The beautiful and secluded forested valley where Mike teaches meditation.
Spiritual Practice and Healing
Dear Reader. This treatise on Spiritual Practice is long.
The more we read about it,
the more we move away from the inner quiet of Spiritual Practice.
So it’s better to read less, not more of this website, in any one sitting.
A few sections of one chapter can be enough for today.
Table of Contents.
This webpage lists the titles of each section of my treatise. To access content, go to the menu at page head, click onto the + next to “more”, then click onto the + button next to “spiritual practice”
A. Introduction.
A1. Spiritual Enlightenment.
A 1. Spiritual Enlightenment and the Silent Mind.
A 1. Spiritual Enlightenment and Deity.
A2. Suffering.
A3. The Defilements.
A 4. About Defilements.
A 5. Mindfulness or sati, the way out of pain.
A 5. Painful Emotions.
A 5. Painful Thoughts.
A 5. Painful Feelings.
B. Buddha’s Enlightenment.
B1. The Spiritual Qualities.
B 2. A Mountain Top Experience?
B 3. Why a Negative Definition?
B 4. Can Enlightenment be Permanent?
C. Meditation for Buddha’s Enlightenment.
1) Breath Meditation
and Broadening Techniques
2) Other Meditations
D. Self Realisation : ātmā, nirvāṅa, anattā
D 1. Introduction
D 2. ātman as Experienced in Deep Meditation.
D 3. ātman as the Higher Self.
D 4. ātman as Spirit Soul.
D 5. Bhagavad Gita verses on Immortality.
D 6. Similar Buddhist Themes on nirvāṅa
D 7. More Buddhist Suttas about nirvāṅa = nibbāna.
D 8. Discussion.
D 9. anattā, What is Not Me, Not Mine.
D 9. anattā lakkhaṅa sutta, SN 22. 59.
D 10. Discussion of Anatta Lakkhana Sutta.
D 11. Related Suttas.
D 12. “There is No Soul = ātman !”
D 13. Dependent Origination.
D 14. References.
E. The Ego or Lower Self.
E 1. Introduction to Ego.
E 2. Purpose of Ego
E 3. Allowing Ego to Step Down
E 4. How Ego Interferes with Healing
E 5. The Ego as a Problem
E 6. Letting Go of Ego
E 7. Not Me, Not Mine
E 8. The Ego and Selfishness
E 9. The Ego from Psychology.
E 10. The Ego and the Inner Child, from Shakti Gawain.
F. Discharge of Distress
F 1. Introduction
F 2. Discharge of Distress
F 3. Inhibitions of Discharge
F 4. Inhibitions of Yawning
F 5. Inhibition of Convulsive Sobbing
F 6. Overcoming the Inhibitions : Co Counselling.
F 7. Overcoming Inhibitions when Alone
F 8. Laughter.
F 9. Yawning.
F 10. Shaking to Discharge Disgust.
F 11. Convulsive Sobbing with Tears.
F 12. Discharge and Meditation.
F 13. Discharge and Kirtan Lyrics.
F 14. Adapting the Sanskrit for Healing.
G. Relationships
I 1. Desire as a Cause of Suffering.
I 2. Buddhist Themes on Desire or tanha
I 3. Sexual Desire or Kāma.
I 4. Desire and Samyutta Nikāya 56. 11,
the Four Noble Truths.
I 4. Discussion of SN 56 11 Renunciation of the World.
I 4. Discussion of SN 56.11 - Sexual Desire.
I 5. Bhava tanhā, vibhava tanhā.
I 6. Other Causes of Suffering in Relationship
I 6. Non Sexual Desire.
I 7. Kāma and Desire.
I 8. Bhagavād Gita verses on Desire
I 8. Comments on BG 3.37 – 43.
I 8. Misdirected Desire in thinking = buddhir.
I 8. Meditation Training.
I 8. Transcending Addictions.
I 8. Misdirected Desire and Aversion.
I 9. Purush-artha = Goals of Spiritual Practitioners.
J 1. Karma.
J 2. Bhagavād Gita Verses on Karma.
J 3. Detachment and Letting Go.
J 4. Karma Yoga
J 5. Bhagavād Gita verses on Letting Go.
J 6. Working with Detachment from Results
K. Everyday Unhappiness
K 2. Anger
A. Introduction.
A1. Spiritual Enlightenment.
A 1. Spiritual Enlightenment and the Silent Mind.
A 1. Spiritual Enlightenment and Deity.
A2. Suffering.
A3. The Defilements.
A 4. About Defilements.
A 5. Mindfulness or sati, the way out of pain.
A 5. Painful Emotions.
A 5. Painful Thoughts.
A 5. Painful Feelings.
B. Buddha’s Enlightenment.
B1. The Spiritual Qualities.
B 2. A Mountain Top Experience?
B 3. Why a Negative Definition?
B 4. Can Enlightenment be Permanent?
C. Meditation for Buddha’s Enlightenment.
1) Breath Meditation
and Broadening Techniques
2) Other Meditations
D. Self Realisation : ātmā, nirvāṅa, anattā
D 1. Introduction
D 2. ātman as Experienced in Deep Meditation.
D 3. ātman as the Higher Self.
D 4. ātman as Spirit Soul.
D 5. Bhagavad Gita verses on Immortality.
D 6. Similar Buddhist Themes on nirvāṅa
D 7. More Buddhist Suttas about nirvāṅa = nibbāna.
D 8. Discussion.
D 9. anattā, What is Not Me, Not Mine.
D 9. anattā lakkhaṅa sutta, SN 22. 59.
D 10. Discussion of Anatta Lakkhana Sutta.
D 11. Related Suttas.
D 12. “There is No Soul = ātman !”
D 13. Dependent Origination.
D 14. References.
E. The Ego or Lower Self.
E 1. Introduction to Ego.
E 2. Purpose of Ego
E 3. Allowing Ego to Step Down
E 4. How Ego Interferes with Healing
E 5. The Ego as a Problem
E 6. Letting Go of Ego
E 7. Not Me, Not Mine
E 8. The Ego and Selfishness
E 9. The Ego from Psychology.
E 10. The Ego and the Inner Child, from Shakti Gawain.
F. Discharge of Distress
F 1. Introduction
F 2. Discharge of Distress
F 3. Inhibitions of Discharge
F 4. Inhibitions of Yawning
F 5. Inhibition of Convulsive Sobbing
F 6. Overcoming the Inhibitions : Co Counselling.
F 7. Overcoming Inhibitions when Alone
F 8. Laughter.
F 9. Yawning.
F 10. Shaking to Discharge Disgust.
F 11. Convulsive Sobbing with Tears.
F 12. Discharge and Meditation.
F 13. Discharge and Kirtan Lyrics.
F 14. Adapting the Sanskrit for Healing.
G. Relationships
I 1. Desire as a Cause of Suffering.
I 2. Buddhist Themes on Desire or tanha
I 3. Sexual Desire or Kāma.
I 4. Desire and Samyutta Nikāya 56. 11,
the Four Noble Truths.
I 4. Discussion of SN 56 11 Renunciation of the World.
I 4. Discussion of SN 56.11 - Sexual Desire.
I 5. Bhava tanhā, vibhava tanhā.
I 6. Other Causes of Suffering in Relationship
I 6. Non Sexual Desire.
I 7. Kāma and Desire.
I 8. Bhagavād Gita verses on Desire
I 8. Comments on BG 3.37 – 43.
I 8. Misdirected Desire in thinking = buddhir.
I 8. Meditation Training.
I 8. Transcending Addictions.
I 8. Misdirected Desire and Aversion.
I 9. Purush-artha = Goals of Spiritual Practitioners.
J 1. Karma.
J 2. Bhagavād Gita Verses on Karma.
J 3. Detachment and Letting Go.
J 4. Karma Yoga
J 5. Bhagavād Gita verses on Letting Go.
J 6. Working with Detachment from Results
K. Everyday Unhappiness
K 2. Anger
