of play and spontaneity return

a 15 minute conversation with Janet Keyes and Nina Asher, hosted by Linda Modaro https://satisangha.org/wp-content/uploads/Poetry-Meditation-Reflection-Dharma.mp3 “poetry is evidence that the heart thinks. and the mind feels.” — Nayyirha Waheed Personal Conversations Our sangha put out an eJournal in 2017 hoping to promote conversations about reflective meditation, creativity, and finding your own voice/path. The online conversation in March with Nelly Kaufer about her Unconventional Glossary of Buddhist Qualities was recorded but the poor sound quality leaves us needing to re-record. This month I spoke with Janet Keyes (Self-Improvement