Advanced Buddhist Streamentry Coaching @ Being Peacefully
  • Home
  • Coaching Services
  • Rates
  • Reviews
  • Blog
    • Subscribe Here
  • About Ariya Michael
  • Contact

The Sagacious Buddhist Blog.
practical dharma teachings. questions|answers. essays.

answering your questions and teaching on buddhism, dharma, and enlightenment

- new teachings posted every 4 to 16 weeks, please subscribe to receive notifications -
update: I did it! :)


In the Spring of 2021, I left for Southeast Asia to renounce and ordain as an ascetic Theravada Buddhist forest monk, with a special emphasis on Early Buddhist doctrine and discourse.  I am no longer accepting students and I may be slow to respond to emails and contact form submissions; I apologise.

I will check-in periodically if I can when I post new teachings to my blog.

Much love & thank you.

Patience: How Buddhists Should Respond to Inconsiderate Acts of Others.

2/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Patience isn't a reward that is granted by praying for it, it's a skill that is cultivated by practicing it.
Buddhist meditator with a sky galaxy painted above
In this Q&A, we will learn about how Buddhists view and approach the teachings on kindness, tolerance, acceptance, and patience with others.
Q1: Unalome tattoos are gaining in popularity among non-Buddhist women, and though it is a beautiful symbol with a very powerful meaning I was wondering if people within the Buddhist community find offence with non-Buddhists getting these sacred symbols tattooed on their bodies?

Q2: I guess I'm wondering where the balance is between personal significance and cultural appropriation for you and if seeing these images on non-Buddhists is offensive?
Hi Lily,

Thank you for your email and your interesting questions.  Let's dive right in...

Read More
0 Comments

The Altruistic Intention: What People Get Wrong About Buddhism, Enlightenment, and Bodhisattvas.

11/2/2020

6 Comments

 
Dispelling a very common myth about the Altruistic Intention and the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path; and how it applies to your practice and attaining enlightenment.
Picture of Budda, Enlightenment, Alavaka, Triple Gem
In this article we will (1) learn about the Buddhist Altruistic Intention: what it is, what it isn't, and how it applies to Bodhisattvas and to your practice.  We will also briefly (2) review what Buddhist enlightenment is and what it means to be "enlightened."
Before we start, let's knock down some misbeliefs right now.

Mahayana Bodhisattvas and Nirvana: What People Get Wrong

Three Common Misbeliefs I Hear About Mahayana Bodhisattvas and/or the Mahayana Dharma:

  1. Belief #1: Bodhisattvas vow not to enter into nirvana until they have helped all beings to liberation.  This is not true.
  2. Belief #2: Mahayana Buddhists must not directly pursue stream-entry or enlightenment.  This is not true.
  3. Belief #3: Being motivated to attain enlightenment-in-this-life is both selfish and Hinayana.  This is not true.

These are remarkably common misunderstandings of the Mahayana Bodhisattava Path and the Altruistic Intention to guide others, and spending some time to understand the root texts and commentaries can help us to better understand the intent and esoteric meanings of the teachings on this concept that hold us back from true progress along the Path.

But short of doing that—and before we jump into the concept of the Altruistic Intention—it's helpful to understand at a very high-level what enlightenment is to a Buddhist practitioner and what the implications are of attaining it, even partially.

So let's jump right in and begin!

Read More
6 Comments

Mindfulness Meditation Not Working For You? Here's Why.

10/17/2020

3 Comments

 
There's a big problem with the Western Meditation movement that no one wants to talk about.  Until now.
Hasbro GI Joe's Spirit and Cobra's Storm Shadow Meditating Incorrectly
In this article, we will cover what's wrong with western meditation, how to fix your practice, and why it's so important to attaining Awakening and Enlightenment.
"I’ve been meditating for years, but if I'm being honest, I don’t really enjoy doing it. I meditate because I think I’m supposed to, but I mostly find it boring and it is not something that I like to do.

Will I ever enjoy doing it, or is that not the point?"
- Anonymous
If you can relate with the question above, then I have good news, I can tell you why: it's because you've been taught how to meditate incorrectly.  Boredom (or even having a restless mind) is a guaranteed sign that you aren't actually meditating, it's a sure sign that you're just sitting still...and yes, that's boring.  I understand that some practitioners aren't going to like reading the rest of this, because they have developed their own views and notions, but allow me to explain as this goes against the rote teaching in the West and there is a lot to gain from keeping an open mind on this subject; so let's dive right in!

(Warning: the text that follows may be considered seditious and incendiary. That is not the intent; the intent is to highlight and correct in no uncertain terms.)

COMMENT: Huh, so, I was taught to meditate wrong?

Read More
3 Comments

Buddhist Renunciation for Laypersons Explained (a practical how-to guide)

9/27/2020

3 Comments

 
Renunciation is about wanting to put an end to Samsara: the endless cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Birth Aging Sickness and Death Woman Samsara Endless Cycle
In this short article, we will cover what Renunciation is and what it isn't for lay-practitioners; how to cultivate it; and, why it's so important to attaining Awakening and Enlightenment.
Buddhist Renunciation isn't about asceticism or giving up pleasures and the finer things of life; believe it or not, you can renounce and still have those things.  Rather, genuine Renunciation is about rejecting our unskilful attachments to the things that make us unhappy.

Don't worry, this will all make sense shortly.

So, what is and what isn't Buddhist Renunciation, more specifically?

Read More
3 Comments

What is Karma and What isn't Karma? - Buddhism Explained Q&A

7/22/2020

5 Comments

 
Perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood concepts in all of buddhism and eastern philosophy.
Photo: Buddha statue meditating on karma and buddha nature in a field of yellow tulips
What is Karma really? Is our life predetermined or do we have agency? And what does it have to do with who we are or what we experience?
In this short article, we will cover what Karma is and what it isn't; how it relates to destiny and free-will; and, its relationship to your happiness and your peace-of-mind.
Karma is one of the most widely misunderstood concepts in all of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy.

Before I start, let me get this out of the way right upfront: Karma is not a universal morality system; it's not a bad behaviour boomerang.  In Buddhism, there is no God watching over anyone, rewarding do-gooders and smiting wrong-doers.

So, what is Karma then?

Read More
5 Comments

Meditating on Emptiness: Stop - You're Wasting Your Time - Buddhism Explained

6/23/2020

3 Comments

 
A unique approach to finally understanding sunyata that actually works for practice, growth, and Enlightenment.
Picture of Woman's Legs, Feet, Hands in Buddhist Analytical Meditation at Being Peacefully Advanced Meditation Training and Dharma Coaching
I have problems trying to understand Emptiness. I even struggle at finding a better way of putting the idea of Emptiness or No-self as it is explained in dharma books and dharma talks into my own words. I suspect the causes will be in no small part because I am not fully understanding the subject in enough depth and therefore struggle in putting it into my own words, like the bowl with the holes in it, I discover it has all seeped away and just isn’t happening yet! I also don’t want to just parrot back words, I want to understand it enough to understand it with confidence and some insight.

- G.R.
Hi G.R.,

Emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) is an challenging topic for the uninitiated and it presents an almost impossible learning curve to beginners who are just starting to explore the Buddhist path...

Read More
3 Comments

Why is thinking about Death is so important to Buddhists (and can it help you)? - Buddhism Explained

5/13/2020

6 Comments

 
Despite common misconceptions, buddhists are not obsessed with death, they are obsessed with happiness.
buddha meditating on death and will use analytical meditation to process it
Ask a Buddhist what's the number one cause of death, and the Buddhist will say: "birth."

While it's true that Buddhism has a deep interest in the subject of Death, it is just a true to say that Buddhism has a deep interest in a great number of the things that seem to plague the human experience.  However, the comfort with which Buddhists can talk about Death seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable and, as a result, it gets over-played in our media and culture.

So why does Buddhism have such a focus on Death?

Read More
6 Comments
    The Sagacious Buddhist Blog
    beingpeacefully.com/dharma-blog

    Subscribe.

    Click to Subscribe

    Categories.
    (Spring 2020 and newer only.)

    All
    Buddha Nature
    Buddhist Mythbusting
    Compassion
    Death & Dying
    Dukkha/Suffering
    Emptiness
    Enlightenment
    Forgiveness
    Happiness
    Karma
    Meditation
    Most Popular
    Questions & Answers
    Real Life Dharma
    Renunciation

    Archives.
    (Spring 2020 and newer only.)

    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    RSS Feed

    Author.

    Mike Turner Photo Buddhist Analytical Meditation Trainer
    Hi! My name is Mike Turner. I'm a Buddhist Ariyapuggala and I've spent over 25 years learning and cultivating what I do, and what I do goes far beyond meditation and dharma. 

    I work with dedicated Buddhist practitioners to help them attain streamentry. This kind of one-on-one training isn't readily available to lay practitioners and I hope to do my part. 

    I'm available for advanced and intermediate practitioners of meditation-and-dharma to help them significantly advance their practice and their progress toward Buddhist enlightenment.

    Please visit my home page to see what my streamentry and enlightenment training can do for you.
    "The only thing that prevents people from attaining Enlightenment and experiencing Nirvana directly is insufficient instruction and/or practice."
    Enlightenment Coaching
    About Michael Turner
    Home Page / Overview
    I offer authentic and transformative steamentry training and dharma life coaching and I encourage you to message me to learn more.
If you would like to support me or what I am doing with a contribution for my web hosting and medical expenses, please click the button below to open a donation pop-up or click here to open it in a tab. It's safe, secure, and easy; and your donation will directly support the work that I do to help, support, and care for others.
Donate

Your compassion and your support are greatly appreciated.
Photo Michael Turner Buddhist Philosopher, Dharma Coach, Meditation Instructor, Business Leader, Sales Trainer, and Mentor
Michael Turner is a pre-monastic Buddhist Ariyapuggala and a deeply accomplished streamentry trainer and dharma life coach. He emphasises and teaches the practical application of Buddhism in our everyday lives to make real progress toward enlightenment and is particularly adept at explaining them in ways that can be easily understood and practiced by Western Buddhists. He has been meditating and cultivating the techniques to generate indestructible resilience and inner-strength for more than 25 years and has helped countless numbers of people enhance their practice to make clear progress along the Path.
SITE MAP

Home (Begin Here)
Coaching Services
Suggested Rates
Student Reviews
About Mike
Being Peacefully Logo
 do good. be kind. help others. be peaceful.™
Dharma Blog (Subscribe)
Make a Donation
Beyond Mindfulness
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
"being peacefully"®, "sagacious buddhist"™ and all logos/slogans are trademarks in the united states and/or other countries.
website by michael turner — being peacefully © 2013, 2021 — all rights reserved.
  • Home
  • Coaching Services
  • Rates
  • Reviews
  • Blog
    • Subscribe Here
  • About Ariya Michael
  • Contact