Dhamma Podcasts

A Household Tradition by Patrick Given-Wilson

This talk by Patrick Given-Wilson was given for the European Dhamma servers' meeting in Spain, June 2024. The talk is followed by a Q&A session.

by Patrick Given-Wilson

2024

62 minutes 2 seconds

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The Simpler Side of Buddhist Doctrine by Kassapa Thera

In the Holy Books are many sermons, long and short, full of advice to the average layman. Notable amongst these is the Sigālovāda Suttanta, known as “the Layman’s Vinaya” which details correct behaviour for the good layman. Excellent though all such sermons are, none can surpass the brief simple appeal of the words to Nakula’s parents, which advise the cultivation of four things: Saddhā, Virtue, Generosity and Wisdom.

A striking thing in the Buddha-dhamma is that here we find naught of “Thou shalt” or “Thou shalt not.” When once it is realized that selfishness and self-indulgence cause all our woe, then a wise one strives for self mastery. Sīla is the mastery of speech and action. Of his own free will, the Buddhist “pledges to observe” this precept of virtue, and that. The minimum number of such precepts of virtue that the good Buddhist should observe is five: (1) I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from destroying the life of beings; (2) from taking things not given; (3) from sexual misconduct; (4) from false speech, and (5) from liquor that causes intoxication and heedlessness.

The Buddhist has no impossible postulates; he tries to see, as his teacher taught, “things as they really are.” He looks at the world around him and sees that all, all is transitory there. He sees that what is transitory is bound to be sad. All that we love is passing away, and such parting from the loved is suffering. And we, we too are part of the passing show—with greying hair, falling and decaying teeth, disease and death looming ahead—it is all sad. The Buddhist sees that, to what is transient and sad, one clings in vain, and in all this we can see naught of which he can say—with assurance as to the permanent value of such statement—“This is me, this is mine, this is a soul.”

by Kassapa Thera

2024

63 minutes 6 seconds

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Parents and Children: Transmitting the Buddhist Heritage across Generations by Ven. Medagama Vajirañāṇa Nayaka Thera

One essential requirement for a happy society is that the individuals constituting the society must have tranquillity of mind. This tranquillity of mind arises from purity of thought, word, and action, which means the observance of an ethical lifestyle based on the Five Precepts. As human beings we are unique in our ability to see the difference between good and bad. We have the capacity to make moral choices and thereby to influence the pattern of our own lives and that of others. This influence is exerted through our thoughts, speech, and actions. If we can develop inner purity and strength, then we have established the basis on which we can give what is needed by others in all our relationships. It is up to us to create a safe and harmonious society.

by Ven. Medagama Vajirañāṇa Nayaka Thera

Narrated by Ethan Christy

2024

29 minutes 121 seconds

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Introduction to Vipassana

This short introduction to Vipassana talk was given on June 29, 2024 at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

by Patrick Given-Wilson

2024

32 minutes 48 seconds

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The Jewel in Mumbai by Bikram Dandiya

"The Global Vipassana Pagoda in Mumbai was built to mark the birth centenary year of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the Burmese Dhamma teacher of Shri Satya Narayan Goenkaji. The monument is built in the Myanmar style of the Shwedagon pagoda, as a token of gratitude to that country where the essence of the Buddha’s teachings was maintained in its pristine purity, and from where it is now spreading throughout India, and via India to the rest of the world. Our Dhamma teacher Shri S.N. Goenkaji became the vehicle to make this happen. He was also our inspiring guide for every important aspect of this building project. Tremendous volition and effort went into the building of this staggering monument and it is interesting and educative to explore the journey.

"Mr. Bikram Dandiya has beautifully chronicled some of these experiences in his booklet, “The Jewel in Mumbai”, the story of the making of the crystal bud atop the Global Vipassana Pagoda. Although his story concentrates on a specific part of this enormous structure, it typifies the challenges and solutions witnessed by those of us closely involved in its creation. For example, experts had opined that it was not possible to construct a 325 foot wide stone dome without supporting pillars; the dome went up thanks to indigenous technology, using thousands of huge interlocking stones weighing 700 to 800 kg each, and now seemingly floating in the air!"

—M.M. Khandhar, 14th January 2020

narrated by Bikram Dandiya

2024

23 minutes 35 seconds

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A Journey into Buddhism by Elizabeth J. A. Harris

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"The themes of the talks are rooted in my journey, as a Christian, into Buddhism. In the mid-1980s I felt the need to ’let go’ of my own religious conditioning to enter the world of another faith. It grew from a conviction that people with an interest in religion should not remain imprisoned within one framework but should explore others. The choice of Buddhism and Sri Lanka was a natural one for me. Buddhism’s emphasis on meditation and non-violence touched my own interests as a Christian, and a visit to Sri Lanka in 1984 had left me with the feeling that my link with the island was not finished.

I originally intended to be in Sri Lanka for one year. One year, however, became seven and a half, from 1986 until 1993. My aim throughout was not only to study Buddhism but to practise it. I did not consider myself involved in ’interfaith dialogue’ although I’m sure some perceived my actions in this way. I wanted to enter Buddhism on its own terms, as a human being rather than as a Christian."

narrated by Ethan Christy

2024

34 minutes 56 seconds

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Available at Pariyatti: https://store.pariyatti.org/journey-into-buddhism-audiobook .

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Deconstructing Constructions: The Role of Saṅkhārā in the Buddha’s Discourses by Bhikkhu Bodhi

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In this paper I intend to explore the Pāli term saṅkhārā , one of the pivotal concepts in the Buddha’s discourses. The Pāli word has such a rich gamut of meanings that merely to draw them out into the open sheds a flood of light on the Buddha’s understanding of reality. The word occurs in a variety of contexts that are subtly and intricately interwoven. To explore their contextual meanings and track down their interconnections will reveal the rigor of the Buddha’s philosophical vision and the coherence of his teaching in expressing that vision in language and concepts.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2024

50 minutes 48 seconds

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Investigating the Dhamma as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Your Best Friend: And Other Essays by M. B. Werapitiya.

"To understand ourselves, we must live with ourselves and know all about ourselves. The mind for that matter is flickering, fickle, difficult to guard and control and flutters like a fish taken out of its watery abode and thrown upon the land. Somebody causes you hurt and although the aggressor has disappeared from sight, the hurt grows within you and every so often keeps surfacing with an overpowering intensity to give you a warp. Then again, you see something that has captured your attention and your mind has instantly photographed it from every conceivable angle with a see-through lens, developed it in your mental dark-room, brought out the prints and enlargements with the skill of an expert cameraman and processor rolled into one. Similarly, all the sense faculties and the mind are of high sensitivity and respond to anything and everything exciting. If the degree of excitement is not sufficiently satisfying, you step it up with the use of drugs, intoxicants and poisons. This activity goes on unabated and makes of you a human derelict. A wise person living in his mind protects himself holding himself dear. Such a person whose senses are subdued, whose pride is destroyed and is free from corruptions, is calm of mind, speech and action and rightly knows, and is perfectly peaceful and equipoised."

narrated by Tejendra Patel

2024

38 minutes 45 seconds

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Part 6 - Expanding Into New Frontiers from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi
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Mindfulness has traveled a long way from its homeland in
northeast India. It has journeyed to the island of Sri Lanka, the
river basins of southeast Asia, the mountain monasteries of
China, Korea, and Japan, and the hermitages of the Himalayan
kingdoms. But the last lap of its journey is without parallel.
Today Buddhist meditation has been lifted from its traditional
setting in Buddhist doctrine and faith and transplanted in a
secularized culture bent on pragmatic results. Here it is finding
new accommodations in urban meditation centers and even in
busy hospitals, pain clinics, and treatment centers. Its teachers
and practitioners are more likely to wear street clothing or white
coats than ochre robes; they are more likely to hold degrees in
medicine and psychology than in Buddhist philosophy and
scripture. Meditation is being taught to help people obtain
release, not from the cycle of birth and death, but from the
strains of financial pressures, psychological disorders, and
stressful relationships.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

6 minutes 58 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Part 5 - Clear Comprehension from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi
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While I said just before that clear comprehension plays a more
prominent role in the contemplation of experiential phenomena,
the refrain on right mindfulness shows that clear comprehension
has been present to some degree all along. The formula describes
clear comprehension as a constant entering each exercise virtually
from the start. Whether contemplating the body, feelings, states of
mind, or experiential phenomena, the meditator dwells “ardent,
clearly comprehending, and mindful.”

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

5 minutes 55 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Part 4 - What the Suttas Say from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi
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Nevertheless, despite my reservations about the use of “bare attention” as an alternative expression for sati , if we consider how mindfulness is to be practiced in the system laid down in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, we can find considerable support for the idea that the initial task of sati is to “keep to a bare registering of the facts observed” as free as possible from distorting conceptual elaborations. The problem, as I see it, is not with conceptualization itself, but with conceptualization that ascribes erroneous attributes to the objects and the experiential act itself. An experiential event can be viewed as a field distributed between two poles, the objective datum and the subjective act that cognizes it. Ordinarily, on account of the spontaneous functioning of unenlightened consciousness, this polarity is reified into a sharp duality of subject and object. The subjective pole seems to coalesce into a substantially existent “I,” an ego-self that hovers in the background as an autonomous and independent entity. The objective pole presents itself as an object that is there “for me,” ready to serve or oppose my purposes; thus it becomes a potential object of craving or aversion. This process is what the suttas refer to as “I-making” and “mine-making” (ahaṃkāra mamaṃkāra ). It is the task of meditation to dismantle this structure by penetrating the selfless nature of all phenomena, whether pertaining to the objective or subjective poles of the experience.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

9 minutes 10 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Part 3 - Mindfulness and Bare Attention from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi
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Many commentators who teach and practice in the contemporary vipassana movement have sought to convey the experiential flavor of mindfulness by means of the expression “bare attention.” With certain reservations (which I will discuss), I believe this characterization is acceptable if understood as a procedural directive for cultivating mindfulness in accordance with certain methods. It helps a novice meditator who has newly embarked on this unfamiliar enterprise get a grip on the appropriate way to observe the phenomenal field. The purpose of the expression would then be seen as pragmatic rather than doctrinal, as pedagogical rather than definitive.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

21 minutes 56 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Part 2 - The Meaning of Sati from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi
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A problem in hermeneutics, with intimate bearings on the actual
practice of meditation, concerns the exact meaning of the word
sati both in general and in relation to Buddhist contemplative
activity. We take the rendering “mindfulness” so much for
granted that we rarely inquire into the precise nuances of the
English term, let alone the meaning of the original Pāli word it
represents and the adequacy of the former as a rendering for the
latter. The word “mindfulness” is itself so vague and elastic that
it serves almost as a cipher into which we can read virtually
anything we want. Hence we seldom recognize that the word
was chosen as a rendering for sati at a particular point in time,
after other terms had been tried and found inadequate.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

23 minutes 50 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Part 1 - Mindfulness in the Buddhist Path from 'What Does Mindfulness Really Mean' by Bhikkhu Bodhi

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The entry of systematic mindfulness practice into the fields of stress reduction and psychotherapy has dramatically altered modern medicine’s perspectives on our capacity to regulate and overcome our human vulnerabilities. Mindfulness made its debut as a therapeutic discipline in 1979, when Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced his program of “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction” at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Since then its use to reduce pain and stress has been adopted by hundreds of medical centers, hospitals, and clinics around the world. The application of mindfulness in clinical settings has spread beyond stress reduction to psychotherapy, where it has proven a potent tool for helping patients deal with such conditions as depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

12 minutes 20 seconds

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'Investigating the Dhamma' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/investigating-the-dhamma .

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Sangha at the Crossroads by Bhikkhu Bodhi

"In this article I want to focus on one particular constituency of Buddhists in present day Sri Lanka, the Bhikkhu Sangha, the Order of Monks. I intend to examine, though briefly, the problems it faces and its prospects for the future. This task is especially critical because of the central role the Sangha plays in guiding the destiny of the Sāsana, and it is clear that if the Sangha does not learn to deal with the momentous forces inundating present-day society, the future will see it increasingly relegated to the sidelines...."

This is a Pariyatti audiobook of the essay "Sangha at the Crossroads" from the book Facing the Future: Four Essays on the Social Relevance of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Narrated by Shelina Hetherington

2023

38 minutes

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The Changing Face of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi

"If Buddhism is failing to penetrate deep into the hearts of those who profess it as their faith, we have to ask ourselves why, and to ask what can be done to reverse present trends. I would like to approach these questions by first asking what role Buddhism is intended to play in our lives in the first place. I will deal with this question by distinguishing two aspects of Buddhism both stemming from the Buddha’s original teaching. I shall call these the liberative and the accommodative strands of the Dhamma...."

This is a Pariyatti audiobook of the essay "The Changing Face of Buddhism" from the book Facing the Future: Four Essays on the Social Relevance of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Narrated by Shelina Hetherington

2023

30 minutes

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A Buddhist Approach to Economic and Social Development by Bhikkhu Bodhi

"The notion of economic and social development has today become the rallying call of politicians, business leaders, and policy planners clear across the globe. This notion thus exercises a tremendous influence on the lives of all human beings, both at the personal level and as a determinant of social policy. Although the Buddhist texts prescribe certain principles to guide human beings in their economic and social activities, the notions of economic and social development that dominate current policy formulation have no precise parallels in earlier epochs. Thus to give adequate treatment to our topic it is not enough merely to listen to the canonical texts. Rather, we must draw out the implications of such ideas as economic and social development in their bearings on present-day social policy. Then we must use the profound perspectives offered us by the Dhamma as a tool for evaluating them and judging their worth."

This is a Pariyatti audiobook of the essay "A Buddhist Approach to Economic and Social Development" from the book Facing the Future: Four Essays on the Social Relevance of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Narrated by Shelina Hetherington

2023

45 minutes

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A Buddhist Social Ethic for the New Century by Bhikkhu Bodhi

"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."

This is a Pariyatti audiobook of the essay "A Buddhist Social Ethic for the New Century" from the book Facing the Future: Four Essays on the Social Relevance of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Narrated by Shelina Hetherington

2023

1 hours 03 minutes

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View Facing the Future: Four Essays on the Social Relevance of Buddhism by Bhikkhu Bodhi at BPS.

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

This is a Pariyatti audiobook of the essay "The Jhānas and the Lay Disciple According to the Pāli Canon" from the book Investigating the Dhamma by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Narrated by Jonathan Nelson

2023

1 hours 16 minutes

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View Investigating the Dhamma: a Collection of Papers by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

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Story 98 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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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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Story 97 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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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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Story 96 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 95 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 94 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 93 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 92 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 91 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

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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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 90 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Most everyone is possessed by their possessions. I know people
who are owned by their pets. I know others who build heated
garages for their prized automobiles. My aunt bequeathed
me an old rocking chair to which she added the caveat that
I never change its mauve covering. In those years, I moved
almost every year and carried that rocker to each apartment
until its springs went and you couldn't sit in it without
receiving a full rectal examination. And if you think about it
almost everyone carries within themselves their own version
of the mauve rocker,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 32 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 89 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I remember a Sayadaw (respected teacher) who lived in a
remote monastery in upper Burma in the vicinity of Sagaing
Hills. He was elderly and blind and very much loved. I visited
him, excited to both meet a living legend and pay my respects.
I was told to wait until he went for his evening walk when he
would be with his attendant who could serve as a translator....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

5 minutes 43 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 88 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I volunteered with Mother Theresa at her Sisters of Charity
palliative care hostel in Calcutta. My service was to help with
the lunch meal as well as a certain undefined “nursing.” The
hostel was smaller than I had expected and the number of
volunteers fewer than I had hoped. I thought a larger cohort
would allow me a few days to get my bearings. That was not
to be the case....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

5 minutes 09 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 87 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Two more salient points about mettā . Mettā must be tempered
by wisdom. There is a parable from India of a kind man who
came upon a frog in the middle of a busy road. Concerned that
the frog might be crushed under the wheels of a bullock cart
and feeling uncomfortable leaving him to his fate, he gently
picked him up and transferred him safely to the side of the
road from whence he had come....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

3 minutes 32 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 86 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Mettā is a Pāli word meaning loving-kindness. As the mind
deconditions, many positive mind states arise. The emergence
of these so-called divine abodes had been held back by the
continually self-reinforcing habitual patterns that you thought
defined you....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

6 minutes 14 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 85 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

In Maharashtra a few decades ago, my elderly meditation
teacher was delivering his evening discourse when a deranged
sādhu rushed at him from the back of the hall. The sādhu
screamed incoherently and thrashed his arms about, ready to
strike him. My teacher stopped his talk…and closed his eyes.
He remained seated....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

3 minutes 06 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 84 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

In her book, Educated , about growing up in a survivalist Mormon family where school was not an option and daily manual labor a necessity, Tara Westover relates how she found herself standing on a rooftop in England during a windstorm....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

3 minutes 43 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 83 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Friendship. Where would we be without our friends? This
is true for the homeless alcoholic who followed his friends’
lead, quit school, took to the road, lived high and free until
he lost his health, his integrity, and the courage to turn his life
around. And this is true for most of the titans of Silicon Valley
who succeeded thanks to friends....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

3 minutes 43 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 82 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

An old proverb says that “as a man thinketh, so he is.” I’d
like to alter this somewhat and proclaim that “as a man is
conditioned, so he is.” Oft-repeated behaviors, beliefs, views,
and thought patterns define who we seem to be. This we feel
is carved in stone, because we feel comfortable with what is
familiar....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

2 minutes 26 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 81 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

One time I chose to simply live in a small guesthouse on
Gnat Agi Pagoda Road in Bahan Township in Burma. I would
forego all travel. Across from my guesthouse was a tea shop
from which I could watch all of Burma, past and present, pass
by. Further down the road was a stitcher lady who would alter
and repair my longyis. And behind her was a monastery where
I could meditate....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

2 minutes 44 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 80 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Matthew 21:22 promises us, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, ye shall receive.” Now I grant you that few people
read the Bible these days, perhaps because they took Matthew
too literally. But it doesn't matter, because today the good
news of the Bible has been replaced by the Gospel according
to Wellness. Pursuit of a good life has been replaced by the
pursuit of the perfect life. “Everything ye pursue to become
better, smarter, buffer, younger, more assertive, more caring,
more inclusive, more diverse leads thee to a perfect life.”...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

5 minutes 37 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 79 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Our cottage is on a small lake on the Canadian Shield. Our
shoreline is very rocky, with large boulders deposited there
as the glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. Amazingly this
shoreline provides sufficient sustenance for trees to grow and,
in their own way, thrive. They protrude out perpendicularly
from crevices between the rocks before turning upwards to
catch a modicum of sunlight and spread their gnarly majesty....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

2 minutes 58 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 78 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

One summer I drove a truck for an oil company. Two of us
installed the oil tanks for furnaces in the basement of houses.
It was dirty work. The basements were often unheated. They
were seldom clean. One day, it was particularly cold and rainy.
We entered through the back door into the kitchen. On my
way to the basement stairs I came upon the owners, two unwed
older sisters having a breakfast of tea and toast. The tea had
just been poured, and...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 51 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 77 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Doing non-doing deconditions the mind so that a happy
life, defined by the Stoics as true, virtuous, and natural, arises
like a phoenix from the ashes of the conditioned mind. Since
the real shift is within you, your new life may retain all the
appearances of your old life. After all, the difference, they say,
between heaven and hell is a mere sixteenth of an inch, surely
an imperceptible amount of change in the grand scheme of
things....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 22 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 76 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

In Korea it is considered rude to speak immediately after
someone else has just spoken. Korean culture demands a
slight pause to indicate the listeners have fully digested and
appreciated the input. It gives them pause for thought. This
promotes civilized dialogue in which everyone’s view is
respected. It also calms blind reactions to some perceived fault
in the argument. A pause is a conscious decision to...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

2 minutes 31 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 75 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Years ago, when I would walk around my house late at night
after everyone else was asleep, it felt like I had always lived
there. I liked that it felt that way. As my oldest son said when
he was three, “It feels as perfect as right.” I knew where the
hardwood floors creaked, and I avoided those spots so I
wouldn’t wake the baby who, like me, was a light sleeper. My
wife and my five-year-old, he of the aphorism above, slept the
sleep of the dead. I could drop a refrigerator on the creaky
spots and they wouldn't stir....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 24 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 74 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I loved the water buffalo I encountered in India. Despite their
girth and their horns, they were very gentle creatures. They
calmly abided all and sundry afflictions, heat, mosquitoes, and
monsoon rains without so much as a by-your-leave. Other
than whisking away unwanted bitey things with their tails,
they endured, and they did so ever so calmly....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

2 minutes 29 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 73 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I loved to go fishing with my father, because he was a terrible
fisherman. He never caught anything. I was fine with this. I
didn't like to put a worm on the hook. I didn't like taking the
hook out of the fish's mouth, and I certainly couldn't bash the
head of the fish against the seat of the boat to kill it....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

5 minutes 47 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 72 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I think there is a place in our lives for tradition and even ritual.
They keep our lives simple and understandable. In our family
we have pancakes every Sunday and tea every evening. We go
for walks together. We spend a month every summer at our
cottage. We watch a movie every Friday night....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 14 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 71 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The summer after high school, Tony, his younger brother Chris,
and I set out in an old Vauxhall held together with spit and
bailing wire for points west on the Trans-Canada Highway. We
camped the entire way and cooked over an open fire. Once we
reached the Pacific, we headed south to the Oregon hills before
turning east and eventually home and university. On the way
we camped near Mount Rushmore, hoping to see the famous
presidential sculptures the next morning....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2023

4 minutes 22 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 70 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Bhante Rahula and I would meditate outside on some very
flat but hard boulders because that summer was particularly
hot. On this particular day, I crossed my legs and straightened
my spine as usual. I closed my eyes, and almost immediately I
felt nothing but subtle vibrating throughout my entire being.
It appeared I had dissolved into pulsations. I felt no solidity. I
had become a...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 00 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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"How to Find More Psychological Stability in an Unstable Time: The Role of Meditation" is an online Zoom talk by Paul R. Fleischman given on November 10th, 2022, co-sponsored by Connecticut Vipassana, Being Well at Yale, Good Life Center, MCDB DEI Committee, New Haven Library, Hindu Life at Yale, Buddhist Life at Yale, South Asian Studies Council, New Haven Insight and Woodbridge Town Library. This was his fifth talk about Vipassana given to the greater New Haven and Yale communities.

Paul R. Fleischman

facilitated by Danielle Casioppo

2022

1 hour

Watch the video or download the audio.

The Vimeo player has Chapter markers located at the bottom right on the video player.

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Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti.

Find more books, audiobooks, eBooks, and podcasts by Paul R. Fleischman .

video copyright 2022 Paul R. Fleischman

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 69 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The more I investigate and dissect what I focus my attention
on with clear comprehension, the more apparent becomes
the changing nature of the mind and body. I don’t have to
chase away any uncomfortable feelings or pains with alcohol
or drugs or various distractions. I am less inclined to succumb
to their whispered promise to stop being the person I am for
this one evening and become...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 06 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 68 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

On my way to school one bitterly cold winter's day, I passed
a house in the early stages of being built. The workers were
framing the roof. The wind was howling, the snow was
blowing, and they kept at it because that is what we all must
do. We choose our path…roofer, physicist, or, like me, a solo
contemplative on a hilltop in India. But we hone our craft
every day, even...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 45 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Pariyatti Presents...a panel discussion about "Maintaining Your Meditation Practice at Home: Helpful Supports and Challenges" recorded on November 13, 2022. The panel consists of meditators in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin as taught by S.N. Goenka moderated by Paul R. Fleischman. The panelists (Michal Barnea Astrog, Wayne Smith, Kory Goldberg and Marta Van Patten) share their experiences based on the questions "What helps you with your daily meditation at home?" and "What are the difficulties that you face with your meditation at home?"

Michal Barnea Astrog, Wayne Smith, Kory Goldberg and Marta Van Patten

facilitated by Paul R. Fleischman

2022

1 hour

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The Vimeo player has Chapter markers located at the bottom right on the video player.

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Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti.

View all past Pariyatti Presents... events.

video copyright 2022 Pariyatti

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 67 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I was too thin to have good quality clothes fit me well. When I
wore a suit, my head looked too small. When I turned my head
while wearing a collar and tie, neither collar nor tie moved.
Like a compass, my tie always pointed north. If it weren't for
the sleeves, I could perform a full 360-degree rotation without
my suit getting a wrinkle. But in the end,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 01 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 66 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

To be a Buddhist is to be a Stoic and to be a Stoic is to be a
Buddhist. Neither is a religion. Mere belief in their precepts
holds no purchase. Reciting them every morning proves futile.
Both speak of universal truths and natural laws that govern
human and social behavior. Both schools are empirical, which
is to say they are evidence-based. And that itself is grounded
or tested, even, on one’s own experience. They both conclude
that...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 28 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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This is a Pariyatti Presents... interview with Bill Crecelius, the author of A Meditator's Handbook , Vipassana teacher and practiioner of Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. The interview is followed by a 30-minute Q&A session, where he answers selected questions from the audience.

Bill Crecelius

interviewed by Marta Van Patten

2022

1 hour 29 minutes

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The Vimeo player has Chapter markers located at the bottom right on the video player.

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Get A Meditator's Handbook at Pariyatti. View the book in other langauges.

View all past Pariyatti Presents... events.

video copyright 2022 Pariyatti

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Story 65 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

From my small hut atop a hill in Maharashtra, I could watch
the farmers on the plains below. Late afternoon was my favorite
time of day. The cow dust hour, it was called, and for good
reason. The cows kicked up reddish dust as they were herded
home from the pastures. The farmers sang...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 13 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 64 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

When someone says hello to me in Korean, I invariably
reply “kamsahamnida.” My response is immediate and trips
naturally off my tongue. Unfortunately “kamsahamnida” does
not mean “hello.” It means, “thank you.” But I don’t care. To
my ear, “kamsahamnida” sounds like a greeting. It sounds more
like a...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 39 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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This is a Pariyatti Presents... interview with the Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi on September 18, 2022. Ven. Bodhi discusses topics such as how he became a monk, how he started his Pāli translation work, the challenges encountered, social engagement as a monk (while running the charity Buddhist Global Relief), and right speech. The interview is followed by a 30-minute Q&A session, where he answers selected questions from the audience.

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

interviewed by Kory Goldberg

2022

1 hour 32 minutes

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The Vimeo player has Chapter markers located at the bottom right on the video player.

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View the Bhihhku Bodhi catalog at Pariyatti.

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video copyright 2022 Pariyatti

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Story 63 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I like to bake bread. Actually, the bread bakes itself; I simply
facilitate the process. I add the flour to the yeast and water.
I then knead the mixture, but even in this most tactile of
experiences I am more an engaged observer than a creator.
Kneading continues until the mixture reveals to my hands and
fingers that the mixture is well kneaded. I do not know how long
this takes,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 14 seconds

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Story 62 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Because we aren't trying to get better or happier or stronger or
wealthier, our life advice no longer needs to come from style
gurus and lifestyle coaches. (What is a lifestyle anyway? And
why does it need coaching?) Of course, we aren't trying to get
sadder or weaker or poorer either. We are simply living a more
unconditioned life, a more honest life, more content with our
lot. We have not exchanged one overtly conditioned mindset
for another,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 05 seconds

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This is an interview with Klaus Nothnagel, Pāli teacher, author, and creator of the online Pāli courses "Exploring the Path" and "Buddhasahassanamavali."

Klaus Nothnagel

interviewed by Marta Van Patten

2022

1 hour 32 minutes

Watch the video or download the audio.

Download Audio (44MB)

Find the online Pali courses by Klaus at the Pariyatti Learning Center .

Introduction to Pali (PDF)
Intro to Pali (web edition)
Exploring the Path
Buddhasahassanamavali

video copyright 2022 Pariyatti

Listen to a talk that Klaus gave called Deeper Aspect of Sīla . This talk aims to support the understanding of the deeper aspects of Sīla addressing the detailed definition of each precept, the underlying volition of the act to be performed, its manifestation and its results.

Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 61 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

When I was young, we were a family of four living in a small
apartment. At the time, especially as a teenager, I bemoaned
my lot in life and wished I lived in a far grander home like a
few of my friends.

My mother fancied herself a philosopher. She read Lin
Yutang and Richard Needham of the Toronto Globe and Mail.
My father was an army guy, a vet who lived for hockey and
football. My mother had no one with whom she could discuss
the issues of the day until I came along. Newspaper in hand,
she would come at me as I was getting dressed to go out and
play and begin by saying, “This is quite interesting…” Then...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 16 seconds

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Story 60 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

As one proceeds on the non-doing path, the simpler life
becomes. The simplicity refers to a lessening of inner confusion,
not necessarily to fewer possessions. A letting go or a
discarding happens naturally to all the habitual mind patterns
that we immerse ourselves in. Again, it’s the craving for and
our attachment to our chosen modes of escape...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 40 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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This was an online talk given by Paul R. Fleischman to the Denver Insight Meditation Group on July 17, 2022. It is intended for an audience that, while experienced in practicing meditation or well-informed on the subject, still seeks to understand the unique features of Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka and the organization that provides 10-day courses to learn it.

Paul R. Fleischman

hosted by the Denver Insight Meditation Group

2022

50 minutes

Watch the video or download the audio.

Download Audio (24MB)

The Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism

Download Transcript (159KB)

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video copyright 2022 Paul R. Fleischman

Find more books, audiobooks, eBooks, and podcasts by Paul R. Fleischman .

Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 59 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I have spent most of my adult life avoiding gainful employment.
I remember telling my guidance counselor at the age of
fourteen that I wanted to be a shepherd. I pictured myself
lazing under a giant oak, my trusty staff at my side, ready to
rescue any wayward sheep. But shepherding was not on his list
of future occupations, so he checked off actuary for me. For
years I thought the two were synonymous.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 37 seconds

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Story 58 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I don't do fun. I shun hysteria. I never understood the causal
relationship between indulging in a fun activity and happiness.
Having the bejesus scared out of me on a roller-coaster is
not, in and of itself (as we used to insert into arguments in
Philosophy 101), fun. It is terrifying. The fun can only arise, if
at all, when the ride is...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 36 seconds

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Story 57 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

One parent-teacher evening, a parent caught me alone at my
desk and asked to see me for a few minutes. She seemed upset
over some perceived injustice or oversight. She started in on
me before she had sat down.

“My Eliza in your grade 6 geography class received a failing
grade on her last test. She had studied very hard for that test.
She is very upset with the mark she got...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 17 seconds

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Story 56 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I meditate mostly in my room, but I always meditate in
silence. I remain still. Stillness is both a vehicle to silence and
a byproduct of the same. Ajahn Chah referred to doing nondoing
as a still forest pond. Stillness is also the antonym of
distraction, whereas the conditioned mind is the epitome of
distraction, filled as it is with well-trodden paths of judgment,
impatience, craving, anger, and confusion. The myriad negative
mind states prevent a banana from being seen as simply a
banana.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 29 seconds

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Story 55 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

On the way to Eungam Station in Seoul lived a tailor and his
wife. He did simple alterations to pants and jackets. His wife did
the measuring and the pinning. They had two large dry-cleaning
machines, also her responsibility, as was the folding. He however
did all the pressing. They both worked slowly. This being my
favorite speed, I could relate. They took great care. They wore
slippers because they lived upstairs. I always wanted a job in
which...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 38 seconds

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Story 54 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

When I was young, I would spend a few weeks of my summer
holiday at my grandmother’s in Toronto. She lived by herself
in a small apartment in the downtown. She had no television.
She had no games or toys. There were no books at my age
level, let alone comics. I loved it. My mother would catch up
with Grandma. I was left to fend for myself. I was totally free,
unprogrammed, unentrapped. I counted cars. I ran the streets.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 49 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 53 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Many years ago, I attended a performance of Aida. This was
a full production and the director wanted to impress. In the
opening scene, he featured a live elephant. The audience seemed
to anticipate the arrival of the elephant more than the two
hours of Verdi that would follow the pachyderm's entrance.
As the curtain parted, there stood the elephant as right as rain,
center stage. The woman seated beside me, unable to contain
herself, shouted,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 32 seconds

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Story 52 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Life naturally simplifies. The many miracles of small things
sidetrack the singular quest for ever greater success and
accomplishments. Life loses its Photoshop luster when you
simply live it. The little voices in your head or your gut may
tell you to go right or left, here or there as they are conditioned.
These are not usually the voices of wisdom but of...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 10 seconds

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Story 51 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Even the daily grind can be seen anew. Marcus Aurelius said
it best: “Early in the morning I am rising to do the work of
a human being.” It matters not a jot how you spend your
days, but each one bears the possibility of doing the work of a
human being.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 41 seconds

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Story 49 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Doing non-doing, allowing the suffocating angst in, though
insisting it must sit in the corner and not suck out all the oxygen
in the room, opens up a new way of seeing and experiencing
daily life. It is as if you had been suffering from severe cataracts
before and now your vision is unimpaired. The clouds have
dissipated. The familiar takes on subtle hues and an unfamiliar
clarity, leading one to marvel in the contradiction that while
everything is the same, everything is different....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 56 seconds

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Story 50 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I run almost every day. I don't push myself. I enjoy the sights
and especially the smells as I run. I don't wear my glasses for
that reason; my astigmatism enhances my sense of smell. I like
the mustiness of mud thawing in the early spring and the tang
of last night's rain as it evaporates in the first rays of the sun.
Running is a kind of physical meditation. I am hyperaware
of my breathing and every tweak and twitch in my body. I
feel the sensations in my footfall. Like my daily meditation
practice,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 23 seconds

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Story 48 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The fourth and final noble truth, the prescription for our
illness, to continue the medical metaphor, is outlined in
eight stages. The path (which is not, you may remember, a
path but a wheel) covers everything from your behavior, your
occupation, your speech, and your daily practice, right up to
your thoughts and understanding. Note, however,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 56 seconds

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Story 47 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

We used to drive to Toronto every Christmas vacation to spend
the holidays with my grandmother. It was about 250 miles
away, two-lane blacktop all the way. Our means of conveyance
was at first a Prefect and later a Vanguard, both inexpensive,
four-cylinder British imports with all the fire power of a lawn
mower with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 34 seconds

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Story 46 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

For many years I faithfully sat two hours a day. This was
my formal meditation practice. Two hours a day is a lot of
meditation, I thought. I was wrong. Two hours a day is a lot of
practice, but it is not a lot of meditation. Meditation cannot be
measured....

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 58 seconds

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Story 45 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Without the ability to silently sit alone in a darkened room,
we are destined to be a slave to our conditioned mind, reacting
to self-imposed habitual preconditions, convinced that
everything out there is awesome and everyone else is as happy
as kings. So why, you wonder, am I so miserable? I have lost
count of the number of times in a given day I start a sentence
with...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 03 seconds

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Story 44 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Happiness is not something to pursue. Like the truth,
happiness too is not out there somewhere. Chasing it is like a
dog trying to catch its tail. Happiness has been hijacked by old
habit patterns which have convinced us to look for it under the
bright lights. We are so busy frantically...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 37 seconds

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Story 43 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The question remains, however, why is practice so difficult?
To begin with, doing non-doing is by and of itself difficult
because to be still and just watch goes against our very nature.
This is especially true when...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 01 seconds

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Story 42 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

In large stores in Korea there is a greeter at the front door.
He or she bows and wishes you well and a good shopping
experience. Koreans are used to this formal welcome. They
walk by without...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 00 seconds

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Story 41 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

You need to walk before you run. This much is certain. There
is an old joke of a tourist lost in New York City who asked a
passerby how to get to Carnegie Hall. He was told, “Practice,
my boy, practice.” This process can appear to be slow going. This
is quite normal, as the progress is incremental. (And meditation
practice redefines incremental.) It can seem at times...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 27 seconds

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Story 40 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

“You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice,
practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there
on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.” This was the
great jazz saxophonist, Charlie Parker’s, musical lesson. But
it...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 15 seconds

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Story 39 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

My father would go apoplectic when he was near gum chewers.
He would physically recoil as they mashed away in complete
obliviousness to the consternation they were causing him.
Though I didn’t understand the reason for his meltdowns, over
time I absorbed his attitude. Each time some unsuspecting
gum smacker tried to engage my father in a conversation, I
could feel my father do a slow burn. Like a tuning fork hearing
a note played on a piano, I would commiserate with him, and
my habit patterning would...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 29 seconds

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Story 38 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The Buddha was also the first neuroscientist. He confirmed neuroplasticity,
the mind's ability to change by restructuring itself at the
neurological level. The Buddha altered his mind to such an
extent that he transcended the final two complex, problematic
stages of the thinking process. He declared himself enlightened,
which is to say free from the shackles of greed, hatred, and
delusion. This was proof positive, as James Olds, a professor of
neuroscience, said, that the mind is not just plastic but “very
plastic.” So much so that...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 56 seconds

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Story 37 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The Buddha was more scientist than spiritual seeker. He
wanted to understand human suffering using himself, his body,
and his mind as his laboratory. After many years of ascetic
practices, while sitting under a pipal tree in Bihar in northern
India, he took a vow not to move until his experiment gave up
an answer. As dawn broke so did the yoke that tied him to this
earthly realm. Enlightenment. He was now awakened. He was
now the Buddha. The one who knows. And what does he ask
of us? Reverence? Obedience? Blind devotion? Not at all. He
asks...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

6 minutes 16 seconds

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Story 36 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

One night a man lost his keys. He looked for them under a
street lamp. A friend walked by, saw him looking for something,
and asked him what he lost.

“My keys,” he replied.

“Oh,” said his friend. “Where did you lose them?”

“Over there. In the woods,” came the reply.

Stunned, the friend asked, “But why are you looking for them here?”

“The light is much brighter here!” the man replied.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 09 seconds

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Story 35 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

For my father’s entire life, I was not a parent. In his presence
I reverted to a child-like sense of entitlement. His world
revolved around me and this, I thought, was how it should be.
I had my family after he had passed away. And it was only as
my boys got older and I dealt with all the practical aspects of
child-rearing that I fully appreciated all my father had done. I
loved him all the more and grieved his...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 26 seconds

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Story 34 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Nature doesn't lie. It acts according to natural laws. And
human nature, too, doesn't lie. It plays out as a series of
causes and effects. If the inputs are negative, stifling, abusive,
or spiteful, the immediate effects may be unpleasant. Even
if there is no evidence of any negative aftermath, in time,
inauspicious acts invariably lead to a myriad of unintended
and unforeseen negative circumstances. Rare is it to find a
criminal who doesn’t feel remorse about his deeds and who is
not also suffering ten-fold due to substance abuse, turning as
he would to...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 37 seconds

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This talk by Paul R. Fleischman was given at the 2022 virtual conference by The Association of Buddhist Care and Counseling. Paul's talk is titled "The Buddha's Teaching on Non-violence" based on his book The Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism.

Paul R. Fleischman

video host: John Freese

2022

20 minutes

Watch the video or download the audio.

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The Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism

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video copyright, 2022 Dhamma Sila Parissa

Find more books, audiobooks, eBooks, and podcasts by Paul R. Fleischman .

Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti.

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Story 33 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

A healthy component of the practice is to stay awake to
encroaching spiritual materialism. This danger begins to
raise its head after you think of yourself as an experienced
practitioner. You may judge your practice as quite advanced.
You pat yourself on the back. You start acquiring compliments.
Thoughts that you might teach someday may flutter through
your consciousness. Don’t indulge in these meanderings.
Keep an eye on them as you would a spot of crabgrass on an
otherwise pristine lawn.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 15 seconds

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'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

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Story 32 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

An abscessed tooth forced me out of my hut and into Bombay,
as it was known then, to see a dentist. I had his name on a
piece of paper and was assured he was ektampukkha, “a cheap
but best” dentist. No one was in the waiting room, and he said
he could take me right away, two facts that should have warned
me to be careful. Once I was in the chair, he quickly concluded
my tooth was...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 25 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

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Story 31 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I had an aunt who lived on a forty-acre estate west of Toronto.
The manor house was an Elizabethan structure with separate
breakfast and dining rooms, a full maid's quarters, apple
orchards, and a forest with deer and other wildlife. In the late
afternoon we would dress for tea and retire to the screened
porch off the living room. My aunt would put Mozart on the
hi-fi, and we would eat cucumber sandwiches. The tea service
was...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 19 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 30 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

When you find yourself in a hole, first stop digging. Trite but
true, when we find ourselves in this predicament, we need to
lay down the activities that led us to be that deep in the hole.
When I found myself in an alcohol-induced hole, I let all the
alcohol-related activities go. These included for a time even
good friends...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 37 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 29 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

When the venerable Thai teacher, Ajahn Chah,was asked what technique of meditation he taught, he replied frankly, “I teach frustration.” Doing non-doing can be in itself frustrating, but in the hands of a meditation master it can be nuclear.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 31 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 28 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

In India they trap monkeys with a bamboo cage. The cage has
a small opening just large enough for the monkey's hand to
slip through. They slide a banana through the hole and wait.
The monkey smells the banana and twists his hand through the
hole and grabs the banana. Success. Or so he thinks, until...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 31 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 27 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

My father fought in WW2. This entailed sleeping in drafty and cold English castles on camp cots, followed by living in bivouacs as the regiment made its way from Normandy up the coast to Arnhem in Holland. He suffered from chronic back pain the rest of his life. He had his throat slit by an enemy agent in London,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 18 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 26 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

Trauma can exact a pernicious hold on our mind. Victims often seek help in the form of group therapy or individual counseling. Members of Alcoholics Anonymous admit to feeling helpless in the face of their inability to overcome their addictions. They speak of themselves as survivors. They are to be commended for facing their trauma, seeing it for what it is.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 06 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 25 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

Mindfulness is very popular these days. Not long ago it made the cover of Time magazine. Library of Congress lists 4,063 titles that contain the word “mindful,” including Mindful Golf and Mindfulness and Murder. And therein lies the rub. The word has been commodified and monetized to such an extent as to obliterate its original meaning.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 13 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 24 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

As a child, I did not seek out thrills or danger of any kind.
I did not enjoy games or contests or practical jokes. I hated
costume parties. I’d rather go for a walk with my friends or sit
and talk and have tea. Even today, I really don’t need fun.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 13 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 23 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most
people are never going to die because they are never going to
be born. The potential people who could have been here in my
place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber
the sand grains of Arabia.” So wrote Richard Dawkins in
Unweaving the Rainbow .

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

2 minutes 41 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 22 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

To repeat, all man’s problems stem from an inability to sit
alone in a room in silence. However, Pascal omitted to say
that sitting alone in silence in such a room is not easy. It can
be so difficult, in fact, that it unbalances the mind.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

6 minutes 19 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 21 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie

.

Marcus Aurelius, the great Stoic philosopher, makes it clear how important it is to be present: “The longest and shortest lives amount to the same, for the present moment is equal to everyone.” Just one mindful moment is all you need to stand firm against the habitual temptations to engage, to follow, to blindly react to greed, hatred, and delusion.

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

4 minutes 19 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 20 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

A few years after living as a monk in West Virginia, I stayed a
while at Wat Pah Nanachat near the Mekong River in Ubon
in Thailand. This was the real deal. A forest monastery with
dhuthanga monks who adopted thirteen additional vows,
including taking only one meal a day and practicing...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 34 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 19 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

I am waiting for Thich Nhat Hanh to write a follow-up book,
How to Listen , to address the proliferation of PMPs (personal
music players). Many young people walk everywhere, earbudded
to all the music ever created, oblivious to the sounds
around them and within them. They drown out...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 59 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 18 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Be here now. Just three words. Be here now. The oft-heard
teaching is eminently simple but absolutely profound.
Happiness can only be found in this moment, in the here and
now. Living in the past will inevitably...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 33 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 17 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

This story is from Toni Packer, the late, much-venerated Zen
teacher. A student asks a Zen master for some principles of the
highest wisdom.

The master replies, “Attention.”

“Is that it?” asks the student. “Nothing to add?”

The teacher says,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 25 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 16 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

Watch a baby for a while and you can't help but see how hard
they are working. They are looking out on the world, trying
to make sense of it all. They focus on this and then they focus
on that. They react, sometimes with tears, ofttimes with a
smile, indications that they have assessed the situation and
found it wanting or fulfilling. When you place them on...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

5 minutes 13 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .

Story 15 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
.

The Pirahã natives live in the upper Amazon rainforest. Daniel
Everett is one of only three linguists who can speak their
language. He lived with them for many years and discovered
through their language that they appear to be the only people
on Earth who live in the here and now. They are fully...

narrated by Ian McCrorie

2022

3 minutes 31 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing .

More by Ian McCrorie .

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore .