Enlightenment
Fall 2010 Vol. 27 #1
Fall 2010 Vol. 27 #1
Introduction
Buddhists often talk about enlightenment by identifying what it is not. Cut away all the conditions, hindrances, bad behavior, unclean thoughts, obstructive inklings, and something else will arise that we call liberation. But what is that?
Features
Seeking enlightenment? Senior Dharma teacher Jack Kornfield might ask, “And what kind of enlightenment would you prefer?” In this article, Kornfield explores several different expressions of the ultimate goal of Dharma practice.
Just Another Word
By Adyashanti, Ajahn Brahm, Pema Chödrön, Spring Washam, Zenkai Blanche Hartman, Sarah Weintraub
Answers and nonanswers to the question, “What does enlightenment mean?” from a variety of Western teachers and practitioners.
Interview with Dr. Thynn Thynn: Escalator to Enlightenment—Psychic Powers & the Samatha Lineage
By Sandy Boucher
Revealing a path that is little known in the West, Burmese teacher, mother and physician Dr. Thynn Thynn describes her Samatha lineage, with its potent psychic practices.
Writer and teacher Sandy Boucher savors gritty stories and poems from the ancient verses of Buddhism’s earliest enlightened sons and daughters.
Preeminent Buddhist-feminist scholar of religion Rita M. Gross confronts the contradiction between no-self and gender.
Western Buddhism’s reigning skeptic Stephen Batchelor calls for a scientific worldview that illuminates ancient doctrines and revitalizes our understanding of the Buddha’s radical teachings.
New mom and mindfulness teacher Diana Winston finds her views turned upside-down thanks to the arrival of her baby daughter.
What do the scriptures have to say about nirvana? Buddhist scholars Joanna Macy and Gil Fronsdal uncover the nuances that are often lost in translation.
“Little shot” Barbara Gates’s forty-seventh school reunion—and the childhood memories it stirs up—help her see through lifelong views she’s held on identity.
Leaving California after fourteen years, Ajahn Amaro shares his observations of American Buddhists and describes the greatest gift he received. With a forward from Mary Grace Orr.
Poems & Not Poems
A short poem by a beloved teacher of the dharma.
Dharma Jewel
Patrick McMahon muses on scribes and scripture, Zen and Ch’an poets, and the making of Press-22’s first edition of Gary Snyder‘s translation of Han-Shan‘s Cold Mountain Poems—hand-calligraphed by McMahon’s then-housemate Michael McPherson.
Reviews
Stepping Out of Self-Deception: The Buddha’s Liberating Teaching of No-Self, by Rodney Smith
Reviewed By Scoby Beer
(224 pp., Shambhala Publications, 2010)
Unlimiting Mind: The Radically Experiential Psychology of Buddhism, by Andrew Olendzki
Reviewed By Jeff Hardin
(190 pp., Wisdom Publications, 2010)
This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity, by Susan Moon
Reviewed By Joan Tollifson
(176 pp., Shambhala Publications, 2010)
(246 pp., Norton Books, 2010)
Unlearning Meditation: What to Do When the Instructions Get in the Way, by Jason Siff
Reviewed By Wes Nisker
(240 pp., Shambhala Publications, 2010)
Mae Chee Kaew: Her Journey to Spiritual Awakening and Enlightenment, by Bhikkhu Silaratano
Reviewed By Sandy Boucher
(246 pp., Forest Dhamma Books, 2009)
Dhamma Gita: Music of Young Practitioners Inspired by the Dhamma, by Various Artists
Reviewed By Wes Nisker
(Audio CD, More Than Sound, 2010)
Practice
Scholar and translator Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi offers instructions on one of the most popular meditations in the Buddhist tradition.
The Dharma & the Drama
Wes Nisker reveals the causes and conditions that have led to this very moment of your experience, starting with the creation of the universe.