Editorial notes: This is one of Shai’s longest essays, written in seven instalments, six within a period of just ten days in 2016 (from 13th October to 23rd October 2016) and the seventh, a year later, on August 31 2017. Reflecting on Shai’s complete collection of writings, this can be seen, perhaps, as the zenith and culmination of his intellectual journey. As he was writing this essay he was...
It is oft-repeated that Buddhism is not a religion, but rather a pragmatic psychology – it is quite here that the controversy within Scientology found its ground-swell, ensuring that the archaeological finds be immune to apathetic amnesia. Professor Chowdhury and three graduate students were completing work at a monastic complex in northern India when a hermetically sealed cave was...
[Editor: This is more “charity case” less “business proposal”] Begin by introducing the experiential state of sati as resulting from instructions The concept of bare attention The concept of purity of experience Pause to introduce bhakti yoga as experiential and resulting from instructions Situating bhakti by comparison within mindfulness of deportment theory Pause to introduce form vs concept...
{Part 1 – 22/10/2016} A preamble on Eastern philosophy, religion, idol worship (nb. not referencing F. Bacon[I], but weakly alluding), and phenomenological incongruencies. Any reference to Indian (whether defining geographically, as did the Muslims, vis the river, or by cultural genealogies, via translocated Arayan, [aka] Brahman lineage, or Tantric resurgence [nb. meridian axis or at least...
[Editor: This is already dated. And contains real problems, but those lie outside the scope of intent for readership so ok. The point is more how to guide an introduction to something which people are willing to understand, but can’t imagine doing so without condensation. [most people should rather admit to knowing as much about .., as about devas]] B/s: Explain how we need wisdom for seeing...
I have spent a few months engaging myself in a regular study and consideration of Buddhism. My schedule now calls for me to move onto other studies, which makes this a good time to reflect on what I’ve learned, how I’ve learned it, the methods I used, and the advice I would give myself or another interested in a similar venture. My introduction to Buddhism began with an interest in...
The Pali cannon (MN 36) tells the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Before his liberation, the to-be Buddha tortured himself by emaciating himself and restricting his breathing, in his search for ultimate liberation. Past masters had failed him in his ultimate quest, and so he strived to find his own way. But when these efforts bore him to fruits, he considered that not all that is...
Emotions are a central concept in Western psychology and its language for introspection. The definition of “emotion” is nebulous, incorporating and alluding to a range of phenomenon, and yet it is an extremely powerful category for defining and referring to the human experience. Buddhism has a deeply and long developed model for describing, identifying, and deconstructing mental...
Samma samadhi is the last of the listed eightfold path. It is the nurturing of a mental state already present in every state of consciousness. It aims at the development of citt’ekagatta one pointedness of mind, when the mind centres its acts of consciousness around an object. Samadhi can be recognized by two salient features: Unbroken attentiveness to an object A consequent tranquillity...
A few things have entered my awareness recently, and combined with my present struggles and goals to produce an inspiration. I’ve been introduced to the DBT skill radical acceptance. I’ve come across strategies for reparenting and for relearning responses. And have discovered that the creator of DBT herself persevered through psychiatric struggles. Radical acceptance At DBT I have...
