UCLA Mindful celebrates 20 years

"Mindfulness" is more than sitting still

UCLA Mindful (previously MARC, the Mindful Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles) is celebrating 20 years of mindfulness at UCLA.

• FREE TO RSVP:
• Disclosure Project: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE, in-person and online), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• Nature Center: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE online and in-person), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: UCLA Day of Mindfulness (FREE online and in-person), Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup

For 20 years, UCLA has been a home for mindfulness (Buddhist sati) education, research, and practice. New website: UCLA Mindful - Mindfulness Education Center | UCLA Health

Join us in celebrating this journey—from the founding of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) to the growth of UCLA Mindful and its reach across Los Angeles and around the world.

Join us on October 24, 2026, for a Day of Mindfulness featuring opportunities for practice, learning, and connection, followed by an evening 20th Anniversary Evening Reception to celebrate two decades of growth and impact and look ahead to the next 20 years.

There are two exciting celebration opportunities, the Day of Mindfulness and an Evening Reception.

• Participate in a free Day of Mindfulness in-person or live-online. Full event details now available.
• In-person and online Day of Mindfulness October 24, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (Pacific Time). All are invited to participate in a Day of Mindfulness, co-sponsored by and partially held in the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, on Oct. 24 from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. This special anniversary celebration brings together longtime members of the UCLA Mindful community, educators, practitioners, students, and friends for a day of meaningful practice, reflection, connection, and learning.
• The garden will host a variety of creative ways to practice mindfulness including movement, forest bathing, relational mindfulness, and much more.
• All are welcome to join in continuing the milestone celebration at the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden for the Evening Reception. Limited spots still available.

LIVE: online and in-person in the Main Hall

The online experience offers its own thoughtfully curated program, with access to the day's featured speakers and shared moments of practice and reflection from the main hall.

There will be guided meditations throughout the day. The main hall will be livestreamed all day, allowing the broader community to come together in celebration from wherever they are.

A highlight of the celebration will be a gathering of past and present leaders who have helped shape UCLA Mindful over the past two decades. Featured speakers will include:

• Diana Winston, Current Director, UCLA Mindful
• Sue Smalley, Founder and Founding Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
• Dan Siegel, Founding Co-Director of MARC
• Marvin G. Belzer, Former Associate Director of MARC

Additional teachers include:

• Dr. Allyson Pimentel, Mitra Manesh, Gloria Kamler, and Dr. Ali Mossaver-Rahmani

Only the in-person experience will invite participants into the UCLA campus and the Mathias Botanical Garden for a full day of embodied and relational practice, including breakout sessions, movement practices, and mindful garden experiences.

These sessions will take place in the main hall and throughout the garden and will offer opportunities to connect with the natural environment and with one another in ways that can only happen in person.

The in-person program will feature a rich variety of breakout sessions, with topics including:

• Relational mindfulness
• Movement and embodied practices
• Mindful garden tours
• Forest Bathing
• Mindful Photography
• and other opportunities to explore mindfulness through different perspectives and practices

Garden-based breakout sessions will not be recorded or livestreamed, allowing these intimate experiences to remain grounded in the garden and in the presence of those participating on site.

Together, we will reflect on the history of mindfulness at UCLA, celebrate the people and practices that have shaped the program, and look toward the future of mindfulness in our community and beyond.

Whether joining us on campus or from home, all are invited to be part of this milestone celebration. Join ss:

• Saturday, October 24, 2026
• 10:00 am–5:00 pm (PT
• UCLA Campus: Matthias Botanical Garden
• Online registration: The event is free to attend
• Donations are warmly appreciated and help support the continued work of UCLA Mindful.
• REGISTER NOW
• Facilitator 10:00-11:15

Opening Gathering: Founders Roundtable Dr. Elizabeth Ko Moderator 11:30-12:15 Sitting Practice- "Sharing Joy" Allyson Pimentel 12:30-1:15 Sitting Practice- "Slow Time" Dr. Ali 1:15- 2:15 Lunch 2:15-2:45 Mid-Day Gathering- Practice & Connection Diana Winston 3:00-3:45 Sitting Practice- "Where Is Your Attention Right Now? From Noise to Choice" Mitra Manesh 4:00-5:00 End of Day Gathering- Visioning & Sound Bath with Michael Perricone Diana Winston More

Two ways to participate — one meaningful celebration

Los Angeles leads mindfulness movement

The Day of Mindfulness will be offered in a hybrid (in-person/online) format, with opportunities to participate both in person at UCLA and online from around the world.

While both formats are part of the same celebration, the experiences are intentionally designed to be different. See website for in-person and online experience details (uclahealth.org/uclamindful). Full session details now available.

Together, we will reflect on the history of mindfulness at UCLA, celebrate the people and practices that have shaped the program, and look toward the future of mindfulness in our community and beyond.

• UCLA Mindful 20th Anniversary- Day of Mindfulness - UCLA Mindful | UCLA Health
• Mindfulness Day (September 12th)
• Amazon UCLA Bruins flag 3x5 (TN) | officially licensed
• Diana Winston (UCLA Health); SHEIN USA; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Let heart settle: Zen music for stillness

Dedicated to our UCLA MARC (Mindful Awareness Research Center)-trained teacher, bonsai enthusiast, and Angeles National Forest docent Tod (rest in peace), who not only led us in meditation in the foothills of Monrovia but also gifted me an authentic handcrafted Native American shakuhachi-style flute to meditate with, which unfortunately was consumed by the Great Spirit of the mountain during the Eaton Fire. Thank you, Tod.

Let the heart (mind) settle here: Japanese Zen music for peace and stillness | shakuhachi and koto

Beauty through Buddhist serenity? (picmix.com)

(Yamato Zen Relaxing) June 24, 2026: Let the heart settle here, in this Zen garden of contoured (raked) sand. 🍁 A red maple tree stands alone in the mist, where the world grows still.

This Japanese ambient track is inspired by gassho (the Japanese act, inspired by India's añjali mudrā and namaste-greeting), which is the bringing of the palms together near the heart in reverence.

It is a calm state where any fragmented noise of the day softens into something whole. Shakuhachi (flute) and koto (harp) unfold in a still, unhurried flow, supported by a quiet and continuous atmosphere that allows thoughts to float away as the mind/heart settles and remain at ease.

Human bowls beat AI tools

(Aurabowls) Nervous system calm with raw Himalayan singing

bowls | no artificial effects, just pure resonant sounds

• 

  That black metal bowl can make all that sound?

  Namaste. This 5-hour sound bath is the raw, untouched sound of Tibetan Buddhist singing bowls, no effects or music added, just pure, natural resonance recorded as is. These deep tones carry a timeless quality that helps calm the nervous system and bring the mind to a place of rest. Listen for hours or simply set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes. Use it however it feels right. The background is peaceful, like sitting under a tree while a gentle breeze moves through the leaves. Let that image hold. Sounds rise and fade like waves, no need to catch every one of them. Just follow whatever is heard and return to it whenever the mind wanders.

Fumie Hihara playing koto in 2016 (wiki)

This track is suitable for: 🍁 deep focus and inner stillness 🧘 meditation and mindful presence 😴 quiet rest and gentle relaxation 🌿 inner balance and tranquil harmony. Use it to create a quiet space to slow the breath, soften the edges of a harried life, and rest in the stillness that already lives inside us all.

It pairs well with Zen kinhin or "walking meditation." Walk at a slow, deliberate pace, letting each step fall like a stone into still water, and feel the ground rise gently to meet the body.

Let the hands come to rest, palms together, in a moment that belongs only to the stillness.

 

TRACKLIST

• 00:00:00 1. Raked in Mist
• 00:02:20 2. Still Roots
• 00:04:51 3. Crimson and Fog
• 00:08:55 4. Bamboo Mist
• 00:12:01 5. Veranda's Edge
• 00:15:55 6. Red Bough
• 00:19:39 7. Quiet Bearing
• 00:23:50 8. Circled Sand
• 00:28:03 9. Veiled Canopy
• 00:30:53 10. Solitary Maple
• 00:35:24 11. Sword's Repose
• 00:39:21 12. Settled Deep
• 00:42:36 13. White Sand
• 00:46:53 14. Worn Reverence
• 00:51:27 15. Soft Enclosure
• 00:55:56 16. Fog's Return
• 00:59:29 17. Repeat

🎨 This video's visuals and audio are produced by real humans with artificial AI tools. If any of this resonates, consider subscribing for more original Japanese ambient and Zen-inspired compositions. 🙏 💿️ Zen music, relaxing music, meditation music, focus music, sleep music, background music, Japanese music, flute music, stress relief, Japanese ambient sounds, healing music, calming music

🔴 24/7 Live #1: youtube.com/live/_Dmgt8yaDs0... 🔴 24/7 Live #2: youtube.com/live/fP9R-uYsRNc... 🍎Apple Music: x.gd/7gBje 🟢 Spotify: x.gd/fuRHzb

• Japanese Zen: Bamboo River Music | peaceful flute melodies for meditation and calm

The Ten Stages of Enlightenment

(Asangoham) Ten Stages of Enlightenment

Mindfulness: Why being present is hard

(Buddhism Podcast) Why being present is so hard | Buddhist Wisdom

What does it mean to be "present"? That is hard to say for sure, but some Buddhist teachers like American Sharon Salzberg say it means continuously coming back to the present moment. "Begin again." The mind settles, is here, but then it wanders. We realize at some point that it has wandered away from the here and now. What to do? "Begin again." That is a good description of mindfulness meditation. How could we stay in THIS moment? There is something happening that only happens now. If we place our unswerving attention on that, we too will stay in the right now. What is it? The in-and-out breath. Breathing is happening right here, right now, and only now. Stay with the breath, not as something to contemplate or ponder but only watch, notice, keep in mind. See Anapanasati Sutta

Tantric Sacred Sex, Yoga, Vajrayana?

Tantric sex workshops in the West? (Tantra Archives - Live Love Raw)

(Buddha's Wisdom) What is TANTRA in Buddhism (Vajrayana)? From myth to method

Jambhala in yab yum position (Tantric sex)

Tantric sex is any of a range of practices in Hindu and later Buddhist Tantra that claim to be able to utilize sexual activity in a sacred ritual or yogic context.

Tantric sex is associated with antinomian elements, such as the consumption of alcohol and the offerings of defiled substances like flesh to deities.

Moreover, sexual fluids may be viewed as "power substances" and used for ritual purposes, either externally or internally [1, 2].

The actual terms used in the classical texts to refer to this practice include "Karma-mudrā" (Tibetan ལས་ཀྱི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ las kyi phyag rgya, "action seal") in Buddhist tantras and "Maithuna" (Devanagari मैथुन, "coupling") in Hindu sources.

In Hindu Tantra, Maithuna is the most important of the five makara (five "tantric substances") and constitutes the main part of the Grand Ritual of Tantra variously known as Panchamakara, Panchatattva, and Tattva Chakra.

In Tibetan Esoteric (Vajrayana) Buddhism, Karmamudrā is often an important part of the completion stage of tantric practice.

While there may be some connection between these practices and the Kāma-Shāstra literature (which include the Kāma Sūtra), the two practice traditions are separate methods with separate goals.

As the British Indologist Geoffrey Samuel notes, while the kāma sāstra literature is about the pursuit of sexual pleasure (kāmā), sexual yoga practices are often aimed towards the quest for final spiritual liberation (moksha) [3]. More Tantric sex

• In 1992, Jane Wrightson passed with an Australian rating of R18 (like the American NC-17), the Australian tantric sex film Sacred Sex, which was appealed unsuccessfully to the Film and Video Board of Review by the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, who viewed her classification as too liberal.

One practice that includes all others

(ECHOES OF LOST KNOWLEDGE) The ONE practice that changes everything | Zen awakening

• Is this not Ram's advice to quiet the Monkey Mind?

Sutra Study with Bhikkhu Bodhi (8/8)

Teacher: American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi

Dharma students, on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, Bhante (Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi) will be holding his Sutta Study class in two modes, in-person (in NY) and online (on Zoom).

We will study The Book of Eights. See a PDF of this chapter here. To participate through Zoom, interested parties must register on the BAUS website here.

Class begins at 9:30 am ET with a 40-minute meditation: 30 minutes of mindfulness-of-breathing (ana-pana-sati) and 10 minutes of cultivating loving-kindness (metta bhavana).

Meditation is followed by sutta (discourse) discussion, starting at 10:10 am and running until 11:20 am ET. To determine the time in your own time zone from anywhere in the world, use The World Clock. (Zoom link below).

• An Online Course on the Anguttara Nikaya
• Numerical Discourses, The Book of Eights, Sutta Nos. 36-39
• We continue our exploration of this bundle of suttas dealing with giving (dana) and other aspects of a layperson's Buddhist practice.
• Monk Mode vs. 'Sicko Mode' Challenge

The schedule will be as follows:

• 9:30 to 10:10 am: Meditation
• 10:10 to 11:20 am: Sutta Study
• The Sutta Study class will be conducted over Zoom at the link given here:

Zoom link for Sutta Class

• Passcode: Sambodhi
• Meeting ID: 812 2960 9505
• Passcode: Sambodhi

One tap mobile

+16468769923,,81229609505#,,,,*26115386# US (New York)

+13126266799,,81229609505#,,,,*26115386# US (Chicago)

Dial by location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

• Meeting ID: 812 2960 9505
• Passcode: 26115386
• Find local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kIeabgixD

Virtual meditation over Zoom

Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 pm (ET) with Bhikkhu Bodhi

Dharma students are invited to join Bhante at 7:00 pm (ET) for a Buddhist meditation session over Zoom by clicking here.

Each Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a meditation session on Zoom. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting verses of homage as Buddhist music), followed by a 45-minute guided meditation. All are welcome to join in. The sacred Pali texts for recitation are attached separately. Please see class page on website for chanting text.

With metta,

Bhikkhu Bodhi, Chuang Yen Monastery (BAUS.org)

• DONATION (both are free, but dana is accepted)

ZOOM

Passcode: 368764

Note: This is a recurring meeting from 7:00pm to 8:00 pm Wednesdays.

Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/s/83540900862...

Meeting ID: 835 4090 0862

Passcode: 368764

One tap mobile

+16468769923,,83540900862#,,,,*368764#

US (New York) +13017158592,,83540900862#,,,,*368764#

US (Washington DC)

Dial by location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 835 4090 0862

Passcode: 368764

Find local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kcYniDdmfU

The Buddhist Association of the U.S. (美國佛教會)

Chuang Yen Buddhist Monastery

2020 Route 301, Carmel, New York 10512

contact@baus.org

• Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS.org); Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha or Goenka's Vipassana?

(Buddha's Wisdom) GOENKA: The man who removed Buddhism from Buddhism?

Do it yourself at home the U Ba Khin way

The Goenka Method (of U Ba Khin) provides some practical advice for practicing systematic mindfulness (sati) of the body, one of the four crucial elements in the setting up of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthana), a practice necessary for "insight" (vipassana). Is it the only method? No. Is it the most effective method? Who can say, as it varies from individual to individual. Is it an effective method? Without sufficient stillness, calm, samadhi, absorption (jhana), it seems to Wisdom Quarterly that it is not. The claim is that practicing vipassana can produce its own mild forms of "access concentration" without needed full absorption. This will at best be a very weak and sketchy foundation of sila and samma-samadhi, virtue and "right samadhi." Samadhi is crucial and cannot be skipped over with the ideal of "dry insight" being enough for this decadent age.

Who is this Goenka guy?

Let go. Stop clinging. Be free right now.

S. N. Goenka (Satya Narayana, Satyanārāyaṇa Gōyaṅkā, Burmese ဦးဂိုအင်ကာ) lived from Jan. 30, 1924–Sept. 29, 2013. He was an Indian Burmese businessman and teacher of Buddhist insight (vipassanā) meditation.

Born in neighboring Burma to an Indian family, he learned vipassana from Sayagyi U Ba Khin (Int'l Meditation Centre, Rangoon).

• Be Cheerful and Laugh a Little
• Practicing Insight On Your Own
• Fundamentals of Vipassanā Meditation (Mahasi Sayadaw method)

It's never too early or too late to practice.

Goenka-jii (an honorific added out of great respect) retired from business in 1962, during a period of business nationalization by the military junta in Burma, then moved to India in 1969 to start teaching vipassana meditation.

His teachings are secular and therefore stay away from anything that might appear to be rites or rituals and instead emphasize that Buddha's path to liberation, which was non-sectarian, universal, and scientific (rational) in character.

This led to vipassana meditation appealing to people of all religions as well as no religion, theists, nontheists, atheists, and agnostics, from all parts of the world, East and West.

• Vipassana, in the Burmese Theravada Buddhist tradition, is derived from the Abhidhamma (as taught by the Buddha to the monk he declared "foremost in wisdom" Ven. Śāriputra [27, 28]).
• Although some Burmese teachers hold that vipassana and Abhidhamma study are inseparable [29], Goenka invited students to consider the theoretical aspects of these Teachings (pariyatti), advising them that the most important aspect of the technique is its practice (paṭipatti), contrasting mere book learning from experiential learning.
• Students are free to accept the theoretical background or reject any part they find objectionable.
• Goenka reported the words of the Buddha as follows [30]: "Filled with these compassionate and loving thoughts, [the Buddha] proclaimed: Apārutā tesaṃ amatassa dvārā Ye sotavanto pamuñcantu saddhaṃ "Open are the gates of the deathless state to those with ears [to hear] who renounce their lack of [confidence]," that is to say:
• "Open are the gates of Nirvana so that people who hear and practice will be able to overcome all doubt," which is one of the Five Mental Hindrances.

Free 10-day course

I thought I'd join a 10-day course, get enlightened, then go get my nails done. Boy, was I wrong.

.

Four Foundations begin with the body breathing

Mr. Goenka became an influential teacher and played an important role in establishing non-commercial vipassana meditation centers globally where vipassana meditation is taught as a free 10-day residential program with no charges for food, lodging, or meditation instruction, with centers funded by voluntary donations from "old" (past and present) meditators.

• How could it possibly be free? It is non-commercial. The rule is that only "old" students (who have completed at least one course) are allowed to donate. "New" students (who have not yet completed at least one course) are not allowed to donate. Donations are accepted after the completion of a course, which everyone qualifies to donate to at the end of each course, so there's never really a time when centers are open to donations and not accepting them. As soon as they are open to accepting dana (donations, gifts, charity), everyone present who just completed the course can give. Give what? Dāna

Goenka was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India in 2012, an award bestowed for distinguished service of a high order.

• Sign up for free 10-day courses worldwide at dhamma.org
• The Vipassana or Insight Meditation Movement

Meeting Goenka-jii in person

The kalyana-mitta S.N. Goenka and his wife

(Wisdom Quarterly was fortunate enough to meet S. N. Goenka, 88, and his lovely wife when they were invited to the Dhammakaya Meditation Center in Azusa, Los Angeles, for a lunch in his honor and to receive an award for service to humanity, circa 2012. This was just as the Aztec Calendar was wrapping a cycle and the world was about to end, with few people noticing that a new cycle and new world would immediately be continuing. He seemed very kind, and not nearly as Dracula-like as one might think from hearing his droning, baritone Transylvanian/Indian accent on the standardized tapes played during all free 10-day courses). More

• Buddha's Wisdom (video); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, CC Liu, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Ecstatic absorption: Bliss of the Jhanas

(Buddha's Wisdom) The Four Jhanas (meditative absorptions): From rapture (piti) to perfect equanimity (upekkha)

• Jhana: meditative "absorption" ("meditation") chiefly refers to the first four meditative absorptions of form

I want to enter that bliss, but how?

Namely, these are the form absorptions of the fine-material sphere (rūpa-jjhāna or rūpāvacara-jjhāna, see avacara). These profound absorptions are reached through full (ecstatic) stillness, samādhi, concentration (appanā).

 
At this time there is a complete (albeit temporary) suspension of fivefold sense-activity and of the Five Hindrances (pancha-nīvarana). However, this state of consciousness is one of full alertness and lucidity and, it is said, singlepointedness (ekagata) of mind/attention.

Gandhara: meditating Buddha

This degree of concentration becomes a fully absorbed state. It is generally developed by the practice (cultivation) of one of the 40 subjects of tranquility meditation (samatha-kammatthāna, see bhāvanā).

There are four higher (more refined) states of absorption called the Four Formless Attainments of the immaterial Spheres (arūpāyatana). These are called the four absorptions of the immaterial sphere (arūpa-jjhāna or arūpāvacara-jjhāna).

The usual text, often met with in the Pali canon sutras, runs as follows:... More: jhāna

• Pīti: rapture, bliss, joy
• Upekṣā: equanimity
• Pancha Nivarana: The Five Hindrances

What if there were a way to enter jhana?

The Eight Levels of Absorption

Ask a Buddhist teacher. Most will say, "There's no way to do it, so just do it." And that's pretty good advice as far as it goes, but it will only get a few there, the "naturals."

For a long time in this round, most of us are not the naturals, not inclined to even try. But when we finally "try," that is not a good sign of getting there. A person letting go, not aspiring, not striving, not anticipating, or doing nothing more than beginner's mind will is more likely to experience "beginner's luck."

That seems to be the Taoist approach advocated by Zen. How many Zen practitioners, however, ever get into a Zen state, a jhana, dhyana, seon, or absorción?

Not many. No one speaks of it, perhaps because of the threat/injunction that, "Anyone who knows doesn't speak; anyone who speaks doesn't know."

That may be true insofar as successful practitioners are not inclined to be worried about what anyone else does or does not do. But as a thinker, I am keen to figure out a practical way of teaching those cannot to be able to. There are a few ways that make sense or have some sort of logic.

First, we know that someone in an absorption has characteristics and is missing others. Things are present, and things are absent. How now if one were to include (cultivate) what is present for them and exclude (abandon) what is absent?

What is present? The Five Factors of Absorption (jhana-anga). What is absent? The Five Hindrances. Does it therefore not stand to reason that by such cultivation, one may very well fall into it? Drop away the obstacles, erect the parallels (those things present along with the wished-for state of heart-mind), and viola there it is!

Second, it is certain that what the Buddha taught was a pyramidal path with virtue (sila) as the base, stillness (samadhi) as the midlevel, and a capstone of wisdom (panna, prajna). So anyone who reaches the second level of "concentration" or singlepointedness of mind, or quietude, stillness, absorption does so on a base or foundation of Precepts and wholesome karma of skillful thoughts, words, and deeds or calm, noble silence, and restraint.

Right Concentration: A Practical
Guide to the Jhanas (Brasington)

Third, there is the powerful suggestion of Leigh Brasington that these absorbed states of ecstatic composure, concentration, focus, or coherent mindful awareness can be brought about by a method. The method is simple to understand, a little less simple to implement. Attend a retreat, smile, stay calm, slow down, be comfortable, send metta to all in all directions until the heart/mind is restful and at ease then begin to meditate. When meditating, it will be the case that some part of the body is or begins to feel blissful (piti, one of the Factors of Absorption), pleasant, pleasurable. When it does, turn attention to that and just that. Seemingly on the maxim that "where attention goes, energy flows," that bliss (joy, happiness, sukha) will expand and overtake the entire body, bringing one into absorption. Leigh Brasington teaches, or taught, on Cloud Mountain and should be consulted for the details of this method. My coauthor, Virginia Tech Prof. Lori Marsh, attended a Brasington retreat and attained it.

Now this opens up a question that is difficult if not impossible to settle. What is "jhana"? What qualifies as "absorption"? If Prof. Marsh says she attained such a state, can anyone say any different? Because it is a direct and personal experience, can she even know? Does Brasington certify that retreatants are reaching it?

Fortunately, this question can be answered to some extent, but not completely because so much will depend on self-report. The most important thing is that a meditator not be self-deluded. One can know for oneself, and one's teacher can know, but as to whether or not anyone can say, who can say? One might have to possess psychic (abhinna, siddhi) powers to know what another is thinking or experiencing. Fortunately again, we are not concerned with what others are or are not attaining, only with what we are reaching.

How can I know if I was in an absorption during my meditation? And if I can know, how can I know which absorption (Jhana 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8) I was in? There is an answer. In the teaching method of the renowned Buddhist Meditation Master Pa Auk Sayadaw, one will not know it when one is in it, but one can be sure which jhana one was just in. How? By reflecting and counting the Jhana Factors, that is, the Factors of Absorption present during the meditation, one can know which it was. As one moves up towards higher and more refined absorbed states, factors fall away.

The Five Factors are actually six when ekagata (one-pointedness) is counted. See teachers Sayalay Susila, Beth Upton, Sayalay Dipankara, Ven. Dhammadipa (now lay teacher Thomas), Shaila Catherine, Ven. Revata, and others for detailed confirmation of personal experience. The lay Buddhist teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder or check out their handy guide to the jhanas first published as Jhanas Advice. The later name became From First Sit to First Jhana:

☸ From First Sit to First Jhana | Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder ☸

Western boxing vs. Eastern martial arts

(BBC) Extraordinary final test to become a Shaolin master warrior monk | Sacred Wonders

Another one bites the mat (Yi Long Shaolin)

When it comes to fighting or avoiding a fight at all costs, we have to look at our friendship bracelet that read "WWBLD?" Of course, that stands for "What would Bruce Lee do?" Following the Zen way of the Tao, noninterference with the flow of nature, we'd go around trouble and pick the path of peace. But, y'know, as Kwai Chang Caine found out so many times, sometimes trouble finds you. Then in that case, redirect the violent opponent's own energy against that person.

Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee in Asian America

Buddhist Shaolin kung fu warrior monks

Shaolin Buddhist temple Zen (Chan) monks demonstrate wonders of Shaolin kung fu

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Shaolin Goddess of Compassion

Shaolin kung fu (Chinese 少林功夫, Pinyin Shàolín gōngfū, Shaolin Wushu, 少林武術, Shǎolín wǔshù, Shaolin quan, 少林拳, Shàolínquán), is the largest and most famous style of the martial art of kung fu. It combines Mahayana Buddhist, Chinese Chan (Zen) philosophy, and martial arts [1]. It was developed in the legendary Shaolin Temple (monastery) in Henan, China during its 1,500-year history [2]. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven." It indicates its superiority among the martial arts. "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin," which indicates its influence on other martial arts. The name "Shaolin" is also used as a brand for the external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin. More

It can't be real! Training's way too hard!

Kill 'em All and Fight Til Death

• (Boxing Game) When psycho giant almost killed Mike Tyson

(Slayer) "Fight Till Death" (from the album Show No Mercy)

Call me a Pollack, and I kill you.

Best known as "Andrew Golota," Andrzej Jan Gołota (born Jan. 5, 1968) was a Polish professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title, by all four major sanctioning bodies, and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Black American boxer Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows to the groin in fights that Golota was winning. On Oct. 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. He had a bout with Mike Tyson in 2000, which he first withdrew from, but afterward was ruled no-contest. In Nov. 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame. Favorite music? Probably brutal Polish death metal band Vader? More

Decision: Train at home on monitor

(SkyNet 2.0) Street Fighter 2 vs. UFC Fighters (funny A.I. slop)

• Boxing Game; BBC Sacred Wonders; Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu, Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly