Beginner's Mind
By Liam Lindsay, Associate EditorON THE COVER: LOTUS: © KIMMO VON LŸDERS / PLAINPICTURE / CORBIS
feature section:
how to meditate
Why
Meditate?
Matthieu Ricard
answers everyone's first question.Getting Started
Norman Fischer proposes a short trial run to get your meditation practice started. Take note, beginners: it doesn't get any clearer than this!Mindfulness: The Most Direct Path
"The Buddha spoke of mindfulness as the most direct way to end pain and anxiety, and realize the highest happiness," writes James Baraz. So: what's so special about mindfulness, and how do you do it?Shamatha-Vipashyana: It's Our Original Nature
"If our practice is inspired by the compassionate intention to be of service and alleviate the suffering of others," writes Gaylon Ferguson, "the union of shamatha and vipashyana can lead to complete enlightenment and the ensuing buddha-activity benefiting others."
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Grace
Schireson offers encouraging instruction in Zen meditation; Mingyur
Rinpoche tells the story of his own
introduction to the Great Perfection; Carolyn Rose Gimian
suggests a slogan to inspire our meditation-in-action.
RELATED SHAMBHALASUN.COM SPOTLIGHT:
How
to Meditate
All Buddhist
meditation aims to help us find liberation by going against the grain
of our usual habits of mind. In this selection of articles from the
Shambhala Sun, we present teachings on the various techniques of
meditation from all the major schools of Buddhism.
new from the dalai lama
“The Challenge of Other Religions”
How do we reconcile religious pluralism, so necessary in today’s world, with deep commitment to our own faith? The Dalai Lama offers his solution.feature section: awakening the heart
Tonglen: Bad In, Good Out
Pema Chödrön teaches a practice for connecting with suffering — ours and that which is all around us — everywhere we go.Kindness Changes Everything
When we practice loving-kindness, says Noah Levine, we change for the better—and so does our world.ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Sakyong Mipham teaches you six specific thoughts that you can implement to jumpstart an attitude of genuine happiness as you live your day; Kathleen McDonald explains a practice for awakening your potential to develop boundless compassion.feature: awakening the body
Make
Friends with Your
Body
On
or off the meditation cushion, we can be friends with our body—just the
way it is. Cyndi Lee shows us how to sit with relaxation and ease.RELATED SHAMBHALASUN.COM SPOTLIGHT:
Working
with
Pain and Suffering
How can we better deal
with pain and suffering? These classic teachings from the pages of the
Shambhala Sun
will point the way.
barry boyce on the
mindful society
Showtime!
Barry looks at Brooklyn's Jazz Mindfulness Program, and why acting and
mindfulness go hand in hand at New York's Meditation for Actors.RELATED SHAMBHALASUN.COM SPOTLIGHT:
The Mindful Society
Here you'll find some of the finest articles on mindfulness from our extensive archives, plus Shambhala SunSpace exclusives, and more.
book review
Attention, Eaarthlings!
Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, by Bill McKibben.Reviewed by Jill S. Schneiderman
RELATED SHAMBHALA SUNSPACE BLOG:
Is
This the World's Worst Buddhist? A
Q&A with Mary Pipher
“Impossible
Happiness: An Elegy for Peter
Orlovsky”
Susan
Moon: “This Is
Getting Old”
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