Sunyatta Journals

Sometimes we bottle up emotions and it explodes spectacularly and surprisingly. Each time we experience such explosion it is telling us a lot. Sometimes we are great friends to others, to parents, to coworkers, but we are not good to ourselves. Sometimes we focus on our jobs at the expense of our health. Listen to yourself like you'd listen to a good friend. Notice when he's in pain, notice the kind of things he enjoys, and do right by him.

How it came to pass My mother, who is as interested in Buddhism as I am, told me of venerated figure who would be visiting our city and invited me to attend. Normally I would decline, but this time I felt inclined to go. I did not know who Ajahn Jayasaro was, but I felt this is a rare opportunity to meet with a mind which is close to Dhamma. By that time I was already quite interested in Buddhism and the Dhamma, but it was in a solitary manner. I have found solitude and self-reflection to greatly benefit my development, but there is always a lingering doubt. "What if I'm totally off-track?" "What if I'm wrong?" Meeting with a master, seeing how he talks, and having the opportunity to ask him questions, felt like the perfect antidote to those doubts. By that time I studied about anapanasati and started to try it out for myself. Even though I was not able to get very far, I have found the experience to be almost as described by the Buddha. My level of doubt wa...