Thailand Meditation Retreat News

Concurrently with other activities at Karuna Meditation Center, a three-year retreat is being held for a small group of practitioners who have dedicated this period of their lives to the study and practice of Buddhist meditation.  Special regular teachings are given to this group.  Recently, a teaching was given on “The Four Efforts”.

The Four Efforts were discussed by Geshe Chekawa, a 12th-century Tibetan master, who commented on four things as being of great importance to each meditator in each session.  These are:

1.  Does the intention of the practice align with the motivation for practice?

2.  Understanding and having confidence in the method.

3.  Knowing and recognizing the variety of effects that practice can produce.

4.  Accepting the results of your practice.

The teaching that was given explains these four points in detail and discusses how they relate to meditation and to life.  To download a .pdf file of the transcript of this talk, click Four Efforts (PDF).

Some people have asked about good translations for the suttas/sutras we study. Here are some helpful links:

Anapanasati Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 118) Mindfulness of Breathing. Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikku.

Satipatthana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 10) Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikku.

The Heart Sutra. This is a translation done specifically for the Summit Dharma Center.