Paul Fleischman

In the Spirit of the Buddha
an interview with Paul R. and Susan K. Fleischman.

Vipasana teachers in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, Susan K. And Paul R. Fleischman have been walking on the path of Dhamma for many decades. Paul has published various titles relating to the teachings of the Buddha and Vipassana meditation. Paul's work often bridges his experience as a seeker and meditator and his professional background in science—psychology, biology, and medicine.

The topic of this Pariyatti Presents... event of February 27 is a book that Susan and Paul have worked on together. It is a collection of prose poems entitled In the Spirit of the Buddha.

In the Spirit of the Buddha is aimed to inspire, rather than to represent the full span of the teaching of the Buddha. All compositions combine the Buddha’s thoughts with contemporary phrasing. They cannot be considered direct quotes from the Pāli Canon, because the authors have worked only with English language translations and combined similar passages, or modified the language for readability. At the same time, the authors emphasize that these words are not original to them, because they are in the spirit of the Buddha. They are sparks from the campfire that continue to glow in the dark.

Paul R. and Susan K. Fleischman
2022
1 hours 33 minutes

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Video copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'In the Spirit of the Buddha' as a book, eBook and videobook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/in-the-spirit-of-the-buddha.

More by Paul R. Fleischman.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Cultivating Inner Peace an interview with Paul R. Fleischman
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Paul Fleischman, psychiatrist, author and long-time meditator, writes about the psychology, wisdom and poetry of those who have inspired him in his personal quest for harmony and happiness.

The learnable qualities of peaceful living are brought into focus by examining the lives of diverse exemplars such as Mahatma Gandhi, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, the Buddha, John Muir, Scott and Helen Nearing, and Rabindranath Tagore. His ultimate example is an autobiographical account of his own experience with his practice of Vipassana.

The final chapter of the book is a compelling appeal to all people to walk the path of peace as a way of healing the earth itself. This new paperback edition includes a new introduction and a foreword by Professor William Radice, noted Tagore scholar and poet.

Paul R. Fleischman
2021
2 hours 02 minutes

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Video copyright, 2021 Pariyatti

'Cultivating Inner Peace' as a book, eBook and audiobook can be found here.

More by Paul R. Fleischman.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Vipassana Meditation and the Scientific Worldview (2nd Edition) by Paul R. Fleischman
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We have lived in an era during which the spirituality intrinsic to science has become obvious.

The universe is not random. It contains patterns and paths. This is called the information-state of the universe, and it organizes the materials and energies that form our bodies and minds. We are each microcosms; downloaded into our small selves are a vast array of directives and limits, the laws of science, that govern stars as well as our hearts and minds. We can gain access to some of the wisdom of this universal, lawful reality through meditation. As we observe our body sensations with equanimity, we come in contact with basic laws of physics, like entropy, or the decay of aggregates over time, and we also encounter basic laws of psychology, like the fact that social love, Mettā, leaves us happier than anger or fear. We may become self-balanced to face contingencies.

It is science, not mysticism or religion, that reveals the value of Vipassana as a vestibule to ultimate realities, and highlights it as a practical guide to the psychology of well-lived lives. We are each unique snowflakes, patterns and lace, melting in the cosmic storm. We arise and pass inside a universe, a web, a Dhamma. We become aware of the scriptures that are inscribed inside us and that guide our wellbeing.

by Paul R. Fleischman
2021
2 hours 03 minutes

Download Audio 58MB)
Download Transcript (288kb)

Video copyright, 2021 Pariyatti

'Vipassana Meditation and the Scientific Worldview (2nd Edition)' as a book and eBook can be found here.

More by Paul R. Fleischman.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Chapter 28 - We Are Everywhere
from Cultivating Inner Peace by Paul R. Fleischman, M.D.

Solutions to the new, crowded, interconnected era will not be just technological but spiritual. They will embrace sorrow for what each individual life is not, for without conscious awareness of the sorrow that is intrinsic to individuality, there will be no possible solution to group self aggrandizing aggression and the plagues of externalizing blame that have characterized organized religions and nation-states. I prefer to meet people covered with tears rather than those holding a fistful of complaints.

Whether humankind U-turns away from dysplastic growth toward peace or not, I have—and you have—the option to live the best possible life. Inner peace is already within you, waiting to be opened. Cultivating inner peace will make you happier and more resilient and practical, able to face the difficulties of your personal death and human communal confusion head-on. It will open you to realizations that exceed the pragmatic, so that you will enter the stream of peace that is always invisibly flowing in and around you. Engaged in the world most helpfully, you will become an internal habitue of a place beyond the wind, the abode of peace.

Dr. Paul Fleischman
Massachusetts, USA
2020
17 minutes

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Copyright, 2021 Paul R. Fleischman

There is more information about vipassana meditation at Dhamma.org, and books and audio resources available for purchase in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Chapter 27 - A Great Cry On Earth
from Cultivating Inner Peace by Paul R. Fleischman, M.D.

The practices from which inner peace derives, and which it in turn furthers, transcend material reality without rejecting it. To find inner peace, a person must be turned completely around. A challenge is set before us by the radical perception of “the flow of nutriment,” which means: Is there anything more to your life than the tumbling on of animal instinct—“the male collects food, and the female lays eggs”?

People contain an invisible wavelength that grows out of the feeling of “enough!” It is not exotic nor esoteric, for it is found in every person, more or less developed. Peace ascends through the aperture of psychic fullness. Energy to pursue high values, mindfulness of the ephemeral sensations of every moment, thoughtful inquiry beyond complacency—these are the seeds of enlightenment. Concentration, calm, joy based on perspective rather than acquisition—these are seeds of enlightenment. Equanimity in all circumstances is the culmination of inner peace—the radiance of sufficiency.

Dr. Paul Fleischman
Massachusetts, USA
2020
31 minutes

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Copyright, 2021 Paul R. Fleischman

There is more information about vipassana meditation at Dhamma.org, and books and audio resources available for purchase in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Chapter 25 - A Personal Experience of Vipassana Meditation
from Cultivating Inner Peace by Paul R. Fleischman, M.D.

I took my first Vipassana meditation course in 1974 under the guidance of Mr. Goenka... In those days, Vipassana wasn’t being taught in the West. I made several trips to India and returned with the technique half-learned. I didn’t know where it fit into my life, but I saw it as something honest, free, and useful. I could own it myself, practice it without being swallowed by a religion or being wafted away in a pointless vacuum of career and convention.

I became increasingly committed and serious because every time I “sat” I felt I got something out of it. I never had any mystical or unusual experiences. I both experienced my mind-body, and was able to get some distance from it. I kept returning for ten-day courses, and practicing with increasing devotion in between. By now I’ve lived half a lifetime this way, and am archeological proof that meditation isn’t “Eastern thought.”

Dr. Paul Fleischman
Massachusetts, USA
2020
40 minutes

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Copyright, 2020 Paul R. Fleischman

There is more information about vipassana meditation at Dhamma.org, and books and audio resources available for purchase in the Pariyatti bookstore.