Learning the Buddha’s Teachings

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lynnjkelly

The worlds that most of us live in are not supportive of regular Dhamma practice. Meditation and even mindful walking or daily activities often seem to require a re-direct from some more enticing occupation for our mind. Another element that could help us sustain a focus on non-material, non-entertainment activities is daily contact with the Buddha’s teachings in some form.

For many years, before the internet took over our attentional lives, reading was the most common pathway for learning. Just reading a paragraph or two in a book by a trustworthy teacher of the Dhamma provided inspiration for meditation and a sense of direction in our days. Teachers who have guided me through decades of learning through their writings and in-person teaching include:

Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Amaro
Shinzen Young
Ayya Khema
Charlotte Joko Beck
Bhikkhu Bodhi
(and many more)

A few people on the list are no longer living, but all have left valuable writing that could provide inspiration to present day people who are interested.

For many people, reading books may seem burdensome. We’ve become accustomed to taking in information via audio and video sources.  

Here are some resources that I can recommend:

A good starting point: https://readingfaithfully.org/
(offered by a respected Theravadan monk of 22 years’ training)

https://dharmaseed.org/talks/
(audio, various teachers) 

https://www.watmetta.org/teachings
(teachings and guided meditations from Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

http://www.andrewolendzki.org/home.html
(the Buddha’s teachings, well presented)

Podcasts I’ve never listened to but think are worth checking out:
https://podcast.feedspot.com/dharma_podcasts/

However we learn, becoming familiar with the Buddha’s four truths and eightfold path can give us a framework and guidelines for thinking about anything to do with ourselves and the world. They can help us see and choose better options.

Our thoughts and actions are influenced by whatever we surround ourselves with. If we’re paying attention, we’ll keep adjusting the things we see, hear, and think about every day in order to help us to grow in wisdom and compassion. 

Posted in Causes and results, Compassion, Dhamma, Mindfulness, The 8-fold path | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Mindful Walking

Posted on January 18, 2026 by lynnjkelly

Walking Meditation (No Mud, No Lotus)
(from Thich Nhat Hanh https://tnhmeditation.org/walking/)

In our daily lives we have the habit of running. We seek peace, success, and love—we are always on the run—and our steps are one means by which we run away from the present moment. But life is available only in the present moment; peace is available only in the present moment. Taking a step and taking refuge in your step, means to stop running. For those of us who are used to always running, it is a revolution to make a step and stop running. We make a step, and if we know how to make it, peace becomes available in that moment of touching the Earth with our feet. It would be a pity to let a whole day pass without enjoying walking on the Earth.

Thich Nhat Hanh was a master of walking meditation and made it an essential part of his wonderful teachings. If you want to see more about his methods, check the website linked above.

Mindful walking is practiced by many people, and is recognized as a healthy activity, even for folks with no particular interest in the Buddha’s teachings.

What is walking meditation?
(from The Cleveland Clinic,  https://health.clevelandclinic.org/walking-meditation)

Walking meditation is a mindful practice where you bring awareness to the active intentional movement of walking.

Culturally, this practice is rooted in the traditions of Buddhism, Taoism and yoga, and has been used for centuries in coordination with other mindful practices to boost awareness and improve one’s enlightenment.

“When we think of the word ‘meditation,’ we think of sitting, rest, relaxation and closing our eyes or trying to find a place of focus and relaxation and paying attention to the body in a different way,” explains Perko. “Walking meditation, however, is very active and you can practice walking meditation anywhere.”

The active component of walking meditation may be compelling, especially for beginners who are interested in meditating for the first time.

As the article says, walking meditation is an approachable way to establish a mindfulness practice. It may also be more helpful than sitting practice in times of stress. All it takes is slowing down enough to notice the particulars of this most mundane activity. Bringing our awareness into the body, again and again, to learn what is actually happening here, is the basis of mindfulness – open awareness, collected in the body, now.

Continue reading →

Posted in Mindfulness, Patience | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Four Postures

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lynnjkelly

Following on from the idea of continuous mindfulness, a simple instruction is to become aware of whether we are sitting, standing, walking or lying down. The Buddha said we could practice mindfulness in any of these four postures, and would benefit from doing so. How we carry ourselves is a simple, obvious object for meditation in daily life. How is your body positioned right now?

It may help to imagine having a balanced and upright spine as the goal. When standing, a mostly straight spine eases the breathing and takes pressure off joints, allowing us to relax a bit. When standing at a counter cutting vegetables or brushing our teeth, we may tend to lean on one leg or the other. If we notice and balance ourselves on both legs equally, we may feel a subtle but instant relief.

When walking, we can notice whether our upper body is upright or slouched over, and whether we are looking at our feet or generally straight ahead. We can adjust our pace to feel energetic but not frantic, to allow our muscles to do their work efficiently. Walking meditation is a time-honored method of cultivating mindfulness. It might include being aware of our breath as well as our posture and the degree of relaxation we can maintain.

Most of us sit down for a large portion of our days, often leading to postural problems and pain. We’ve learned that taking breaks is a healthy habit both physically and mentally. But we can also regularly attend to how upright we are, how our breathing is affected, and whether our leg position is causing tension. Generally speaking, crossed legs will create stress in the body before long.

Practitioners of The Alexander Technique offer some wisdom about positions and tension in the human body, and how an awareness of our posture can cultivate a calmer mind. For those interested in learning more:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_technique

https://alexandertechnique.org.au/alexander-technique/

Lastly, we may not think of lying down as a legitimate posture for cultivating mindfulness. However, the Buddha himself certified it more than once. Whether we are just resting or going to sleep for the night, we can bring awareness to the body’s position and all of the sensations that course through it, nonstop.

We can use body posture as the “rope of mindfulness” to guide ourselves through the day. As well as being in one of the four postures, we can bring extra awareness to both the intention and the action of changing our positions. We can notice the discomfort, the desire to change position, and then the movement itself.

Posted in Causes and results, General, Mindfulness | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sustainable Practice

Posted on January 8, 2026 by lynnjkelly

Rather than attempting a mindfulness practice by sitting still and watching the mind go completely bonkers, it is often recommended to start with “continuous mindfulness”, i.e., mindfulness in daily life. Without deliberately altering our normal activities, we can commit to noticing everything that happens in our bodies and minds from the first moment of consciousness in the morning to the last one at night.

Of course, when we’re starting out, mindfulness will come and go. We may have minutes of mindful activity interspersed in a day of distraction and confusion. But if we set our intention to remember to be mindful of what we’re doing and noticing how it feels in our bodies and minds, then the subtle pleasure of being present with our direct experience will encourage us to extend the exercise.

For example, when we wake up, how does our body feel? What is it like for our minds to come out of the fog of sleep into consciousness? Do our muscles feel refreshed or tense today? Are we stiff or flexible? Is the mind fretful or peaceful? We take note of the experience without considering whether we should change it or not. The noticing itself, over time, brings wisdom.

All day long we are deciding what to do next. Is this process comfortable for us or do we struggle? When washing dishes or brushing our teeth, is there resentment at the need to do daily chores? Or is it an opportunity to feel alive in each activity? Can we appreciate the movement, the sensations, the satisfactions of regular maintenance at home or at work? Or are our minds elsewhere?

Venerable Nyanaponika uses the image of “maintaining a hold on the rope of mindfulness” throughout the day. As long as we are conscious, there is something to be mindful of – the changing sensations, moods and emotions, energy and fatigue, likes and dislikes, all things pleasant and unpleasant. It is all grist for the mill, as Ram Dass memorably said.

Continuous mindfulness should be without strain. It’s a simple movement of the mind away from imagined scenarios of the past or the future, away from habitual agitations and towards a true and complete experience. It’s a releasing of the mind into the present. It requires a subtle form of effort, but is a powerful practice that can help us become calmer and more focused, whatever we do.

Posted in Mindfulness, Patience | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Protecting Ourselves and Others

Posted on January 3, 2026 by lynnjkelly

“I shall protect myself” – with that thought the Foundations of Mindfulness should be cultivated. “I shall protect others” – with that thought the Foundations of Mindfulness should be cultivated. By protecting oneself one protects others; by protecting others one protects oneself.

And how does one, by protecting oneself, protect others? By repeated practice (of mindfulness), by its meditative development and by frequent occupation with it.

And how does one, by protecting others, protect oneself? By patience, by a non-violent life, by lovingkindness and compassion. (SN 47.19, translated by Nyanaponika Thera)

Why do we practice mindfulness? We could have many reasons, but usually the motive involves wanting to improve our state of mind in some way, to suffer less. We could also feel impelled to do better in our relationships with others. Both causes are served by developing mindfulness.  

The more present and sensitive we become, the more useful we are to ourselves and others. We cultivate calm and precision of aim in sitting meditation, and develop patience, non-violence, and compassion in the realm of our relations with others. This is the fundamental work. No one said it would be easy, but there is great satisfaction in a life that has a long-term goal of improving our ability to protect ourselves and others from the miseries that are part of the human story. More reliable mindfulness allows us to see clearly what can be done to relieve suffering, and also provides the motive to address this universal concern. 

Ajahn Sumedho sometimes defines mettā as non-hatred. We don’t need to feel a passionate regard for all beings, but we can accept our fellow creatures as they are and learn to overcome our aversion to them and judgments of them. Letting others be, not interfering with them, is an act of kindness. We are all learning from experience.

“She seems to care for people, indiscriminately and in their entirety, as it was once said God did.” (Zadie Smith in her introduction to the Vintage edition of Middlemarch by George Eliot)

Can we imagine an acceptance so complete? Do we sometimes experience it? Perhaps towards a child or a pet or sibling? Imagine holding everyone in such loving regard; it would mean the end of our suffering. We can take small steps in this direction, with daily effort, with the support of others on the path, and with a clear intention to pick ourselves up and start again, over and over. 

Posted in Causes and results, Compassion, Dukkha, Friendships, Mindfulness, Relationships, Sublime states | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Compassionate Citizenship

Posted on December 29, 2025 by lynnjkelly

The end/beginning of the calendar year is a time for reflecting. Instead of deciding to try (again) to change our diet or exercise habits, why not go deeper and commit to living as compassionately as we can?

We live in a fraught time where citizenship is devalued and consumerism is dominant. Yet we as individuals can reverse this trend. Who are our influencers? Are they people selling styles, cosmetics, or false narratives? Or are they thinkers and truth-tellers in the present or in history? Are we followers of fashion or followers of the Buddha?

It is tempting to lazily succumb to black and white thinking. “These people are good and those people are bad.” The Buddha never said anything like it. He understood and taught that the potential for great understanding and great blindness are both within each of us. These are the three unwholesome roots (greed, hatred, delusion) and the three wholesome roots (non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion). Our task is to nourish the wholesome qualities and uproot the unwholesome ones. It’s the worthwhile work of a lifetime.

If we accept that good and evil are within each of us, then we know that no one is exclusively good or evil, but many are damaged and hurting. People who make great efforts to stir up others into a hateful frenzy are themselves unmoored, without confidence in their own goodness. When we don’t know who we are, we are fearful by default. An infinite amount of damage is done by people in this state of mind.

So what can we do? We can support our days with practices that develop our understanding and compassion. We can read (or watch, or listen to) reliable sources, which may not be the most exciting ones, that point us in the direction of seeking truth and accepting that the world and the people in it are both wonderful and horrible. We can slow down enough to understand our own intentions and actions, as we live them, adjusting them as we go.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” – Anonymous, often attributed to Philo of Alexandria (a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria c. 20 BCE-c. 50 CE)

We can develop mindfulness and bring our best intentions to as many moments of each day as possible. We can.

Posted in Compassion, Sublime states, Mindfulness, Faith, Dhamma | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Seasons Turn

Posted on December 24, 2025 by lynnjkelly

Venerable H., a wise friend, gave a short talk the other day that reached several hearts in the room. It was a blessing before the midday meal was eaten, and was given as an offering of teaching to the assembled group. To paraphrase:

Today is the summer solstice [winter solstice in the northern hemisphere] and we can contemplate this turning of the seasons as an encouragement to turn our minds in a wholesome direction. Whenever a beneficial thought comes to us, we should act on it right away. If we delay, all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t act on it will occur to us and the moment will be lost. Whenever an un-beneficial thought comes to us, we should turn our attention to it and examine it, seeing it for what it is. Once we see it, we will naturally let it pass without acting on it.

When we receive a teaching from a source that’s clear and direct, we can hear it and allow it to enter and change some basic chemistry in our body. The Dhamma will resonate in a visceral way when we are ready to hear it, like a bell whose vibrations we recognize.

Although each of us hears the teaching differently, at different depths depending on our openness to receiving it, we can all be enriched by it. Even if it’s the first time we hear a piece of wisdom, something within us recognizes what’s true and important.

So, some of us received this teaching and remember it, and make the effort to keep track of the impulses that traverse the screen of our minds, noticing whether each one is trying to move us in a wholesome or unwholesome direction. Our impulses come to us unbidden, but we can work with them. We can turn towards the beneficial and turn away from the un-beneficial desires that our minds throw up onto the screen of our consciousness in a never-ending stream. This is the work of mindfulness and it’s an effective remedy for our general dissatisfaction.

Posted in Causes and results, Mindfulness, Wisdom | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Self and Other

Posted on December 19, 2025 by lynnjkelly

Big self, big problem.
Little self, little problem.
No self, no problem. (Ajahn Chah?)

Probably the most challenging concept in the Buddhist canon is the idea of anattā, or not-self. We can understand dukkha, the principle that all life includes some element of suffering; and the idea that everything is changing all the time, anicca, is also something we can grasp intellectually. But our perception seems so firmly rooted in our self that the concept of anattā creates a kind of cognitive dissonance.

Seeing these three characteristics of all existence completely and clearly would make us arahants, or fully enlightened beings. Let’s assume that if we were fully enlightened we probably wouldn’t be reading or writing this blog. The whole of the Buddha’s teaching is about refining our attention and directing it to the present in the bodies we find ourselves in. The investigation begins and ends here, in this body, in the present. So how can we refine our experience to become wiser? To move in the direction of understanding and not-suffering?

We can start with the grossest manifestations of the self and work with them. The delusion that we are the center of the universe and that everything that happens is happening to us, can be examined with care. We will pretty quickly discover that all our experience, every thought, emotion, action, has been performed or experienced by countless others in history, in the present and in the future. We think our feelings are unique, but if we observe other people and read history or fiction, we’ll recognize that they are common to most of humanity. Has anyone not experienced fear, hardship, pain, sadness, awkwardness, desire, shame, embarrassment, happiness, joy, thrill? Even transcendence.

People afflicted with depression are imprisoned in their own minds. Their suffering is real and truly feels inescapable and interminable. One result of that is they cannot think about anyone else until the depression lifts. This is truly a hell on earth. However, thankfully, most of us are not in this state. We may be happy or unhappy, but we do not cut ourselves off from other people.

There’s a hint here for how to reduce our obsession with ourselves. The more we consider others and try to understand their perspectives and sensitivities, to see the common human qualities we share, the more we can escape the delusion that we are all that matters. We can find relief from our fixation on what we have and don’t have by turning our attention to others. Generosity, the first of the virtues the Buddha taught, is custom-made for reducing our self-obsession, and when we practice it, we discover that it works; it feels good to let go of the burden of “me” for periods of time. This can be a pathway to awakening.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Mindfulness in the Holiday Season

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lynnjkelly

In many places in the world, the end of the calendar year brings extra joy and extra stress. It’s a time of giving to those with less than we have and also to those close to us who may be difficult to satisfy. It can be confusing. We can choose to direct our attention to the thoughts and activities that bring us joy more than the ones that increase our stress, but we may need reminders. If we schedule time for live music (regardless of quality) or in-person visits, that can give our schedule some ballast. We can take ourselves off to see some of the light shows that pop up in many cities and suburbs.

Food is also an essential ingredient in many celebrations, especially particular foods that we may only make in the festive season. Those of us with limited culinary skills can make or buy special treats to share. Even a few lumpy cookies can bring a smile to someone’s face.

If we are grieving a loss or suffering from a fractured family, the holidays may bring this into bold relief. Some people enjoy the holidays because they can share in the love of family and friends – and some of us don’t have that luxury and feel as if we’re being left out while everyone else is fine. Know that this is not true. If we imagine that half the population is lonely and unhappy around the holidays, we are probably not far off the truth. We can remember to feel compassion for all those who suffer, including ourselves if needed. As many a wise person has said, if you want to feel better, do something for someone else. Generosity is a cure for many forms of suffering. 

How can we best navigate the stormy emotional seas that sometimes come? At any time, we can remember the breath and its power to bring us into the present. Even if there’s agitation present, we can direct our mindful attention to that reality and see how it shifts and changes in shape and intensity. By deliberately putting ourselves in the role of observer we create just enough space to alter our discomfort. It is possible to take our experience less personally by practicing mindfulness in this way. 

Posted in Causes and results, Compassion, Friendships, Generosity, Mindfulness | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mindfulness with Reality

Posted on December 9, 2025 by lynnjkelly

The last of the four recommended refinements to practicing mindfulness is reality. This is shorthand for seeing things as they really are, a result of awakening. On the way to that goal, it means seeing and accepting the shifting, non-static nature of all of our experience, in a word, aniccā or impermanence.

  1. Purpose (refraining from activities irrelevant to the path)
  2. Suitability (activities that are appropriate and/or beneficial)
  3. Domain (maintaining the chosen object of attention, especially in meditation)
  4.  Reality (non-delusion, seeing things as they are)

In some analyses of sampajañña (situational awareness with mindfulness), this last element is substituted for the whole principle. If we truly understood that everything we experience is in constant motion, though at different speeds, we wouldn’t grab onto things in the hope that we could hold them steady. Our compulsive desire to cling, to make things stop shifting, is a foundational cause of our unease, our dukkha. If we completely understood the nature of existence, it would be clear to us that everything we can experience is changing (aniccā), prone to producing suffering (dukkha), and ownerless (anattā). Once we have this insight, we will be fully at peace with ourselves and the world.

Meanwhile, what can we do? We can try to recognize delusion when it’s present. It may be easier to identify when we see it in others if they have unrealistic expectations or outlandish plans. We set ourselves up for frustration by wishing for things that are not on the list of available options. This is not to say we shouldn’t envision goals or have big aspirations, but if we can’t identify specific actions to help bring those plans to fruition, then we are simply delusional, daydreaming with no foundation in reality. 

If we think we can avoid the challenges of aging, that’s delusion. If we expect others to dramatically improve themselves, we are indulging in unproductive fantasies. We can’t know what thoughts and inclinations are in other peoples’ minds; we have enough trouble keeping track of our own distorted lenses. If we work with our bodies and minds as they are right now, keeping alert to our actions of body, speech, and mind, and observing the results of our actions, we will be close to dealing with reality mindfully. If we can set aside, even temporarily, our preferences, our fears and wishes, then we will start to see things as they are. The world is as it is, people are as they are. Our influence is mostly on ourselves, and only secondarily on others.

Posted in Causes and results, Dhamma, Dukkha, Mindfulness, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments