Article series: Illumination of the ThoughtNote Taking and Critical Analysis MethodWho was Tsong khapa and Why is He an Important Philosopher?Preface to Tsong khapa’s Illumination of the ThoughtIntroduction to the Illumination of the ThoughtHomage to Compassion Without Dividing its Types Introduction In the introduction of Illumination of the Thought, Tsong khapa pays homage to the Buddha and the Madhyamaka lineage gurus, that is, the Indian pandits who expounded the Middle Way philosophy of emptiness and dependent-arising. May... [Read the full story]
Last Saturday I received from Geshe Thubten Loden my last teaching as a resident of the Tibetan Buddhist Society. It was during the dinner combining a celerbration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday and Vesak – the day of the Buddhas birth, Enlightenment and death. As we do every year, we had a little puja and meditation session before the dinner. It was here that Geshe-la spoke of compassion. For me, it was a timely reminder that one can go to no place nor engage in any normal activity and assume that... [Read the full story]
Hi All, Well, as most of you know, I am back in Australia after my wonderful trip to India. What some of you will not know is that I have moved from the Tibetan Buddhist Society in Melbourne to Hobart to be apart of the philosophy community here at the University of Tasmania. The move went well, and most (although not all) people were happy. I have been here a week and have settled in well. I am sharing a house with two others only 3 minutes from the Philosophy department. So I can go home at lunch to cook, or nick back... [Read the full story]
I ran this poll last year and thought I’d run it again to see if there has been any changes in your meditation schedule. n How many hours per week do you meditate? Less than 1 1 - 5 5 - 10 10 - 20 20+ View Results Do you meditate in the morning or the night? AKPC_IDS += "573,";SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "New Poll: How Many Hours per Week Do You Meditate?", url: "http://lodenjinpa.com/new-poll-how-many-hours-per-week-do-you-meditate/"... [Read the full story]
I’ve changed the topic of my thesis because (1) I believe it is a more contemporary field of research, (2) Tsong Khapa had a lot to say about this topic, and (3) I am very interested in this field. Below is my preliminary research plan. Thesis Title: Domain of the Illusory: Non-Egological Approach to Phenomenal Personhood. Literature Review: This study of the non-egological approach to personhood focuses on the five main philosophical works by the 14th CE Tibetan philosopher Tsong Khapa. The primary source material... [Read the full story]
I would say that every living being wants happiness. But if this is the case why it is that we continue to experience problems? AKPC_IDS += "164,";SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Who Wants Happiness?", url: "http://lodenjinpa.com/who-wants-happiness/" }); Read More →
For those of us that aspire to meditate well, it can be easy to get caught in thoughts of how wonderful it would be to have flawless concentration. As most of us carry expectations into our meditation sessions, and as we sit with a mind that continues to wander, continues to play the uncontrollable buffoon, it is easy for us to become disheartened by our lack of progress. Be like a meditator, think like a meditator: embrace failure. Successful meditators on the other hand, no strike that, successful people, embrace failure. Such people are not put off by long and difficult journeys, in fact, they are often inspired by such challenges. Great Meditators have a innate ability to see through their everyday likes and dislikes, enabling them to offset short term pleasure for long term goals. This ability sees restlessness as an enemy of meditation, and understands the benefits of disregarding short term hardships that may arise during meditation, for long terms goals of meditation. Meditating every morning, even for just 15 minutes, will help reduce restlessness. Moreover, being aware of your restlessness during normal daily activities will increase your ability to meditate when you hit the cushion. These two are mutually supporting and they arise together. If you commit to at least 15 minutes of meditation each morning, this will help support your daily activities. Because you feel better through the day you are more likely to continue meditating each morning. Through committing to an ongoing program of morning meditation, your ability to put aside the pleasure of an extra 15 minutes of sleep for sitting on the floor with crossed legs, focusing on your personal object of meditation be it the breath or compassion, will increase your endurance and perseverance, attributes that are key to becoming a meditator. However, every meditator at some point has to deal with the restlessness that arises from boredom. If you can make it through this point in your meditation career, realizations... [Read the full story]