Zen Buddhism 101: Five Zen Stories

(Big Think) Harvard professor's six step guide to Zen Buddhism | Robert Waldinger

(Buddhist Insights Journey) 5 Zen stories to dissolve illusions of Ego | Buddhism Teaching

Tantric sex or exploitation by Tibetan gurus?

I knew and helped cover it up like a Vatican Pope in Rome, but I was 'Pope' of Potala Palace

(Natasha Yehenara) Tantra: Dharma or sexual exploitation?

I'm giving this boy an extra juicy special "transmission." Outsiders wouldn't understand!

He has little boys suck his tongue, but that's culturally allowed or secret tantra?

• Tantra
• Tantric sex
• Vajrasana (yoga)
• Buddhist tantric literature
• Vajrayana
• Esoteric Buddhism
• Tibetan Buddhism

Voice of Zen Buddhism Alan Watts wrong?

(Buddha's Wisdom) Was Alan Watts wrong about Buddhism? The truth behind the "Voice of Zen"

• When Buddhism met Taoism: The hidden birth of Zen

Alan Watts: Zen means jhana (absorption, dhyana) - Zen (Tao) of effortlessness, soft power

Becoming interested in Zen: Alan Watts - Alan Watts: wu wei, with the Way (Taoist)

How can I effortlessly go with the flow?

Wu wei (無為, 无为, wúwéi) is a concept from ancient pre-Buddhist Chinese philosophy that literally means "not-acting" or "non-doing," variously interpreted and translated as "noninterference," "action-lessness," "inaction," or "effortless action" [1, 2].

In Taoism, it denotes the nature of Tao, meaning that while Tao (the Way, Path, or flow of nature, acting in accordance with the natural course of things), is the source of all existence and the manifestation of all phenomena, its intrinsic formless essence is that it acts or moves in a silent, invisible, ineffable, often-unnoticed manner that may even seem motionless and effortless [3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

It's all a matter of seeing the Suchness!

Accordingly, Taoists (and subsequently Zen Buddhist practitioners) aspire to live their lives in alignment with such a harmonious state of free flowing and unforced activity. In a political context, it also refers to an ideal form or principle of spontaneous and non-aggressive form of governing [8]. More

Zen Reconsidered: It's all "Suchness"

(Alan Watts) Zen Reconsidered: Suchness (full lecture by Alan Watts on Buddhism)

• 50 years without Alan Watts: A timeless echo in today’s culture (The Brussels Times, 2023)

What is "suchness"?

What is Suchness? All is Suchness.

Tathātā (Sanskrit तथाता, Pali tathatā) is a Buddhist term variously translated as "Suchness," "Thusness," "True Thusness," or "True Suchness," referring to the Ultimate Reality, the intrinsic and essential nature of all existence, free of dualistic thinking, conceptualization, subject–object distinctions [1].

It is formless, uncreated, eternal, perfect, unchanging, indestructible, and is the true nature of all phenomena. It represents the genuine reality of existence, which transcends physical forms, physical senses, and intellectual comprehension, indicating a profound insight into the nature of things as they truly are [2, 3, 4].

Tathātā has a large number of synonyms found in different Buddhist schools, traditions, and scriptures, such as:

• Emptiness (śūnyatā 空),
• Reality Realm (bhūta-koṭi 實際、實相),
• True Suchness (bhūta-tathatā 真如),
• Dharma Nature (Dharmatā 法爾、法然、法性),
• Dharma Realm (Dharma-dhātu 法界),
• Dharma Body (Dharma-kāya 法身),
• Nirvana (Nirvāṇa 涅槃),
• Vajra (金剛),
• Actionlessness (無爲),
• Dharma Intrinsic Nature (Dharma-svabhāva 法自性、法自然),
• Buddha-nature (Buddhatā, Buddha-svabhāva 佛性),
• Tathagata-Treasure (Tathāgata-garbha 如來藏),
• The True Reality of all phenomena (sarva-dharma-tathatā 諸法實相), and so on [3, 5, 6].

Although it is a significant concept in Mahayana Buddhism, it is also used in the Theravada tradition [7, 8]. More

The Life of Zen with Alan Watts - “Do what you like doing [rather than for money]”

Alan Watts on Buddhism and the word "Buddha" - Alan Watts, Who is the Buddha?

What to do? Go with the flow

Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow" (live on Leno in 2003)

• Queens of the Stone Age – "Go with the Flow" lyrics

If there's no self, whose NDE is it?

(Buddha's Wisdom) NO-SELF vs. NDEs: Buddhism's strangest question about death

• Near-death experience (NDE)
• Dr. Raymond Moody wrote Life After Life: A Groundbreaking Exploration of Near-Death Experiences and the Transformative Insights into the Afterlife, Backed by Scientific Study and Personal Testimonies
• Dr. Ian Stevenson
• Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: stages of human death
• Dr. Helen Wambach does early science in Reliving Past Lives: The Evidence Under Hypnosis
• If there is no permanent "self," what is there then?
• Saṃsāra is not Nirvana, but is to say so helpful?
• What is Liberation (Moksha) but Awakening to the Truth that this was all a Dream (Maya)?
• Death (marana) is death because it is immediately followed by rebirth; there is no space in between, as the Bardo is misunderstood to be, because it will not be another human rebirth next
• At the instant of death, in that submoment, what was a human life is lost, the impersonal process of consciousness relinks and rearises according to karma in a new form. It is neither a new existence nor the same as the one before, and this is confusing. Identity clings. But just as it was impersonal before, it is impersonal still, and the process (patisandhi in samsara) rolls on. Samsara is the "continued wandering on" and its detailed process the Buddha made known in the Abhidhamma, how cittas (mind moments) and impuslions (javanas) produce their results (vipaka and phala), and a "being" (which is really always a becoming) is unaware and just carried on...

4 'enlightened' masters who went 'insane'

(Asangoham) Four "enlightened" masters who went completely "insane"

The blue 'Medicine Buddha' - Healer

WATCH NOW: The MEDICINE BUDDHA: Buddhism's Forgotten Healer | Bhaisajyaguru

The MEDICINE BUDDHA: Buddhism's Forgotten Healer | Bhaisajyaguru

(Buddha's Wisdom) March 4th, 2026: #MedicineBuddha #Buddhism #BuddhistHealing 🔍 THE MEDICINE BUDDHA HEALS WITHOUT CURING — AND HERE'S WHY:

The Medicine Buddha (BhaisajyaGuru) is one of the most fascinating figures in Mahāyāna Buddhism: a blue-skinned buddha associated with healing, compassion, and the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli (a beautiful blue Afghan gemstone).

 

But if Buddhism teaches impermanence, non-self (anattā), and detachment from the body, why does it include a buddha devoted to curing illness?

This video explores the history, philosophy, and psychological depth behind Bhaiṣajyaguru...and what Buddhist healing really means.

This is the story of how Buddhism's "doctor who prescribes enlightenment" challenges everything we think we know about healing, suffering, and what it means to be broken.

📿 DISCOVER:

• Why Medicine Buddha's 12 vows made him Buddhism's most controversial figure
• How 8th-century Buddhist monasteries became the world's first integrated healthcare systems
• The blind Chinese Buddhist monk who taught healing despite losing his sight
• Why Tibetan, Japanese, and Chinese Buddhists practice Medicine Buddha in completely different ways
• What modern science reveals about meditation, stress, and the mind-body connection.

⏳ TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 The blue-skinned god that shouldn't exist
• 02:32 The twelve vows that changed Buddhism
• 08:55 When temples became clinics
• 14:55 The disease behind the disease
• 21:22 Three Buddhas, one Truth
• 30:51 The cure that isn't

🙏 If this exploration of Buddhism's healing paradox opens eyes to a deeper truth, subscribe to Buddha's Wisdom for videos that bridge ancient Buddhist teachings with modern questions. Hit the bell icon to catch this journey into Buddhism's most fascinating mysteries. 📱 Join a community: Instagram: / buddhaswizdom Facebook: / buddhaswizdom X: https://x.com/BuddhasWizdom Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ndnBU5... TikTok: / buddhas.wisdom ☕ Support the channel: https://buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom

#MedicineBuddha #Buddhism #BuddhistHealing #Bhaisajyaguru #BuddhismExplained #BuddhistPhilosophy #TibetanBuddhism #MahayanaBuddhism #AncientMedicine #BuddhistPractice #Enlightenment #Bodhisattva #Anatta #PureLand #Bhaisajyaguru

📚 SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

• Primary Buddhist Texts: Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja Sūtra (Medicine Buddha Sutra)
• Vinaya Piṭaka (Monastic Disciplinary Code)
• Dhammapada (Imprint of the Buddha's Teachings)
• Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path
• Madhyamaka Philosophy (Nāgārjuna)
• Yogācāra texts (Vasubandhu)

Historical Sources:

• "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" by Xuanzang (7th century) amzn.to/4b3eCYP
• Records of Jianzhen's journey to Japan (735-763 CE) Tōdai-ji Temple archives (Nara, Japan)
• Tang Dynasty medical records Tibetan Gyushi (Four Medical Tantras)
• Archaeological findings from Bamiyan and Gandhāra

Modern Scholarly Works:

• "The Healing Buddha" by Raoul Birnbaum amzn.to/4r5YNqp
• "Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Premodern Sources" edited by C. Pierce Salguero amzn.to/4ct4ivS
• "Tibetan Medicine in the Contemporary World" by Laurent Pordié amzn.to/4rQuAwU
• Studies on placebo effect and meditation (Harvard Medical School, NIH research)
• Research on mindfulness and pain management Neuroscience studies on visualization practices

Related Academic Resources:

• Journal of Buddhist-Christian Studies Buddhist-Christian Studies journal articles on Medicine Buddha
• Contemporary research on Buddhist medical ethics
• Cross-cultural studies of Medicine Buddha practice

⚡ In a world obsessed with curing the body, Medicine Buddha asks a deeper question: If there is no permanent self…who is being healed? [Ugh, the momentarily dependently arisen "self" (atman, atta)?]

DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational purposes. Medicine Buddha practice is a spiritual/meditative practice and should not replace professional medical care. Always consult qualified healthcare providers for medical conditions.

What are 'zen,' 'Zen,' and 'Nirvana'?

What is "zen" (lowercase)?

This is very easy to answer. In Japanese zen literally means "meditation" in the sense of "absorption" (Pali jhana, Sanskrit dhyana, Chinese chan or channa, Vietnamese thiền, Korean sŏn or seon, and Japanese zen). Absorptions are progressive states of stillness (samadhi), misleadingly translated as "concentration."

The connotation of this rendering is struggle, force, and effort, whereas "absorption" is the result of persistent balanced effort (sādhanā practice) but itself is effortless: It is not accomplished by "muscling" or "over-efforting" but rather by "letting go" and no longer "clinging" to things.

Absorption is a natural state of enhanced awareness because of the purification and intensification of consciousness, which is usually scattered, distracted, and beset by the Five Hindrances.

Through persistent, steady, calm practice these obstructions are replaced by the Five Factors of Absorption (jhana'anga. "limbs of absorption"), detached tranquility, dispassionate observation, and mindful looking on or objective witnessing or simply watching, at first accompanied by a sort of "bliss" (piti, rapture, uplift, joy, enthusiasm, zeal), "happiness" (sukha), and "contentment" (santosha).

What is Zen (uppercase)?

Don't overthink definitions (like Wisdom Quarterly's Dharma editor does), okay?

.

Bodhidharma, South Indian monk in China

"Zen" with a capital Z is a different story, for it may refer to the entire history and set of practices in the Japanese Mahayana Chan School originating in China, having spread to Korea and other parts of Asia and now the world.

Perplexing discussions of "emptiness" (shunyata) and "suchness" (tathātā) are more easily understood in the older texts of the Theravada.

The Wheel of the Dharma (8 spokes)

Thera-vada is the "Teaching of the Elders," who are the enlightened direct disciples of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the "Sage of the Sakas" or the Indo-Scythians of ancient Gandhara, one of the Angas.

In this Buddhist school, these terms refer to the "impersonal" (egoless) nature of all phenomena, particularly the Five Aggregates clung to as "Self" in the Heart Sutra, and the Dependent Origination (conditioned co-genesis) of all composite "things" (dhammas, phenomena).

Yin yang, Buddhist or Taoist?

Of course, as much as one Buddhist school might influence or explicate another, Zen (Chan) is part of the Mahayana movement, a later "reformed" rather than a back-to-basics "orthodox" movement like Theravada. Zen is so thoroughly blended and saturated with Taoism (and to a lesser extent Chinese Confucianism and Japanese Shinto) that most of what is pondered and assumed to be "Buddhist" is strictly Taoist in nature. All the fun of Zen is more related to Lao Tzu (and later Hinduism, Tantra, and Vajrayana) than the historical Buddha's Teachings. One need only listen to Alan Watts to realize that.

Nirvana: As It Is (Bhikku Bodhi)

The scholarly evidence presented by American Theravada Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

What is NIRVANA?

 

What are those "things"? They are everything other than the only compact (noncomposite) item, the sole unconditioned element, which is called nirvana (Pali nibbana).

Nirvana, as our habitual logic might compel us to conclude, is not nothingness. Rather, it is the end of:

• all suffering/disappointment (dukkha, pain)
• delusion/ignorance (regarding ultimate things)
• further rebirth (in the "continued wandering on" of miserable samsara).

Nirvana is:

• the Deathless (Amata, Amrita, ambrosia)
• the unconditioned element
• the real (not marked by the Three Characteristics of all conditioned states)
• the peaceful, blissful, rest.

For anyone who's convinced that the Buddha never had anything to say about nirvana, there is this lovely description describing the indescribable, almost capturing the ineffable, or seeming to put words to that which is really beyond words.

These words are said as a corrective for everyone making the massive mistake of concluding that nirvana has to mean "annihilation, nothingness, non-existence, or the void," a pernicious wrong view. 

Could anyone ever draw what can't be imagined?

THE BUDDHA: “There is, O meditators, an unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed. Were there not, O meditators, this unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. But since, O meditators, there is an unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, and unformed, there is an escape from the born, originated, created, formed.”

Anyone not yet convinced that the Deathless is not Eternal Life (but perhaps closer to the Ancient Greek term mistranslated as such, aion, as spoken of by the wise Gnostics) and the Unconditioned is just not like the conditioned (all those composite things utterly dependent on causes and conditions), the Buddha said more:

“Truly, there is a realm, where there is neither solid, nor fluid, neither heat, nor motion, neither this world, nor any other world, neither sun nor moon. This I call neither arising, nor passing away, neither standing still, nor being born, nor dying. There is neither foothold, nor development, nor any basis. This is the end of suffering" (Ud. VIII. 1 - The Immutable).

• Does the Ancient Greek word Aion mean eternity? | Tommy Redmon
• Strong's Greek: 165. αἰών (aión) -- age, eternity, world, forever, everlasting
• How long is an "aeon" or "ion" (kalpa, "age") in India?

The end of all suffering: nirvana

Dhr. Seven (ed.) based on John Ireland (trans), Nibbāna Sutta: Parinibbana (1)

To walk the path of peace brings bliss.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove at Anathapindika's monastery.

On that occasion he was instructing, rousing, inspiring, and gladdening the meditators with a Dhamma talk connected with NIRVANA, and those meditators, being receptive and attentive and gathering their whole mind, were intent on listening to teaching. Then, on realizing the significance, the Buddha delivered this inspired utterance:

What would such a timeless place be like?

"Meditators, there is that base where there is no earth, no water, no fire, no air [the Four Elements]; no base consisting of the infinity of space, no base consisting of the infinity of consciousness, no base consisting of nothingness, no base consisting of neither-perception-nor-non-perception [the Four Immaterial Absorptions]; neither this world nor another world nor both; neither sun nor moon. Here, meditators, I declare, there is no coming, no going, no staying, no ceasing, no rising. Not fixed, not movable, it has no support. Just this is the end of suffering" (Udana 8.1).

This counterintuitive Teaching is for the wise.

What could this sutra mean? It is clearly stating that there is something beyond the beyond -- beyond the "universe" that is the 31 Planes of Existence, which is divided into three spheres (lokas): our sensual sphere, the heavenly fine-material sphere, and the incomprehensible immaterial sphere. They are increasingly subtle until they peter out into an even more sublime situation where there is not even that which was already incomprehensible. It does not matter that it is incomprehensible BECAUSE it is experienceable, personally verifiable, a truth attainable here and now, not in another rebirth (in heaven or otherwise), not in an afterlife, but here and now in this very life. So nirvana should be embraced as practical, excellent, and worthy of knowing-and-seeing directly, and not dismissed as theoretical or unknowable. Let's look at the original Pali canon wording:

Paṭhama-nibbāna-suttaṃ

1. Evaṃ me sutaṃ: ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kakho pana samayena bhagavā bhikkū nibbānapaṭisaṃyuttāya dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṃseti. Te ca bikkū aṭṭhi katvā [1] manasi katvāsabbaṃ cetaso [2] samannāharatvā ohitasotā dhammaṃ suṇanti.

2. Atha kho bhagavā etamattaṃ viditvā tāyaṃ velāyaṃ imaṃ udānaṃ udānesi: - "Atti bhikkave, tadāyatanaṃ, yattha neva paṭhavi, na āpo, na tejo, na vāyo, na ākāsānañcāyatanaṃ, na viññānañcāyatanaṃ, na ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ, na nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ, nāyaṃ loko, na paraloko, na ubho candimasuriyā. Tatrāpāhaṃ bhikkhave, neva āgatiṃ vadāmi, na gatiṃ, na ṭhitiṃ, na cutiṃ, na upapattiṃ. Appatiṭṭhaṃ appavattaṃ anārammaṇamevetaṃ. Esevanto dukkhassā"ti.

• Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly edited by Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

When we all die, where do we go?

Thay (pronounced "Thai") is Thich Nhat Hanh, here explaining a candle flame. Where will it go?

When we all fall asleep, where do we go?

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly in reply to the implicit question in Billie Eilish's "Bury a Friend": Where do we all go when we die? Where does a flame go when it dies?

• And when the flame goes out, where does it go?
• That's a nonsense question.
• No, it must go somewhere!
• Well, where do you suppose -- up, down, sideways?
• Well, no, nothing like that. I don't know where it goes.
• It isn't there like you think (assume), so it does not "go" anywhere after it is said to "go out." Failing to gain new fuel (and four other factors, heat, oxygen, wick, and process-of-combustion), it fails to "come back in" for the next moment of its appearance. This sounds strange because it goes against our assumptions, but it's very true: In one instance, all five factors (aggregates) gather and manifest as "flame." Failing to get all five in the next moment, no flame/fire appears. This teaches us that what we call "flame" or "fire" is utterly dependent on supporting conditions (these five aggregates or factors) and without them, it is not. However, if it is utterly dependent, then how can it ever be said to have an independent existence? Ultimately speaking, it cannot. But in normal usage, in conventional speech, of course we say, "The flame came into being and then went out of being after some time." This is nice. This seems true. But it was never ultimately true. So there is no confusion. And maybe no one cares about a flame or fire. But if the same thing could be said of us, me and you the individuals, what then?
• How could that ever be said of us? We are here now. And when we die or "go out," we reappear somewhere else -- like in heaven, hell, another human life, or a life in another realm in the 31 Planes of Existence.
• Conventionally, this is exactly what happens. Unfortunately, ultimately speaking, it is completely wrong. Not only do "we" not go anywhere, what we are calling "we" is completely dependently arisen. Our being, our existence, completely depends on the Five Aggregates clung to as self.
• What, we're flames?
• No, flames depend on the five factors I mentioned above. "We" depend on the Five Aggregates clung to as self mentioned in the Heart Sutra: form; feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and process of consciousness, the khandhas or skandhas in Sanskrit.
• So there is no reappearance?
• Oh, there's reappearance (rebirth) all right, but it isn't the rearising of some unchanging "soul," "self," jiva, gandhabba, "ego," "personality," or "I." We are clinging to what is not ours, and we suffer for it.
• Aha! You said "we" suffer for it! Who's the "we" that suffers?!
• That "we" is the Five Aggregates clung to as self. "We" are not that. "We" do not control that, in an ultimate sense. In a conventional sense, of course, that's all "we" are, and "we" have a great deal of control to develop calm and insight to breakthrough to wisdom and liberate "ourselves" from this samsaric mess. But that, ultimately speaking, is not really what's happening. And it can be proven. The aggregates can be refined, purified, stilled and be seen for what they are. Then clinging stops. And liberation occurs. It's as if the fearful dream lets go of the dreamer. The monstrous illusion loses its power to deceive and make frightened, suffering victims of the aggregates clinging to the aggregates as if they were "self."
• (OWN) Thich Nhat Hanh on "deep listening," compassionate listening with Oprah Winfrey | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

Let go of fear [and delusion]

(Plum Village App) Practicing Non Fear | Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh

Why we need wise reflection

SuttaCentral.net (edited by Wisdom Quarterly)

When I first encountered Buddhism in the U.S. in the 1990s, it was all about "insight meditation" (vipassana) with some voices shouting that the value of the jhanas (meditative absorptions) was being mistakenly overlooked as a regular practice.

 

Wise Reflection: Its Importance

Years later, I came across BPS Wheel 463 (Buddhist Publication Society), which states that the value of “wise reflection” (yoniso manasikara) was being mistakenly overlooked as a regular practice.

This weekend I decided to go back and take another look at Wise Reflection (BPS Wheel 463) with the amazing benefits provided by suttacentral.net's because of its multiple translations per each discourse (Pali sutta) and translator Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu’s errant translations on dhammatalks.org.

• Wisdom Quarterly prefers American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations in all cases over idiosyncratic and ridiculous Thanissaro Bhikkhu's efforts.

It was a very powerful refresher course (lesson) in the difficulties of translation and the value of reading multiple [English] translations and the value of [the ancient] commentaries.

The translations of yoniso manasikara (not quite those two words as found in the Pali canon) from the Sabbāsava Sutta (MN 2) are diverse!

The same goes for samvara [the things we should make an effort to avoid] translated as: "defilements," "taints or cankers," ["shackles or fetters"], and "effluents"!

EXCERPT: Venerable Walpola Rahula (from BPS Wheel 463), in quoting the Buddha, translates yoniso manasikāra as "wise reflection":

“I say that the getting rid of anxieties and troubles [1] is possible for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know and see. What must one know and see in order to get rid of anxieties and troubles? Wise reflection and unwise reflection... More

All the good girls go to hell, Billie?

When did you join the Illuminati, Pirate? Did Phineas induct you?

• SuttaCentral.net, The Many Faces of Wise Reflection (yoniso manasikara) - translations - discuss and discover edited by Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhism in Russia: Zen (PunkMonk)

(PunkMonk)

• Kalmykia: Europe's only Buddhist region | Europe To The Maxx
• Eli from Russia: Is this Europe?! Celebrating the Native Russian Buddhist New Year in Kalmykia
• Lost In Kalmykia | Europe's Weirdest Republic

Awakening (liberating insight) is normal

What if the ego (self, soul) were just to melt and disappear for a moment? Would we let go?

Awakening is totally normal, Dude. Don't go looking for special magic experiences

Wake up, Zen meditators, or it's the paddle!

(The Theory of Samsara) Premiered Nov. 27, 2025: 🧘‍♂️ Why do we all so easily fall into "spiritual delusion"? Why do we chase psychedelic highs, promises of supernatural powers, or “special” experiences instead of understanding the ordinary, unchanging nature of consciousness [and related phenomena] itself?

This video dives more deeply into the mechanics of self-deception on the spiritual path —

• How craving fuels suffering,
• Why Western culture’s addictions make it worse,
• Why meditators so often mistake mental fabrications for awakening.

Let's explore the Buddha’s actual teaching:

• Craving is the root of suffering
• Consciousness is ordinary, not something to be manufactured
• Awakening can’t be given to us by a teacher
• Psychedelic trips are NOT enlightenment
• Pride, jealousy, and other delusions and fabricated identities destroy the Path
• True realization begins with a stable, uncontrived mind.

Notice these? Signs of spiritual awakening — the Buddha warned about

Whether we practice Zen (jhana), Mahamudra ("great seal"), Vipassana (insight meditation), or Dzogchen (choiceless awareness), the message is the same: Stop looking for the extraordinary.

Instead, recognize the nature of mind as it is: SUCHNESS, ordinary mind — nothing to adopt, nothing to abandon.

If we want to avoid spiritual self-sabotage and cultivate a genuine path toward awakening, this is for us. Check out ultimatemeaning.org for more information.

#spiritualdelusion #buddhism #awakening #meditationpractice #dzogchen #mahamudra #ordinarymind #buddhadharma #spirituality #selfdeception #craving #suffering #mindfulness #psychedelics #nondual #zenmeditation #enlightenmentpath

• Anand Universe Official, Is there a God? Nov. 23, 2025; The Theory of Samsara; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly 

Alan Watts: Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life

Alan Watts via KQED" Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life: S1 E4 - The Void | Remastered

What is the purpose of being human?

(Buddhism Podcast) What is the purpose of being human? The Buddha's answer

Aristotle’s Theory of Eudaimonia or Happiness

Eudaimonia (/u-die-moan-ee-uh/, Ancient Greek εὐδαιμονία]) is a Greek word that literally translates to the state or condition of good spirit, commonly translated as "happiness" or "welfare."  In the works of Aristotle, eudaimonia was the term for the highest human good in older Greek tradition. It is the aim of practical philosophy-prudence, including ethics and political philosophy, to consider and experience what this state really is and how it can be achieved. It is therefore a central concept in Aristotelian ethics and subsequent Hellenistic philosophy, along with the terms aretē (most often translated as "virtue" or "excellence") and phronesis ("practical or ethical wisdom") [1]. Discussion of the links between ēthikē aretē ("virtue of character") and eudaimonia (happiness) is one of the central concerns of ancient ethics and a subject of disagreement. As a result, there are many varieties of eudaimonism. More

Mindful? Who's watching the watcher?

Who’s watching the "watcher"? Buddhism’s Answer to the endless watcher

What is the perfection?

(Buddhism Podcast) June 26, 2025: Buddhism Explained. [Who’s watching? There is watching; the question assumes a watcher, a habit of our customary way of thinking built into the language with nouns that do verbs. But if watching is only an impersonal process, then what?]

What if [that which or] the one who watches our thoughts is just another thought? This video gently follows a deep question in Buddhism: Who observes the observer?

• Understanding the perfection of wisdom: it is all impersonal, empty (shunyata), not-self (anatta).

Step by step, we walk through the layers of awareness, the habit of searching, and the quiet freedom beyond identity.

Through the Buddha’s teachings, the Dharma, we see how presence needs no owner. We don’t have to become anyone — we’ve never been apart from this presence. It has always been here.

• 00:00 - The strange question that changes everything
• 04:20 - The mirror that reflects itself
• 09:21 - Meditation — where the question becomes real
• 14:38 - The peace beyond the search
• 18:44 - The unshaped presence

#Buddhism #TheBuddhaTeachings #TheObserver. The channel's purpose and commitment: This channel is "committed to sharing the beauty and wisdom of Buddhist teachings with the purpose of education and inspiration. All our content is created with deep respect for the Buddha’s teachings [the Dhamma], aiming to promote understanding, mindfulness, and compassion in everyday life. [The channel's] goal is to present the values and practices of Buddhism in a way that is accessible and beneficial to everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs. We do not seek to influence or alter anyone’s faith but simply to offer insights into the timeless wisdom of Buddhism as a source of guidance and positivity. This channel is a space for learning, reflection, and connection, guided by the principles of respect, kindness, and truth. If you have any feedback or concerns, we welcome open and respectful dialogue. Thank you for supporting our mission to share the meaningful messages of Buddhism with the world."

• Buddhism Podcast, YouTube, June 26, 2025; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly