Buddhism 103

By Willy Thorn

A simple collection of clear reflections on basic Buddhist philosophy.

The Path of Meditation includes an overview of the path & basic methodology of meditation; what & who you will meet as you go; body & mind, past, beliefs & emotions; the permanent guests of the mind, the 11 eternal fires of Burmese Buddhism & more.

The book is divided into eight sections with 48 concise pieces — all written simply & clearly, in a way that is thoughtful & explanatory & built around analogy & rhyme.

Individual pieces include: the path & pitfalls of meditation; on concentration & resistance; tools to develop; how your body & mind stay together; how to split them; on busy thoughts & wandering minds; making friends with difficult memories; accepting experiences; emotions like thunderstorms & floods; the deepest, darkest vaults & buried beliefs; removing the permanent guests of the mind; & extinguishing the fires of desire, delusion, despair & more.

Quotes from the Buddha, Hluang Pau Viriyang Sirinthro, Ajarn Buddhādasa Bhikkhu, Dr. Pramahachanya Khongchinda, Aung San Suu Kyi & an artist named Phu.

Includes photos of Buddha statues from temples in Bangkok’s Yaowarat Chinatown neighborhood — at Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat [aka the Dragon Lotus temple], Wat Traimitr, Wat Kusoln Samakorn, Wat Uphai Raja Bamrung, Wat Mongkoln Samakhom, Wat Chakrawat, Wat Pathum Kongkha & Wat Bampen Cheen,

Willy Thorn is an artist, copywriter & meditation instructor in Bangkok. He was trained thru the renowned Willpower Institute of Wat Dhamma Mongkoln.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Willy Thorn
• Release date: May 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005731083

Willy Thorn

Willy Thorn is a communications expert & artistic renaissance man. He is a journalist & copywriter, teacher, author & artist.He has lived many places, beginning with Milwaukee & Rome & Minnesota & central Wisconsin. Among his other homes are Washington DC & Baltimore, Chicago & the Twin Cities, St. Francis South Dakota, the Bay Area & Shanghai. He currently lives & works in Bangkok.Thorn has a Masters Degree in Journalism & has spent time as a Capitol Hill reporter & wire editor, sports writer, political columnist & arts critic. Other media endeavors include public relations campaigns, magazine feature writing, ghostwritten biographies & time on the radio – as a DJ & on-air host, play-by-play sports announcer & music promoter.He has spent nearly a decade as a language specialist for Craft Worldwide & as a copywriter & creative for McCann Worldgroup. He currently works as senior copywriter at Quo Global branding agency in Bangkok.He has won awards at Cannes Lions & been recognized for sports writing & political columns, magazine features, theatre scripts, religious publications & photography.Thorn is also a photographer & classical oil painter, trained thru the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC. His artistic c.v. includes photography gallery shows; sculpting in Mamallapuram, India; concrete statuary at Wat Xieng Mouane, in Luang Prabang, Laos; and flower petal mosaics in Cagli, Italy.He is a Buddhist meditation instructor; trained thru Thailand’s renowned Willpower Institute. And he was even the rare foreigner to complete the entire six month course in spoken & written Thai. He currently sits as an advisor on the institute’s English Foreign Language subcommittee – where he translates books, helps develop outreach programs & occasionally lectures.He is the author of more than 3o full-length books & plays & proudly notes a Master’s Degree from Marquette University & books in both Washington's Library of Congress & the Vatican Archives in Rome.His catalog is varied & he has written extensively about a number of subjects — including sports, politics, religion, Buddhist philosophy & Asian history & art. One of his largest endeavors was documenting & cataloguing several hundred temples in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Yangon, Vientiane & Kuala Lumpur.His catalog is available thru the following distributors: Amazon // Apple iBooks // Android Aldiko // Barnes & Noble // Sony // & Smashwords.His Milwaukee-centric column of sports poetry & prose — 'Run of tha Mil' — can be found at Milticket.blogspot.com

Book preview

as you go

It’s one mountain.

But we all take

different paths up.

— Phu

the path of Buddhism

there is only one path in Buddhism

recognize the mind

observe the mind

understand the mind

be aware of the mind

strengthen the mind

give the mind energy

heal the mind

clean & purify the mind

grow the mind

separate from the mind

relinquish the mind

& be free

* * *

one method

There is only one Buddhist method

— & that is meditation.

Meditation is a powerful tool.

It is simple & effective.

It requires no special equipment.

It can be done anywhere

& it has no ill effects.

Meditation is multifaceted & diverse.

It has multiple forms

including walking, sitting & reclining

& can also be used in daily life.

Its internal techniques are flexible.

Entire published libraries

outline different guided meditations

based on thousands

of philosophies & themes.

Meditation can be adapted to time.

Sitting meditation can be done

in as little as five minutes

& some awareness meditations

are done within a moment’s breath.

Meditation is designed for daily use.

When done regularly

it becomes a true practice

which grows & expands & unfolds

& becomes even more useful.

Meditation is time-tested.

Buddhist meditation has its roots

in Hindu forest ascetics

— but it is a common form of prayer

known to every major faith tradition.

In Theravada Buddhist thought

meditation is primarily used for two things:

it gives the mind energy

& can be used to explore the psyche.

Samathi [สมาธิ] is designed to bring peace & focus

— both effects energize the mind.

Vipassana [วิปัสสนา] is insight meditation.

It requires mental energy & mental authority

& is built around observation.

Meditation begins by calming the mind

& it deepens by centering the mind.

Meditation is purposely repetitive.

It is built with inherent rhythm

which can come from the breath

or from chanted phrases

or from footsteps

& bodily movements.

This rhythm reduces active thoughts

& slows the mind & relaxes the mind

& gathers the mind & centers the mind.

All meditation brings attention

to the most neglected parts of self.

In this way, all meditation is nourishment.

It provides an array of resources

to the spirit, body & mind.

Meditation produces calm

& the longer it is practiced

the quicker calmness can be realized.

Meditation creates safe space.

It allows the mind to enter the eye of the storm

& form a pocket of serenity

when the mind is surrounded by chaos.

Meditation often leads to tranquility;

a larger broader deeper long-term peace.

Meditation is fast liberation.

It cuts a host of tangling strings

& allows the mind to disengage

from lingering trains of thought.

Meditation reduces negative weight

like burdens & toxic phenomenon.

Meditation reduces anxiety

— & it also helps those

with the highest anxiety the most.

Meditation is a shield.

It blocks incoming distractions

& internal phenomenon.

Meditation is an escape, but it is also presence.

By setting aside & reducing & minimizing mental noise

it firmly roots a mind in the here & now.

Meditation wipes the slate clean.

It helps put the past behind you

& opens up space for new things.

It can quickly clear an overloaded mind

& provide new perspectives.

Meditation is a healthy routine

which helps the mind step away

from the grind of daily routine.

Meditation can be used to erase

problematic habits & patterns in life.

Meditation builds distance

between the mind

& reflexes & reactions.

Meditation eliminates over-reactions

& greatly diminishes habitual worrying.

Meditation has many practical