A Manual on Buddhist Meditation & Lifestyle... a return to the source

This is a manual intended for readers who are on various levels of practice on the spectrum, from absolute novices to those seasoned in the practice of meditation with years of experience.

Given the influence Buddhism has had on the various layers of our contemporary society during the past several decades, one can clearly see how many of its principles have become very much woven into the fabric of our collective consciousness being introduced into various disciplines, including science, art, lifestyles, and especially the field of mental health. This comes as no surprise when we read in the early Pāli Canon’s Nikāyas, such as in suttas in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, where the Buddha talks about two kinds of illness: physical illness and mental illness, thus clearly designating mental health as an important aspect of living a happy and healthy life by underlining its importance, something that predates contemporary and Western psychotherapeutic schools of thought by over two millenia.

It is my hope that the collection of teachings shared herein will be helpful to you as they have been to many of my students of meditation as they progressed to deeper and deeper states of mind where the dart of ignorance has been removed, with some even gaining the vision of Dhamma. In addition, several interventions are presented from my work as a psychotherapist with patients that have dealt with various mental health and behavioral disorders, such as stress, anger management, depression, and anxiety, while offering tools and a wider scope of understanding thanks to the Teachings of the Buddha, undeniably the earliest psychotherapist humanity has known, whose interventions are still being “discovered” by researchers, 2600 years later.

The goal of this work is to guide you to a happier state of being, as my intention is to help you gain a better understanding of the vicious cycle of suffering, supported by the practice that will show you how to gain the Fruits of the Dhamma through your personal understanding and wisdom, supported by the tools made available by Lord Buddha.