Is this luck (and good or bad luck?), is it Karma, is it divine/non-divine intervention? American woman wins lottery for a fourth time An American woman has been named the luckiest lottery winner in the world after scooping her fourth multi million pound jackpot Joan Ginther won £6.2m with the top prize from a scratch …
Author Archives: Pandit
Ajahn Wimaok – July 31st
Saturday 31st July 2010 we will host Ajahn Wimaok at Ariyasom for a special session on the topic Awareness of Consciousness Dhamma Talk and special meditation instruction on open awareness meditation with Ajahn Wimaok ——————-**—————— Many of you will know Ajahn Wimaok already. He is a Thai monk, and a genuine meditator. He speaks from direct experience, rather than repeating formulas as …
Be a Lamp or be an Island
This stanza translates the word ‘dipa’ as island. But it can also be translated as the word lamp. Which translation do you prefer? Some hedonistic Buddhists take this line to mean that you are your own master – that you do what you want to do. Yet, all religion, in the mystic traditions at least, …
Report: Hideaway Weekend
July 2010 we made our first trip to the ‘Hideaway’ centre we have been kindly offered use of, in Pathum Thanee. It was something of a trial run, to see how the cost, food, accommodation works out. There were 17 of us split between two buildings. The place is lovely. Quaint wooden buildings with well kept mosquito …
Buddhist Psychos
A small and unnerving group meets once a month to discuss Buddhism and Psychology (or whatever else that crops up) in town, usually at the Indigo restaurant <–click for map This month it will be Wednesday 7th , at the Indigo. Dr Holly will be facilitating, and Georges Dreyfus should be joining this month. All welcome …
Ajahn Brahm July 10
The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) English Dhamma Talk by Ajahn Brahm Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, Western Australia Date: Saturday 10th July B.E. 2553 (2010) Time: 06.00-06.45 pm Registration Drink and light meal will be provided 07.00-07.30 pm Guided Meditation 07.30-08.30 pm Dhamma Talk 08.30-09.00 pm Questions and answers End of …
Cyber monks – Ven Pannyavaro
http://www.buddhanet.net/mag_surf.htm Should Monks Surf the Internet? Should monks surf the Internet? Is spreading the Dhamma electronically sacrilegious? Is a computer just a glorified typewriter or tablet? It is not as if Buddhists are any more technophobic than any other members of the religious community are, but there needs to be an acceptance of computers …
WBU workshop July 4th
Sunday July 4th, the WBU workshop from 2 – 5pm will be led by Australian Bhikkhu Venerable Dhammadarsa, who is a student at the monk’s university and a former resident of Bodhi Tree temple (where Ven Pannyavaro is abbot). Thrifty with his information all the hints he gave of himself and the topic he will …
WBU forum 4th July
Programme : WBU SUNDAY FORUM This month the forum speaker is a well known and eloquent speaker. A former monk with Wat Dhammakaya, and writer of many articles in the Nation, as well as academic papers – should be good. Topic : Meditation for Healing Date & Time : July 4, 2553(2010), 12:00 – 13.30 …
Zen Club – July 17th.
Saturday July 17th The next meeting of the English-language Bangkok Seon (Zen) Club will be on July the 17th: 7 to 9pm sharp. There will be a short period of meditation practice, some Dharma teaching from the resident Sunim, and some Dharma discussion around the book ‘No River to Cross’ by Zen Master Daehaeng …
A Case for Ritual
An article a few weeks back looked at the role of the placebo in giving treatments. One finding it reported was that when a real drug was given initially, and then placebo pills given afterwards, the placebo effect was enhanced. The placebo effect is where an inert pill/cream/treatment is given while the patient believes it …
Annapurna – Meet and Eat
Wednesday 14th July Lunch gathering at Annapurna (also known as Mashoors) Annapurna is a Vegetarian Indian Restaurant on Tanon Pan (aka Soi Pan) The food is cheap, and very good. It’s quiet, and there’s lots of space for us. Everyone is invited – we often meet here informally just for lunch and chat, meet a few …
Addressing Monks
A quick guide to speaking to, about and calling monks: [div class=’content-2-col-left’] This is a question that arises frequently so it is worth writing up in full. People are afraid of being impolite or doing things the wrong way. Of course, if you are trying to be polite that is enough to be polite – …
Zen Club – Saturday June 26th
Saturday June 26th The next meeting of the English-language Bangkok Seon (Zen) Club will be on June the 26th: 7 to 9pm sharp. There will be a short period of meditation practice, some Dharma teaching from the resident Sunim, and some Dharma discussion around the book ‘No River to Cross’ by Zen Master Daehaeng Sunim. …
Hideaway Weekend retreat
The first weekend in July we will be holding a Little Bangkok Sangha weekend meditation retreat at a delightful hideaway in Pathum Thanee. The retreat is almost full – mostly with regulars, so it should be very pleasant! Just a couple of spaces remaining – 1 in the male side and 1 in the female building. Remeber …
Dhamma Talk with Jeff Oliver
Thursday 1st July Popular and inspiring Australian meditation teacher Ajahn Jeff Oliver will be back in Bangkok briefly in July. Jeff has given a number of talks for us over the last year or so, and his easy layman’s language has proved very accessible to all. Previously he practised both as a monk for 6 …
Living in the Now
Is the goal of Buddhism some kind of ‘living in the now’ ? Eckhart Tolle and others seem to suggest so, and the practise of mindfulness is always ‘now’ centered, by means of keeping the mind in the present moment. But a real seeker keeps in mind the question ‘Why?’. Keeping present has a couple of …
Japanese and Korean Buddhism in Bangkok
Toward the great bodhisattvas in all directions Who practice the Way out of sympathy for all, One should have reverence and respect, Saying, “These are my great teachers”. – The Lotus Sutra, chapter 14 – Somebody asked me the other day if, as well as the Korean Seon Centre, there were any other East Asian temples in Bangkok …
The Power of the Mind
There is an interesting article in Boston.com about the use of the placebo. Research into placebo effects has usually been centered on finding what degree/percentage of an effect of a drug can be ‘dismissed’ as placebo, and what percentage of effects are the drug itself. But if the placebo effect is actually effecting a degree …
The nocebo effect
Here is a blog from last year … recycled. One point mentioned below is that there has been little research into utilising the placbo and nocebo effects. More on this topic in a day or two. In the movie on Consciousness recently, there was one point most people probably missed. If the mind and body (Cartesian …