https://buddhism-for-beginners.com/

Meditation For The World, 14365 Aden Road, Nokesville, VA (2026)

09/04/2026

THE PATH OF MIND
INTRODUCTION
Every human being has two things: the mind and
behavior. There is an old saying, “Good wood
is better than good paint.” The mind is believed the
measure of one’s value. However, our behavior is also
significant to how others think about us. Therefore, as
humans, we need both a pure and virtuous mind and
moral behavior.
Humans have a desire to understand themselves.
However, only with Buddhist insight, we can recognize
every degree of the human mind. The wisdom, merit,
and worth of each person depend on the calmness of
his mind but not on his wealth, social position, or look.
When our mind is calm, we naturally have happiness.
The calmer our minds, the more tolerant, quieter, and
closer to the Holy fruition we are. The more chaotic
our minds, the closer we reach to the level of animals.
To have a peaceful and virtuous mind, we
must often pay homage to Saints, do countless things
beneficial to life, especially practice meditation to purify
the mind. The path of mind is the path of meditation.
To escape from the bo***ge of our self and to surpass
ourselves as ordinary people, we must step on the path
of meditation. However, in our mind exists a massive
ego that is very crafty and very hard to be recognized.
The cultivation path is the way of eradicating our ego/
self. And the destination of our cultivation path is
compassion and selflessness, where Buddha always
expects us to come to dwell in Tathata.
The path of mind is unique, and the farther we
go, the stranger and mysterious we feel. However, it’s
unsure if we will reach the destination when we keep
going on or if we will never go back. When we don’t
know the path for our mind, we will come to nowhere;
and when we do but adhere to wrong views, we will be
immersed in the bo***ge of ignorance forever. On the
The path of mind
cultivation path, a minor mistake can cost us thousands
of lifetimes of practice. Therefore, if you don’t know
the path, beg a true Master, and please don’t risk going
forward when in front of you is only the dark.
When we know the road, we can move forward.
But how can we know it, how can we control our ego
keeps growing every day, and how can we never reach
a dead end on the path of mind so that forever we will
keep going on until we reach the full enlightenment
and liberation?
Let’s explore the structure of human psychology
through the Buddhist view and find out the correlation
between our behavior and mind and the strange path
of mind to find the answers to these questions.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

09/04/2026

THE PATH OF MIND

INTRODUCTION
Every human being has two things: the mind and
behavior. There is an old saying, “Good wood
is better than good paint.” The mind is believed the
measure of one’s value. However, our behavior is also
significant to how others think about us. Therefore, as
humans, we need both a pure and virtuous mind and
moral behavior.
Humans have a desire to understand themselves.
However, only with Buddhist insight, we can recognize
every degree of the human mind. The wisdom, merit,
and worth of each person depend on the calmness of
his mind but not on his wealth, social position, or look.
When our mind is calm, we naturally have happiness.
The calmer our minds, the more tolerant, quieter, and
closer to the Holy fruition we are. The more chaotic
our minds, the closer we reach to the level of animals.
To have a peaceful and virtuous mind, we
must often pay homage to Saints, do countless things
beneficial to life, especially practice meditation to purify
the mind. The path of mind is the path of meditation.
To escape from the bo***ge of our self and to surpass
ourselves as ordinary people, we must step on the path
of meditation. However, in our mind exists a massive
ego that is very crafty and very hard to be recognized.
The cultivation path is the way of eradicating our ego/
self. And the destination of our cultivation path is
compassion and selflessness, where Buddha always
expects us to come to dwell in Tathata.
The path of mind is unique, and the farther we
go, the stranger and mysterious we feel. However, it’s
unsure if we will reach the destination when we keep
going on or if we will never go back. When we don’t
know the path for our mind, we will come to nowhere;
and when we do but adhere to wrong views, we will be
immersed in the bo***ge of ignorance forever. On the
The path of mind
cultivation path, a minor mistake can cost us thousands
of lifetimes of practice. Therefore, if you don’t know
the path, beg a true Master, and please don’t risk going
forward when in front of you is only the dark.
When we know the road, we can move forward.
But how can we know it, how can we control our ego
keeps growing every day, and how can we never reach
a dead end on the path of mind so that forever we will
keep going on until we reach the full enlightenment
and liberation?
Let’s explore the structure of human psychology
through the Buddhist view and find out the correlation
between our behavior and mind and the strange path
of mind to find the answers to these questions.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/30/2026

Ep 7: Contemplating the breath - Breathing Techniques
With a firm foundation in Regulating the Body thoroughly and Contemplating the Body’s Impermanence carefully (for at least several months), the practitioner then advances to Breath Awareness. This is an advanced technique, which unfolds from the simple to profound stages.
a. Basic Breath Awareness
Know the breath without interference or control
Breathing in, know clearly that you are breathing in.
Breathing out, know clearly that you are breathing out.
The first step is to recognize whether the breath is entering or leaving. Observe objectively without interference.
Know the breath as it is:
When the in-breath is long, know it is long.
When the out-breath is long, know it is long.
When the in-breath is short, know it is short.
When the out-breath is short, know it is short.
The essential point is to simply know, without trying to make the breath long, short, deep, or shallow according to will. Sometimes it is deep, sometimes shallow, just know it, without adjusting.
There are two extremes to avoid:
• The first is not clearly aware of the breath.
• The second is over-knowing and trying to control it.
Not aware of the breath means losing mindfulness, while knowing the breath too much falls into the error of intentional breathing. The Middle Way of this practice is to be passively and clearly aware of the breath, without intervention or manipulation.
Combining the Breath with Whole-Body Awareness and Contemplation of Impermanence
Feel the whole body while breathing in.
Feel the whole body while breathing out.
Know the body is impermanent while breathing in.
Know the body is impermanent while breathing out.
While knowing the breath, continue to be aware of the entire body and remember that it is impermanent. If whole-body awareness is lost, then as the mind quiets and bliss arises, attention may shift upward to the head, rapidly depleting vital energy and severely impairing meditation results, even causing mental illness.
Having already cultivated deep contemplation of the body’s impermanence, the practitioner should be aware of both the breath and the body’s impermanence. This awareness should include the entire process of the body’s transformation: from youth to old age, then to death, and to complete disintegration, with the bones turning to dust carried away by the wind. This helps eliminate attachment to the body gradually, lessen ego-clinging, reduce mental agitation and afflictions.
b. The Breath that is Slow - Little - Soft
When skilled in breath awareness, the practitioner subtly maintains the breath as Slow - Little - Soft to gradually settle the mind. Even when the breath is apparent, unconscious impulses may still cause it to grow forceful, making concentration difficult. Among the three, “Little” is the essential factor; “Soft” and “Slow” naturally follow.
To reach this state, Practice Whole-Body Awareness gently, like a fingertip touching a bowl of water so lightly that the surface doesn’t ripple. This is refined technique known as the “Fingertip Touching Water” principle.
Note that skillfully maintaining a Slow - Little - Soft Breath does not mean controlling or holding it back to make it slow, little, or soft. It simply means subtly preventing the breath from becoming fast, excessive, or forceful.
- To be aware of the breath and grasp it tightly is wrong.
- To be aware of the breath and try to control it is wrong.
- To be aware of the breath and allow it to become forceful is wrong.
- The correct way is to be aware of the breath in a calm, gentle, careful, and clear manner.
c. The Breath Joined with the Mind
When the Slow - Little - Gentle breath is well established, the practitioner next discovers the right Intensity for the Breath to Join with the Mind at a suspended point in the lower abdomen. This is an advanced technique and one of the foremost keys in meditation.
When the breath reaches this exact intensity, it immediately fuses with the mind, anchoring it, so that wandering thoughts no longer carry the mind away. The practitioner dwells at the point where breath and mind are joined, with thoughts gradually thinning and mindfulness growing stronger day by day.
From here, the breath becomes the instrument for governing the mind. Entering the domain of Right Mindfulness (samyak-smṛti) and Right Ecstasy (samyak-samādhi), the practitioner need only hold to this breath to cultivate, always remembering: “Deep within the mind still lies ignorance and faults.”
Note:
When breath and mind are joined, mindfulness becomes so strong that thoughts are recognized at the very instant they arise, without intentional searching. The key is not to deliberately observe thoughts, not to let attention rise to the head, but to remain in the lower abdomen while still perceiving thoughts clearly.
, , , , , , , , , , ,

08/24/2026

What Happens When We Choose to Take the Lesser Share?

There are times when we think of ourselves as kind and considerate. When everything around us is going smoothly and life feels peaceful, offering a smile or asking how someone is doing seems natural and easy. We are willing to help others when we have time and energy to spare. Yet perhaps true generosity is not measured when the sun is shining. It reveals itself most clearly when scarcity and exhaustion push us to our limits.
Imagine a moment when we are utterly exhausted and longing for a sip of water. There is only one bottle left in our hands, and the person beside us is just as parched. Our instinct for self-preservation urges us to twist off the cap and drink it all—or at least keep half for ourselves. Choosing to place the entire bottle in the other person’s hands, then watching them drink while we grit our teeth and remain thirsty, seems to go completely against our instinct to protect ourselves.
Moving from the habit of looking out only for ourselves to putting someone else first is never comfortable. The process is like driving a sharp plowshare through the dry, hardened ground of the mind. When we choose to step back and yield to someone who is angry, or take on the harder work so a coworker can leave early, a sense of hurt and resentment stirs deep within us. It hurts because the ego is being rubbed raw, and we feel the sting of loss as our own interests are set aside.
Yet that very ache seems to be a sign that the heart is truly growing. If we do only what is easy and yield only when it costs us nothing, we are still circling within the safe confines of selfishness. Only when the plowshare of selflessness cuts deep, turning over our personal attachments, does the soil of the heart become loose enough to receive the seeds of compassion. Each time we grit our teeth and accept the lesser share for someone else’s sake, we wear away a little more of our own pride and narrowness of heart.
Life does not always call for earth-shaking acts of heroism. Sometimes greatness unfolds quietly in an inner struggle that no one else can see. It is the moment when we stand at a crossroads and, even knowing that we will be the one to lose out, even while some conflict remains within us, we still gently reach out and offer the brighter share back to the world.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/23/2026

PART XII - HOW BODHISATTVAS APPLY THE LAW OF KARMA TO EDUCATING HUMAN BEINGS
Buddhism has different viewpoints from other religions. For example, other religions believe that God is powerful enough to change man’s fate, while Buddhism says that everything is controlled by the law of Cause and Effect and if Bodhisattvas have to use Their supernatural powers, They have to use them in accordance with this law but not use them arbitrarily. It proves Bodhisattvas are very wise because only wise people know how to apply the law of Cause and Effect. This law will direct Their education of humans and tell Them what to do next.
Before doing anything, Bodhisattvas always consider what karma it will create, but not do whatever They wish just because They have psychic powers.
We also understand and believe in the law of Karma but at very low level, so we always make mistakes. Bodhisattvas have an extremely profound understanding of the law of Karma but are still worse than the Buddha. Only the Buddha has supreme enlightenment and perfect understanding of the law of Karma.
The law of Karma is very profound because it is the universe. In the universe, there are so many things that we can’t see, especially fields. The supreme, absolute one is the field of Karma. So, those who are enlightened and understand the law of Karma thoroughly dare not commit mistakes because the law of Karma does not omit even a tiny detail.
In this life, if we don’t believe in the law of Karma, we will only cause harm to others. Because Bodhisattvas clearly know the law of Karma, They only bring benefit to beings. When seeing someone who commits sin, Bodhisattvas don’t blame or hate him because They know everything has its cause. So, Buddhism teaches us to hate evil things but not hate those who commit evil things, or else you will become evil person someday.
A Bodhisattva must know all about a human be- ing whom He wants to educate. He must know in in- numerable eons, this person sowed what seeds in order to have a suitable way of educating him. Not all human beings are the same and not all of them know Buddhism and believe in the law of Karma.
There are seven levels in Buddhism.
The first is knowing Buddhism. This means we have a chance to listen to a Buddhist sermon or to be invited to go to a temple. So, we understand Buddhism, the law of Karma and the purpose of cultivation which is liberation.
The second is having affection for Buddhism. Those who know Buddhism but don’t have affection for It will refuse to cultivate the Dharma. They are blessed to the first level only.
The third is diligently studying the Dharma. Those who reach the second level in Buddhism will want to highly understand Buddhism. At this level, our life, thinking, and inner feeling are very different from ones when we know the ABC of Buddhism.
The fourth is we start to practice Buddhist morality. When we have a thorough understanding of Buddhism, we will try to cultivate the Dharma and live morally. Liv- ing morally means we have to consider what karma we will create before we do anything, we must restrain our instincts and try to help others. This is a good progress we have made on our cultivation path.
The fifth is spreading Buddhism. People of the third level who live and think according to morality will have a good effect on others naturally. They start to have a thought of bringing Buddhism to everyone.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/23/2026

EP6: CONTEMPLATING SINS AS SINS
- Recognizing oneself as a mass of Sins accumulated through countless lifetimes
The practitioner contemplates deeply and for a long time, absorbing the profound truth that within this mind exist countless unwholesome qualities like greed, arrogance, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, irresponsibility… These have caused us to commit innumerable wrongdoings across countless eons.
These wrongdoings now manifest as physical instability (pain, unease and restlessness), sleepiness, as well as wandering thoughts, all of which hinder the mind in meditation. Whenever delusive thoughts take over, the practitioner does not intentionally try to eliminate them. Instead, they understand these thoughts as traces of past sins.
- Realizing that Ignorance is the Root of Sins
The practitioner must understand deeply that ignorance has been hiding within from countless lifetimes.
Ignorance is the ultimate source of all sins and suffering. It is also the final fetter, the last fault that a practitioner must overcome to achieve complete enlightenment.
No matter what results you may have achieved, never forget this ultimate truth: deep within the mind, there is still Ignorance and sin.
The clearer the mind becomes, the deeper the faults are recognized, from selfishness, greed, hatred, and arrogance, all the way to the ultimate ignorance of ego-clinging.
Knowing the faults from shallow to profound helps practitioners increase their vigilance, progress in meditation, prevent complacency, clearly orient themselves toward anātman (Non-Ego), and gradually attain the Levels of Sainthood in future lifetimes.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/22/2026

RIGHT DILIGENT - JANNA MEDITATION - Part 2
https://youtu.be/kV068a4lYWI

The Noble Eightfold Path is part of the Four Noble Truths, and the Four Noble Truths can be regarded as a declaration of Buddhism. So those who are truly devoted to the Buddha's path and want to practice deeply need to understand the Four Noble Truths very thoroughly.
The first three truths—the Truth of Suffering, the Truth of the Origin of Suffering, and the Truth of Cessation—are the part of the teaching that we need to understand clearly so that we can establish Right View. Then we come to the Truth of the Path, where we move into actual practice—the practice that leads us to Cessation. And within the Truth of the Path is the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path goes through Right View, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. And last time, we began our study of Right Effort.
Now, the phrase “a will of steel” may sound a little unusual, but it is something very real. Let’s go back to the story of the hero Nguyễn Văn Thương. He was a Vietnamese intelligence agent. When he was captured, the enemy tortured him by sawing away his leg bit by bit, all the way up to the hip, but he still refused to reveal anything. His comrades were deeply worried at the time, because if he talked, an entire intelligence network could be destroyed. However, one of his comrades still believed that he would never betray them. Despite such horrific torture, even having his leg sawed off while he was still alive, he still refused to say a word. He would rather die than betray his comrades. In the end, even the opposing side had to admit defeat and called him “a man of steel.” More precisely, what he had was a will of steel.

Entering meditation requires that same kind of will. At first, we face physical difficulties: pain in the legs, numbness, and aches in the body. Then come wandering thoughts, restlessness, complications, temptations, and various experiences that arise along the path of practice. Without a will of steel, it is difficult to go all the way on the path of meditation. That is exactly why this factor is called Right Effort.
But that will of steel does not suddenly begin with Right Effort. It has already been developing and strengthening from Right View all the way through Right Livelihood. With Right View, we begin to understand what is right and what is wrong in life. And once we can tell right from wrong, a certain strength begins to grow within us, even if it is still small at first: the strength to refuse to do what is wrong.
At first, we may not yet be able to do what is right, but we make a firm decision not to do what is wrong. That determination is the beginning of a will of steel.
Then we come to Right Thoughts, where we continue the battle within our own thinking, not allowing wrong thoughts to arise. The battle is invisible, quiet, and difficult. But it is through that very struggle that the steel within us is gradually being forged.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/22/2026

PART XI - SIN AND BLESSING IN THIS AGE
Today’s advanced technology gives people the opportunity to make great blessings, but also create bad karma very quickly. The retribution, instead of coming after many eons as usual, it comes just after a few years. Sin/blessing is so serious/huge that time can’t wait.
For example, a factory produces products for the society but it also let its effluent out underground into rivers, contaminating the aquatic environment and killing fish in bulk. According to the law of Karma, the will earn a blessing from the products they create for the society, that is, their wealth, and the retribution for their contaminating rivers and killing fish is that they will definitely go bankrupt. That explains why there are people who are very rich at first but poor later on.
Our forefathers had a saying, “First is to do deforestation, second is to contaminate the aquatic environment,” that means, we cannot be rich by running a business in these two fields. In the old days, if someone wanted to cut down a tree, he had to use a saw and it took him 2 days or 3 to finish this task. So, throughout his life, the number of trees he cut down is not big. So, his retribution for being poor is a very long process and that’s it. However, today with advanced machines, a person can cut down hundreds of trees a day. Man has caused severe damage to Nature, so the retribution for them sooner comes: He becomes rich so fast but cannot prevents himself from bankruptcy. It is not like that you did evil things in a past life then in this life you will be poor, but you will be poor right after a few years when you run out of your blessing. Therefore, sin and blessing in this age are quite different from ones in the past.
Nowadays, if we intelligently apply advanced technology, we will create outstanding blessing, if otherwise, we will commit severe sin. For example, today you don’t have to be a monk or a person of high social position to preach our forefathers’ morals, doctrines of Confucianism, or doctrines of Buddhism, a normal person can post his personal viewpoints on social networks and if many people like them then his blessing is incredibly large.
If your topics are profound and contain morals and can make others be touched and have belief, even not much, in the law of Karma and they will correct their manners even a little, i.e. they will be less greedy, less aggressive and more compassionate towards others, you have created a huge blessing and thus you will be lucky in the future. Everyone has this chance. A wise and ethical person can share with others his good things and help them be better and this is the way to create a blessing for us.
What retribution for those who make computer games? If they intend to make addictive games, players will spend all their time and energy on games and even worse, killing can happen: a grandchild can kill his grandpa, parents can kill their children in order to satisfy their addiction. So the retribution for game makers is so terrible. In contrast, if the same techniques were applied to create online lessons for foreign languages, mathematics, physics, life skills in 30 minutes for example, then excellent results are waiting for them for sure. So, advanced technology will help us create big big blessing and much serious karma and which one is our choice.
Detergents and cleansers help people’s things be clean but contaminate our environment, so if we can make a product that both satisfies humans’ needs and does not harm the environment, we will create a huge blessing. We can use plant essence instead of traditional detergents, so the waste water can be used to water plants, that is, we don’t destroy life but create life, this technology will save our world and our environment. There are some cleansing products that meet this requirement, we should use them to save this world.
In this age, people are practical, so they don’t have belief in deities, morality and the law of Karma. They believe that whoever is wise will win, whoever is skillful will succeed. In this material world, whoever has absolute faith in the Buddha keeps the spirit of this world because the Buddha is the absolute refuge of people’s spirituality and morality. Those who have the absolute reverence for the Buddha and share it with others, which help them stop their pursuit of material comforts but direct themselves to simple and noble things. This is also a huge blessing.
Those who because of their profit, harm consumers by marinating food in toxic chemicals, causing consumers to easily have cancer, have two bad results:
First is because of poisoning others, they will be condemned to hungry ghost realm, hence will be hungry all the times.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/21/2026

PART X - SOME TYPICAL CAUSES AND EFFECTS
You will lose what you despise. If you despise your friends, you will have no friends and be lonely later on.
You will have no children if you don’t love children. Once, a woman asked us, “Dear Master, I have got married for years but I do not have children. What should I do, Master?”
We replied, “Our forefathers had a saying “If you love children, children will come to your house; if you respect the elderly, you will be long-lived.” Whenever you can love children who are not yours, you will naturally have children.”
She said, “I have little love for children. Even for my nephews or nieces, I just hold them a little while.” This is her mistake. If you want to have children, you must do so many good deeds for children everywhere. In your village, you should come to any family that has children to offer milk, clothes and express your love to them, then you will have children. This is according to the law of Karma. Just because we don’t love children, then no children will be born into our family.”
Showing no respect towards the elderly, you will die early. If you meet elderly people, you should obey and show respect to them. Why is that so? Because they have lived for ages, going through many ups and downs, experiencing many sufferings and now is the time for them to enjoy life. All of us have a responsibility to love the elderly and it is the morals of Vietnamese. Although there are many old people who are very strict and difficult, we still have to love and obey them.
Having no filial piety for your parents or treating them badly, you will become orphaned in your next life. If you have no filial piety for your parents or treat them badly, then in your next life you will have no love from parents and soon be an orphan.
Having no love for humans, in your next life, you won’t be allowed to live with humans but will be animals instead.
If you do deforestation, and do not love this life, then in your next life you have no life. That is, after your death, you will become hungry ghosts and have no chance to become humans again. On the contrary, those who love trees and do afforestation will easily be reborn into nice places.
If you have money but often overspend, in your next life, you will have no money. For example, if you have an amount of money that can raise several people in a certain time but you do not do so but spend on wrong things, in your next life, you will have no money. For instance, many rich men go to restaurants and invite some beautiful girls to sit with them. After the party, the men will give much money to those girls. That is giving money to wrong people and in the future, they have no money as a retribution of overspending.
Miserliness causes you to have no money. For example, we have one hundred million VNDs but do not help poor men, then later on, this amount of money will be gone away. Those who overspend or are miserly will have no money. Only those who spend money on right things will have more and more money. Firstly, they may have ten million VNDs and gradually, they will have twenty or fifty million VNDs. And if we spend this amount on right things, we will have a bigger amount. Otherwise, if we overspend or are miserly, we will have no money.
Beautiful mind creates beautiful faces. Beauty is very important and beautiful faces are necessary in this life, and are your pride and your blessing. Our mind is the cause and our appearances are the effects. We should look ourselves in the mirror to know our mind. If you see you are beautiful then you should know that your mind has been beautiful recently; otherwise, you should know that you are narrow-minded and selfish. So if you we want to be beautiful, you should correct your mind. Do not be foolish to spend money on cosmetic surgery but to spend on good deeds then you will be beautiful for a long time. Every time we raise compassion for people, our faces will look more beautiful and every time we get angry with others, our faces will look uglier. Every time we bow in front of the Buddha, our faces will look more cheerful. Every time we look down on others, our faces will look uglier. Every time we have pride, our faces will look uglier and every time we feel humble, our faces will look more beautiful. Those are ways of making us more beautiful or uglier. There are no ways of making us more beautiful than worshipping the Buddha, respecting and loving people. Knowing that, you should choose the best way to make you more beautiful.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meditation For The World

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

08/30/2026

08/24/2026

08/23/2026

08/23/2026

08/22/2026

08/22/2026

08/21/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Place Of Worship

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request