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Featured Titles: ‘The Breath’ and ‘The Heart’ by Vessantara

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:20:37 +0100

“The breath is your most fundamental experience of life, and bringing awareness to it can make you more alive.”

“Loving-kindness will have a transformative effect on your heart and mind. It will also transform your relationships with other people.”

In these two pocket-sized guides, Vessantara introduces various methods from the Buddhist tradition that can help us savour our presence in the world and the presence of all other beings who share the world with us.

Find out more about The Breath and The Heart.

‘From Cosmic Evolution to Hatching Eggs - the...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:06:42 +0100

‘From Cosmic Evolution to Hatching Eggs - the Buddha’s Teaching of Conditionality’

In this talk Dhivan introduces themes from his book ‘This Being, That Becomes: the Buddha’s Teaching on Conditionality’.

An interview with Dhivan Thomas Jones, author of ‘This Being, That Becomes: The Buddha’s Teaching on Conditionality’

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:45:00 +0100

What is the Buddha’s teaching on conditionality? Why is this teaching so important?

Conditionality is the basic principle of understanding reality, according to the Buddha’s teaching. This sounds very grand, but actually what it amounts to is something very practical: how suffering arises in human experience and how we can bring about the ceasing of that same suffering. Of course this is what the Buddha’s teachings are all about, but I think conditionality addresses this issue so directly that one could make a good stab at saying that it is the most important Buddhist teaching.

Do you think the Buddha’s teaching on conditionality was primarily ontological or pragmatic in its emphasis?

Well let’s talk about this word ‘ontological’. If we define ontology as the study of what really exists, in a certain sense we don’t have much basis for regarding the Buddha’s teaching on conditionality as ontological because there are many passages in the Pali texts where the Buddha makes it clear that he is not interested in speculating about what really exists or doesn’t exist. The main emphasis of all his teachings is the practical context of the spiritual path, so his teachings on conditionality should, first and foremost, be understood in that very practical context.

However I think you could also make an argument for saying that Buddhist teaching on conditionality is a kind of ontology because the Buddha makes the universal statement that ‘things arise on conditions and they cease when those conditions cease’. This clearly implies that conditionality is the way everything in the world works, but I think to the extent that it is an ontology it is a process ontology – nothing can be pinned down as to its essence butthere is still an underlying process to reality, the ‘nature of things’ if you like. Nature is a very multifaceted word in English so you’ve got to be careful when you use it, but I think you could say that the Buddha’s teaching is a kind of religious naturalism.

Yes, this comes across in a number of natural metaphors which the Buddha uses to describe the idea of conditionality and you discuss some of these in your book. Could you introduce one or two of them to those who haven’t read the book?

OK so the Buddha firstly says that the path to the end of suffering can be compared to water falling as rain over a mountainside, which gathers in pools, which flows as streams into bigger pools, which flows as rivers into lakes and which flows as big rivers into the sea. The coming together of all these rivers, he compares to the attaining of nirvana.

We could deduce from this metaphor that the Buddhist path is just a matter of flowing along with the current, but the problem with that interpretation is that the Buddha also uses the same metaphor of flowing along for samsara, which is the whole business of continued suffering and continued existence based on craving and delusion. So we’ve got two different metaphors for one complicated reality, which can be quite confusing. The Buddha doesn’t explain it like this, but perhaps we could make sense of these metaphors by imagining that dharma practice is like the sunshine which dries up the stream of craving and falls as rain on the mountaintop of happiness! So there’s a sort of recycling of streams going on.

You do emphasise in the book that development along the Buddhist path is ‘a progressive process that takes care of itself’ – that it unfolds according to the principle of conditionality by ‘states overflowing into states’ and not by wilful effort. Would you still promote this understanding of the Buddhist path?

Yes, because I find the idea that the Buddhist path is something that unfolds of its own accord really encouraging and the passages in the Pali canon where these teachings are found are not very famous so I wanted to bring them out a bit more in my book. The Buddha uses a lovely homely metaphor of a chicken sitting on her eggs, for example, to illustrate this idea. As chicks will hatch out of their eggs when they are ready and the hen’s job is just to incubate them properly, as long as we live devoted to spiritual development, progress will inevitably come about.

That might sound like we don’t have to do anything, but of course the Buddha never said ‘just go with the flow’ because there is the powerful river of craving as well! So I think the point is that rather than worrying about where we’re going with our practice and trying to force our way towards nirvana through our egoic effort, all that is necessary is that we direct our energy to what we need to do in the moment. This might be practicing ethics, it might be meditating, but the process of flowing along towards nirvana will just occur of its own accord. When the conditions are ripe – to use another natural metaphor – the path will unfold.

Do you see your book as offering a new interpretation of or approach to the study of conditionality? If so, what is unique about it?

There are a few academic books out there which discuss the Buddha’s teachings on conditionality as a theory which makes sense in a philosophical or doctrinal context, but I think my book is unique in taking a practice-orientated approach. I wanted to present conditionality as something which you can reflect on in your own life; I wanted to reconnect the idea of conditionality with our own experience in a way that makes the teaching more relevant and easily accessible for people in the modern west. So at the end of each chapter I included some questions for reflection to ensure that discussion of the book doesn’t just remain on a theoretical level.

Can you give us some examples of the practical implications of the Buddha’s teaching on conditionality which you put forward in your book?

Well first I should mention that Sagaraghosa, my collaborator on the book, was really instrumental in helping me draw out the practical dimension of the Buddha’s teachings on conditionality. One of the techniques that she developed in her study groups was the use of conditionality diagrams. So in the middle of the piece of paper, you write something like ‘stress’, and then ask yourself ‘What are the conditions in my life that lead me to feel more stressed?’ By seeing how the conditions link up and understanding the relationships between them, you come to see where the problem lies and how to solve it. I think we often know roughly what we need to do in relation to specific issues but, for whatever reason, it’s hard to get clear about it. I find doing conditionality diagrams really useful, so I wanted to introduce the idea to readers of the book as well, and you can do them for positive as well as negative aspects of experience because of course conditionality works in both ways.

I think another practical way of translating the Buddha’s ideas of conditionality into our own experience is to meditate on them. We can meditate on conditionality in order to cultivate a sense of calm and mental clarity and also to cultivate insight. So if I’m sitting down to meditate and I feel a bit distracted, I can ask myself ‘What are the conditions for me being so distracted?’ After spending some time sorting out whatever needs my attention, I’m then able to settle into my meditation a lot better.

In the book I also include a meditation practice on the 24 nidanas (the 24 nidanas are the main way in which the Buddha taught conditionality). This practice leads to the development of insight, which is real understanding of the nature of experience, but it’s not very easy, so I’d recommend it for those who have at least a workable amount of concentration and mental stillness.

Do the Buddha’s teachings on conditionality have an inherent ethical emphasis?

To suppose that conditionality is intrinsically ethical might be to suppose that the universe is intrinsically ethical – that if one acts in certain ways, certain outcomes happen of their own accord. But I don’t think the principle of conditionality is a principle of justice in that sense because the universe seems neither just nor unjust but entirely neutral to human beings. At the same time, the universe is the only place in which we can become enlightened beings! So whilst I think conditionality itself is neutral as far as ethics are concerned, it does give us both the context and momentum for properly understanding and developing them.

Can you talk about a way in which you have seen the workings of conditionality at play in your own life?

OK, so after I was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist order (which itself was dependent on a number of interesting conditions), I started thinking ‘Who really was the Buddha? Who have I made this commitment to?’ That process was then a condition of being commissioned to write this book, which was the condition for me to have to really clarify my own thinking on the Buddha’s teaching, which was the condition for me to become convinced that conditionality is not only the principle by which the universe works, but it’s also a bit like magic! That processes arise on conditions is neither the work of God nor our personal egos but the means by which our own lives magically open up and become more than what they are.

‘This Being, That Becomes: The Buddha’s Teaching on Conditionality’ is available from the Windhorse online store, £12.99

You can find out more about Dhivan’s news, views and thoughts by visiting his website, www.dhivan.net and his blog, www.dhivanthomasjones.wordpress.com/

New ebooks from Windhorse Publications!

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:09:36 +0100

Some of our best-selling new releases are now available as ebooks! Kamalashila’s Buddhist Meditation, Jinananda’s Meditating, Robin Cooper’s (Ratnaprabha’s) Finding the Mind and Sarvananda’s Solitude and Loneliness are all available to purchase at Kindle, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Sangharakshita’s classic A Guide to the Buddhist Path is also up for sale on these sites.

Also with Detox Your Heart and Wildmind we have produced our first enhanced ebooks. With these ebooks you receive free audio files of guided meditations.

Our ebooks are also going out to more etailers. Look out for our ebooks on sites such as Blackwells, Tesco and Foyles.

You can visit our website for a full list of our ebooks, and please keep in touch to let us know what you think of them!

Dhivan Thomas Jones introduces his book ‘This Being, That...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:49:00 +0100

Dhivan Thomas Jones introduces his book ‘This Being, That Becomes: The Buddha’s Teaching on Conditionality’

Find out more about ‘This Being, That Becomes’

Featured Title: This Being, That Becomes by Dhivan Thomas Jones

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:59:16 +0100

Available from the Windhorse online store, £12.99

“This being, that becomes; from the arising of this, that arises.” This succinct formula, recorded in texts and carved in inscriptions throughout the Buddhist world, is said to summarise the whole of the Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha. But how can such a simple summary be the conceptual formulation that characterises the experience of a Buddha, an ‘Awakened One’, a state beyond all words and concepts? Dhivan Thomas Jones tells us how, and takes us into the heart of the Buddha’s insight that everything arises in dependence on conditions. With the aid of lucid reflections and exercises he prompts us to explore how conditionality works in our own lives, and provides a sure guide to the most essential teaching of Buddhism.

"If we think of nirvana as a fixed point, however subtle or sublime, we are really thinking of it as..."

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:20:24 +0000

“If we think of nirvana as a fixed point, however subtle or sublime, we are really thinking of it as a glorified ego state. Nirvana is not a sort of spiritual retirement home far from the madding crowd of suffering humanity, where we can settle down to enjoy our well-earned pension. Nirvana is not a destination at which we arrive. It is the life of Enlightenment. It is a way of living, a process of perfectibility to which you can see no end. Nirvana is the way you live, the way you have your being, when you have gone beyond the limitations of conditioned consciousness.”

- Sangharakshita, Living Wisely: Further Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland

An interview with Sangharakshita, author of ‘Living Wisely: Further Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland’

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:25:00 +0000

Is Living Wisely a book for those new to Buddhism or for advanced practitioners?

The book is for all serious students of Buddhist thought, especially those interested in Mahayana philosophy.

You write that you do not need to be old to be wise. Where does wisdom come from if not from life experience?

The wisdom that comes from life experience is worldly wisdom. Prajnaparamita or transcendental wisdom is quite another thing. Nargarjuna is mainly concerned with this second kind of wisdom.

You stress that the development of wisdom is not an easy task and even describe the truth of things as frightening. Why would you encourage people to set out on a path that is so difficult and scary?

I encourage them because in the long run it is well worth the effort.

Must we be wise in order to be truly free and at peace?

Yes, wise in the sense of having at least a glimpse of transcendental wisdom.

You say that in order to approach wisdom we need to develop a less literal and more reflective intelligence. What do you mean by a less literal and more reflective intelligence?

Please see Ratnaguna’s The Art of Reflection, which is a comprehensive treatment of this important topic.

If the Buddha’s teachings do indeed ‘come from another dimension’, how can we channel the Buddha’s wisdom into our ordinary, everyday lives?

We can do so by first transforming that life by the practice of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.

‘Living Wisely: Further Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland’ is available from the Windhorse online store, £10.99

"You can change the realm in which you live by setting up the conditions that will support a positive..."

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:48:34 +0000

“You can change the realm in which you live by setting up the conditions that will support a positive change in your mental states. In fact you are creating a world of your own around you all the time. The question is, what sort of world are you creating?”

- Sangharakshita, Living Ethically: Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland

An interview with Sangharakshita, author of ‘Living Ethically: Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland’

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:12:15 +0000

Nagarjuna lived in the second or third century AD. Does living ethically in the 2nd century mean the same thing as living ethically in the 21st century or are there new ethical dilemmas facing humanity today?

The basic principles of ethics remain the same throughout the centuries. In modern times, however, life is much more complicated than it was in Nargarjuna’s time, so that the application of those principles becomes more difficult.

What is it that makes an action either ethical or unethical?

An action is ethical if it is the expression of a skilful mental state, unethical if it is the expression of an unskilful mental state. This does not mean that ‘good intentions’ are enough.

When many people think of Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness probably come to mind rather than ethics. Do you think that Buddhism has a strong and distinctive approach to ethical issues which should be emphasized in presentations of Buddhism in general?

Indeed Buddhism does have such an emphasis. The Buddhist path consists, basically, of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. Without an ethical basis meditation has no foundation and without meditation wisdom has no foundation.

Do ethics belong to the realm of the individual, or is there a way in which ethical issues are a collective matter? In other words, what is the Sangha’s role in living ethically?

The Sangha is a community of spiritual friends. Its members help one another to live up to their common ethical and spiritual standards.

Finally, is there one particular message from the Precious Garland that you think is most relevant or important?

The message of the Precious Garland is that wisdom and ethics, in the Buddhist sense of these terms, should be an integral part of the life of every human being.

‘Living Ethically: Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland’ is available from the Windhorse online store, £8.50

Featured Title: Living Ethically by Sangharakshita

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:11:00 +0000

Available from the Windhorse online store, £12.99

In a world of increasingly confused ethics, Living Ethically looks back over the centuries for guidance from Nagarjuna, one of the greatest teachers of the Mahayana tradition.

Drawing on the themes of Nagarjuna’s famous scripture, Precious Garland of Advice for a King, this book explores the relationship between an ethical lifestyle and the development of wisdom. Covering both personal and collective ethics, Sangharakshita considers such enduring themes as pride, power and business, as well as friendship, love and generosity.

"I think it’s quite important to think of meditation not only in terms of becoming more and more..."

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:06:00 +0000

“I think it’s quite important to think of meditation not only in terms of becoming more and more concentrated but in terms of becoming more positive, more creative, more outward-going, more reflective, more contented, more happy to be on one’s own, more full of energy, more playful. Meditation is equally all of these things.”

- Sangharakshita, The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation

Read an excerpt from Sangharakshita’s ‘The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation’

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:36:29 +0000

Sangharakshita’s ‘The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation’ is available to purchase at your local Triratna bookshop and on the Windhorse online store.

A talk given at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre to launch...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:28:00 +0000

A talk given at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre to launch Sangharakshitas’ book The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation.

Sangharakshita’s The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation is available to purchase at your local Triratna bookshop or in the Windhorse online store.

Sangharakshita’s ‘Living Wisely’ is now available!

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:23:00 +0000

We are very happy to announce the release of Sangharakshita’s Living Wisely!

In this companion volume to Living Ethically, Sangharakshita offers further advice from Nagarjuna’s famous text, Precious Garland. He suggests that although the development of wisdom is not an easy task, learning to live wisely is ultimately the most satisfying of all human endeavours.

Living Wisely: Further Advice from Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland is available to purchase at your local Triratna bookshop or on the Windhorse online store, £10.99.

Valerie Mason-John talks about anger. She identifies the...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:22:00 +0000

Valerie Mason-John talks about anger. She identifies the feelings underneath anger and discovers that anger can be a real opportunity for change. This is just one of the themes in her book, Detox Your Heart, which is available to purchase on the Windhorse Publications website.

Sangharakshita’s new source book on meditation is back in stock!

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:20:01 +0000

We are pleased to announce that Sangharakshita’s The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation is now back in stock on the Windhorse Publications website. This major new book by Sangharakshita brings together many of his most significant teachings on meditation, some drawn from previously published works, and many extracted from previously unpublished seminar transcripts. They reveal how Sangharakshita learned the practices on which his system of meditation – ‘an organic, living system’ – is based, and how that system evolved over the years.

As well as much discussion about dhyana and Insight, and heartfelt explorations of how to deal with fear or distraction, doubt, drowsiness or desire, topics include such matters as whether it’s a good idea to meditate in the open air, or include Mrs Thatcher in your metta bhavana.

Whether dipped into, used for reference or read from cover to cover, this book, deeply rooted in Buddhist tradition, is full of practical, inspiring and heartily encouraging advice for enthusiastic and reluctant meditators alike.

Lists of recommended books – free to download from the Windhorse website

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:24:16 +0000

We would like to draw your attention to our new lists of recommended books, available to view and download on our website. There are six lists, each designed for readers with a particular level or type of interest in Buddhism: Recommended Books 1 is for introductory books, for example, and Recommended Books 2 is for books on meditation.

We hope you will find them useful. Happy reading!

Maitreyabandhu shares his thoughts on secular mindfulness in the...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:23:00 +0000

Maitreyabandhu shares his thoughts on secular mindfulness in the context of his book, Life With Full Attention.

You can purchase Life With Full Attention from your local Triratna Bookshop or on our website.