Pariyatti

"In Theravada Buddhist circles during the past few decades a debate has repeatedly erupted over the question whether or not jhāna is necessary to attain the “paths and fruits,” that is, the four graded stages of enlightenment. The debate has been sparked off by the rise to prominence of the various systems of insight meditation that have become popular both in Asia and the West, especially among lay Buddhists. Those who advocate such systems of meditation contend that the paths and fruits can be attained by developing insight (vipassanā) without a foundation of jhāna. If we use the Buddha’s teachings as a lens to examine the corporate economic system and its offshoot, the consumerist culture, we will see that it is ultimately detrimental to the well-being of both its masters and servants alike. Drawing upon the tools of Buddhist analysis, let us briefly sketch the inner dynamics of this system. We see in the first instance that such a social order is founded upon ignorance or delusion (avijjā, moha), namely, the supposition that material wealth and consumption are the criteria of the good life. According to the Buddhist texts, when ignorance infiltrates our cognitive systems it issues in a series of “distortions” (vipallāsa) which infect our perception (saññā), thinking (citta), and views (diṭṭhi). The Buddha mentions four such distortions: the notions that the impermanent is permanent, that the painful (or suffering) is pleasant, that the insubstantial is a self, and that the unbeautiful is beautiful. At the most basic level we perceive things by way of these distortions; when these distorted perceptions are taken up for reflection, we start thinking in terms of them; and finally, under the combined influence of distorted perception and thought, we adopt views—that is, beliefs, doctrines, and ideologies—that affirm the mistaken notions of permanence, pleasure, selfhood, and beauty."

Narrated by Shelina Hetherington · 2023 · 1 hours 03 minutes

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The Jhānas and the Lay Disciple According to the Pāli Suttas by Bhikkhu Bodhi .

Narrated by Jonathan Nelson · 2023 · 1 hours 16 minutes

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There is an old story about a young seeker who asks the abbot of a nearby monastery for guidance on how to become enlightened. The abbot declines his request but sends him to a shoemaker in a nearby village. The abbot assures him that the shoemaker will help him achieve enlightenment. The young seeker went to find the shoemaker, with one caveat from the abbot: “Learn everything you can from the shoemaker, but don't ask him anything spiritual.”...

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 12 minutes 28 seconds

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How long will it take to be enlightened? This is such a firstworld question. We want the truth and we want it now, to paraphrase Jim Morrison. There is no answer to that question, because it is the wrong question. And what’s more, enlightenment is not simply an answer, similar to the woman in Saks Fifth Avenue who asked how much the fur coat cost in the window who was told, “Madam, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” Nevertheless, let’s respond with the truth rather than attempting an answer to the wrong question....

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 4 minutes 41 seconds

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My teacher in India eventually attracted so many students that he began to appoint assistants to lead retreats on their own. I began assisting him in 1996 and soon was made a senior assistant teacher. I led ten-day retreats throughout Canada, the United States, England, Myanmar, and India. I especially enjoyed addressing the many issues my students faced, most of whom were dealing with the daily shock of seeing into the skittishness of their minds for the first time. I was on a mission to spread the teachings, I had status and prestige within the community of meditators, and my personal practice was strong. How my life had changed!...

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 5 minutes 54 seconds

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Doing non-doing is a long path and is not always straightforward. To understand what you need to do and why and how is relatively easy, and in this regard I hope this little book has been a help. However, old habit patterns, especially latent tendencies, are pernicious. You may continue to be sidetracked by their beguiling beckoning to react. You may succumb from time to time. You may find the process hopeless. You may get frustrated. These reactions are also old habit patterns. It is as if you are at a masked ball, dancing with many different partners, all of whom keep exchanging their masks with each other. Still, do not give up. Have faith....

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 5 minutes 54 seconds

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With the death of a loved one, a grieving period is important, as is understanding how the mind works and how doing nothing with clear comprehension does not eliminate the grief. Once again, grieving is a natural condition of the mind. It is neither good nor bad. Some may be tempted to put on a happy face to demonstrate the powers of meditation. They can keep up the façade for a while. In time the effort to remain calm peters out. The suppressed grief returns in a myriad of ways later in life, when perhaps you cannot see a direct correlation between what you are presently dealing with and the death of someone close some months or even years before....

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 3 minutes 30 seconds

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According to Thoreau, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” I think when people read this, they focus on the word “quiet” as the problematic one in the sentence. Echoing Pascal, quiet isn't the problem, it is the inability to accept the quiet that leads to the desperation. We don't need to change our environs as much as change ourselves, because as Anaïs Nin wrote, “We see things not as they are, but as we are.”...

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 3 minutes 10 seconds

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In the center of Igatpuri village is a street market. Vendors sit at stalls and sell their produce. Because every vendor sits in the same location, everyone knows what they sell. So all they need announce is the price. They don’t try to out shout one another. They take turns. This creates a sort of chant, a back and forth. Except for the Hindi, it’s a revival meeting in rural Alabama. At the main corner of the market are the banana sellers. First time there, I thought “do rupee” was the Hindi word for banana....

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 2 minutes 56 seconds

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We needn't pause to figure out our next step in life. Life, real life, is there in the pause, in the quagmire of conflicting choices. We then choose one route and look for signs that this is the correct way to go. No doubt. “I have a good feeling about this” is more a sense of relief about finally choosing one route than a certainty that this route has been swept clean and is devoid of IEDs. Even the best choices cough up hairballs of unforeseen consequences.

narrated by Ian McCrorie · 2023 · 4 minutes 04 seconds

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