Pariyatti

Story 61 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. When I was young, we were a family of four living in a small apartment. At the time, especially as a teenager, I bemoaned my lot in life and wished I lived in a far grander home like a few of my friends. My mother fancied herself a philosopher. She read Lin Yutang and Richard Needham of the Toronto Globe and Mail. My father was an army guy, a vet who lived for hockey and football. My mother had no one with whom she could discuss the issues of the day until I came along. Newspaper in hand, she would come at me as I was getting dressed to go out and play and begin by saying, “This is quite interesting…” Then... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 5 minutes 16 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (3MB)

Story 60 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. As one proceeds on the non-doing path, the simpler life becomes. The simplicity refers to a lessening of inner confusion, not necessarily to fewer possessions. A letting go or a discarding happens naturally to all the habitual mind patterns that we immerse ourselves in. Again, it’s the craving for and our attachment to our chosen modes of escape... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 4 minutes 40 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.7MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

This was an online talk given by Paul R. Fleischman to the Denver Insight Meditation Group on July 17, 2022. It is intended for an audience that, while experienced in practicing meditation or well-informed on the subject, still seeks to understand the unique features of Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka and the organization that provides 10-day courses to learn it. Paul R. Fleischman hosted by the Denver Insight Meditation Group 2022 50 minutes Watch the video or download the audio.   Download Audio (24MB) video copyright 2022 Paul R. Fleischman Find more books, audiobooks, eBooks, and podcasts by Paul R. Fleischman. Find more information about Vipassana meditation visit www.dhamma.org or visit the Vipassana meditation section at Pariyatti. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 59 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. I have spent most of my adult life avoiding gainful employment. I remember telling my guidance counselor at the age of fourteen that I wanted to be a shepherd. I pictured myself lazing under a giant oak, my trusty staff at my side, ready to rescue any wayward sheep. But shepherding was not on his list of future occupations, so he checked off actuary for me. For years I thought the two were synonymous. narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 37 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.2MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 58 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. I don't do fun. I shun hysteria. I never understood the causal relationship between indulging in a fun activity and happiness. Having the bejesus scared out of me on a roller-coaster is not, in and of itself (as we used to insert into arguments in Philosophy 101), fun. It is terrifying. The fun can only arise, if at all, when the ride is... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 36 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.2MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 57 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. One parent-teacher evening, a parent caught me alone at my desk and asked to see me for a few minutes. She seemed upset over some perceived injustice or oversight. She started in on me before she had sat down. “My Eliza in your grade 6 geography class received a failing grade on her last test. She had studied very hard for that test. She is very upset with the mark she got... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 17 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 56 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. I meditate mostly in my room, but I always meditate in silence. I remain still. Stillness is both a vehicle to silence and a byproduct of the same. Ajahn Chah referred to doing nondoing as a still forest pond. Stillness is also the antonym of distraction, whereas the conditioned mind is the epitome of distraction, filled as it is with well-trodden paths of judgment, impatience, craving, anger, and confusion. The myriad negative mind states prevent a banana from being seen as simply a banana. narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 4 minutes 29 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.6MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More

Story 55 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. On the way to Eungam Station in Seoul lived a tailor and his wife. He did simple alterations to pants and jackets. His wife did the measuring and the pinning. They had two large dry-cleaning machines, also her responsibility, as was the folding. He however did all the pressing. They both worked slowly. This being my favorite speed, I could relate. They took great care. They wore slippers because they lived upstairs. I always wanted a job in which... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 2 minutes 38 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (1.7MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio re

Story 54 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. When I was young, I would spend a few weeks of my summer holiday at my grandmother’s in Toronto. She lived by herself in a small apartment in the downtown. She had no television. She had no games or toys. There were no books at my age level, let alone comics. I loved it. My mother would catch up with Grandma. I was left to fend for myself. I was totally free, unprogrammed, unentrapped. I counted cars. I ran the streets. narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 49 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.3MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariya

Story 53 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Many years ago, I attended a performance of Aida. This was a full production and the director wanted to impress. In the opening scene, he featured a live elephant. The audience seemed to anticipate the arrival of the elephant more than the two hours of Verdi that would follow the pachyderm's entrance. As the curtain parted, there stood the elephant as right as rain, center stage. The woman seated beside me, unable to contain herself, shouted,... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 32 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.1MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resour

Story 52 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Life naturally simplifies. The many miracles of small things sidetrack the singular quest for ever greater success and accomplishments. Life loses its Photoshop luster when you simply live it. The little voices in your head or your gut may tell you to go right or left, here or there as they are conditioned. These are not usually the voices of wisdom but of... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 2 minutes 10 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (1.5MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 51 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Even the daily grind can be seen anew. Marcus Aurelius said it best: “Early in the morning I am rising to do the work of a human being.” It matters not a jot how you spend your days, but each one bears the possibility of doing the work of a human being. narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 2 minutes 41 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (1.7MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 49 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Doing non-doing, allowing the suffocating angst in, though insisting it must sit in the corner and not suck out all the oxygen in the room, opens up a new way of seeing and experiencing daily life. It is as if you had been suffering from severe cataracts before and now your vision is unimpaired. The clouds have dissipated. The familiar takes on subtle hues and an unfamiliar clarity, leading one to marvel in the contradiction that while everything is the same, everything is different.... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 56 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.3MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View

Story 50 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. I run almost every day. I don't push myself. I enjoy the sights and especially the smells as I run. I don't wear my glasses for that reason; my astigmatism enhances my sense of smell. I like the mustiness of mud thawing in the early spring and the tang of last night's rain as it evaporates in the first rays of the sun. Running is a kind of physical meditation. I am hyperaware of my breathing and every tweak and twitch in my body. I feel the sensations in my footfall. Like my daily meditation practice,... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 23 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.3MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-no

Story 48 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. The fourth and final noble truth, the prescription for our illness, to continue the medical metaphor, is outlined in eight stages. The path (which is not, you may remember, a path but a wheel) covers everything from your behavior, your occupation, your speech, and your daily practice, right up to your thoughts and understanding. Note, however,... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 56 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.3MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 47 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. We used to drive to Toronto every Christmas vacation to spend the holidays with my grandmother. It was about 250 miles away, two-lane blacktop all the way. Our means of conveyance was at first a Prefect and later a Vanguard, both inexpensive, four-cylinder British imports with all the fire power of a lawn mower with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 3 minutes 34 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.2MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 46 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. For many years I faithfully sat two hours a day. This was my formal meditation practice. Two hours a day is a lot of meditation, I thought. I was wrong. Two hours a day is a lot of practice, but it is not a lot of meditation. Meditation cannot be measured.... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 4 minutes 58 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.8MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 45 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Without the ability to silently sit alone in a darkened room, we are destined to be a slave to our conditioned mind, reacting to self-imposed habitual preconditions, convinced that everything out there is awesome and everyone else is as happy as kings. So why, you wonder, am I so miserable? I have lost count of the number of times in a given day I start a sentence with... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 4 minutes 03 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.4MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 44 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. Happiness is not something to pursue. Like the truth, happiness too is not out there somewhere. Chasing it is like a dog trying to catch its tail. Happiness has been hijacked by old habit patterns which have convinced us to look for it under the bright lights. We are so busy frantically... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 4 minutes 37 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.7MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Story 43 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie. The question remains, however, why is practice so difficult? To begin with, doing non-doing is by and of itself difficult because to be still and just watch goes against our very nature. This is especially true when... narrated by Ian McCrorie 2022 5 minutes 01 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (2.9MB) Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing. More by Ian McCrorie. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.