Vincent Horn

“Live neither in the entanglements of outer things nor in inner feelings of emptiness.” – Chan Master Seng-T'san One common hurdle to the development of wisdom is to identify with the sense of expansiveness in practice. By expansion, I mean those states that seem to be more open and free. States like stillness, clarity, silence, & even witnessing. Any state where it feels more expansive, more transcendentally pleasant, more free from states of contraction and suffering. But this isn’t real freedom, only a pseudo-freedom from what we perceive is the real problem… Contraction. Often times we start a contemplative practice completely embedded in contracted states of consciousness. ...

As I was sitting yesterday I had the very clear insight that, “What I am can never be separated from What I’m not.” The insight, like so many insights, came with a non-verbal holistic “knowing,” and then also the thought itself, which sort of framed the insight in mental terms. I’ve found it very interesting to reflect on the deeper ramifications of this insight and how it represents my current edge in practice-understanding. First, the most direct meaning has to do with seeing the process of identification and release of identification—another way we could frame this movement is in terms of expansion and contraction. Typically people ...

I’ve found that as my spiritual practice has developed, the highs and lows of life have been freed up to flow as they will. Some days I experience states of clarity, bliss, and joy. Other days I experience misery, hopelessness, and fear. And then the experiences change, and the next thing arrives. I’ve come to see that these changing states are simply part of the cycle of life, the expansion and contraction of both the inner and outer worlds. It gets interesting, and also tricky, when someone asks me how I’m doing during a difficult period, and I’m honest with them. “Oh, I’m feeling ...

I was both surprised and delighted, at the end of a recent interview with Roger Walsh, to hear him give this answer to my question about what he would say to a group of listeners who may identify as Buddhist Geeks. Roger: Well, Buddhist Geeks, I love that phrase by the way, and I’m just delighted to know of what you’re doing and that you’re putting this information out on the Web and making it available to people. Yes, something does come to mind and that is that we’re in a unique time in history and we have a unique opportunity as well as unique challenges. This is the first time ...

"I am just learning how to paint." - Pierre-Auguste Renoir (in 1913 at the age of 72) I saw this quote while viewing an exhibit of the last 30 years of Renoir’s work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Along with Monet, Renoir was a key figure in the Impressionist art movement, which was marked by its extraordinary use of color, shadow, and light. What I found so striking about this quote was the depth of wisdom that Renoir had achieved through the form of painting. He had developed what Suzuki Roshi called “beginner’s mind.” And even though he was considered one of the most ...

I received this question from a meditation practitioner named Tracy, and with their permission have posted their question and my response here. Often the distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana is self-liberation versus liberation for all. The Hinayana is often described in Mahayana teachings as sounding really selfish! But I would not imagine that anyone actually achieving liberation would be selfish. I realize this is an ancient debate and I have read many articles and essays on the topic. What I am most interested to hear is your perspective as someone who studies deeply many traditions and practices the insight meditation tradition. I'm unclear of the difference between Theravada and Hinayana. Sometimes they are ...