About: Ben Riggs
Posts by Ben Riggs:
The Four Noble Truths & Daily Living: The Eightfold Path.by Benjamin Riggs on Mar 19, 2013 The fourth Noble Truth or the path to freedom can be presented in a variety of ways. The classical presentation is known as the Eightfold Path. This article explores the Eightfold Path in modern, practical terms. 2,602 views |
What Does it Mean to be Sincerely Peaceful? The Answer in 170 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on Feb 12, 2013 Meditation isn’t about giving up control. 949 views |
The Four Noble Truths & Daily Living: Prayer & the 3rd Noble Truth of Freedom.by Benjamin Riggs on Feb 5, 2013 Prayer is the basis of religious practice. The spiritual journey is initiated by this eruption of intention. It is the calling out of the claustrophobic mind to the vitality of the body. 1,274 views |
The Four Noble Truths & Daily Living: The Gospel of Suffering.by Benjamin Riggs on Jan 17, 2013 Project becoming or the birth and development of ego is a psychological movement, financed by paranoia, which seeks to inoculate our innate vulnerability by creating a lifeless conceptual overlay to conceal our soft-spot, the body. We want to become a stable and solid person, far removed from the possibility of being hurt. An ego is nothing more than the personification of this fear/expectation assembly. 1,285 views |
The Four Noble Truths & Daily Living: Sitting with Suffering.by Benjamin Riggs on Jan 3, 2013 We are a disembodied people. We live in a world of ideas. Suffering is experience. The restoration of sanity and well-being begins with the recognition of insanity. 3,525 views |
Carl Jung & the Practice of Meditation.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 13, 2012 Meditation is cultivating the willingness to sit with an attitude of openness, holding whatever arises in your gaze, free of attachment or rejection, allowing it to come and go in its own time. 715 views |
Freedom from the Struggle Against your Self. {Video}.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 1, 2012 “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.” ~ Carl Jung 450 views |
Our Blind Spot is also our Soft Spot: Addressing Anxiety with Meditation.by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 23, 2012 Our true Life is a journey that takes the unborn mind as the center of the universe. This self-existing center gives rise to a path of un-doing that connects our mis-identification with the periphery of life to the basic quality of being our hearts crave. 2,398 views |
Our True Life in 200 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 9, 2012 With every mindful breath we bow into Life. 2,093 views |
What is stress & how do we work with it?by Benjamin Riggs on Sep 27, 2012 What is stress and how do we work with it? 1,510 views |
Returning to the Self: How to Overcome the Busy-ness of Modern Life.by Benjamin Riggs on May 24, 2012 What is busy-ness? Where does it come from? And how do we overcome it? 1,019 views |
What is the Point of Buddhist Meditation? My answer in 304 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on May 10, 2012 What is Buddhist meditation? How does it work and what does it accomplish? 787 views |
How to Work with Shame: Buddhism & Embodied Spirituality.by Benjamin Riggs on Apr 25, 2012 500 words that offer a simple and direct means of working with shame in your day-to-day life. 1,766 views |
 How to Work with Chronic Dissatisfaction.by Benjamin Riggs on Apr 18, 2012 Meditation is an invitation to develop a pragmatic or down-to-earth relationship with this chronic cycle of dissatisfaction. Pragmatism is precipitated by acceptance. 1,983 views |
Embodied Spirituality: Resurrecting Confidence & Dignity in your Daily Life.by Benjamin Riggs on Mar 21, 2012 In meditation practice, the posture is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, because in the posture we find a “vital quality of mind.” Our body is the gateway to basic sanity, and this article explores that basic principle by looking deeper into the practice of somatic posturing. 696 views |
Embracing Personal Loneliness as the Path to Awakening.by Benjamin Riggs on Mar 6, 2012 Meditation is ultimately a confrontation with boredom. We have to sit with our loneliness. 3,573 views |
Meditating with Demons: How to Work with Your Dark Side.by Benjamin Riggs on Mar 1, 2012 “Too often, people think that solving the world’s problems is based on conquering the earth, rather than touching the earth, touching ground.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 2,496 views |
Meth, Mardi Gras, & the Heart of Enlightenment.by Benjamin Riggs on Feb 15, 2012 Confessions of a Buddhist Dumb-Ass, unabridged… 1,499 views |
Quote of the Day: How to Change the World in 260 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on Feb 9, 2012 Our created nature as human beings is like a blueprint 645 views |
A Simple Meditation Tip: Experience the Haunting Silence of your Radiant Mind!by Benjamin Riggs on Feb 7, 2012 A simple tip that may help deepen your practice. 2,329 views |
Meditation Isn’t For Me. ~ Dr. Reggie Rayby Benjamin Riggs on Feb 2, 2012 I don’t really meditate. That’s not my thing. 1,469 views |
Quote of the Day: Melting the Ego.by Benjamin Riggs on Jan 26, 2012 74 Words that will melt your ego into a great big puddle of love! 1,826 views |
God & Buddhism: A Western Journey Down the Path of Dharma.by Benjamin Riggs on Jan 19, 2012 This short article (371 words) puts the fall of man into a modern perspective, unpacks the concept of “God,” and suggests that the practice of meditation is an honest relationship with one’s Self. 842 views |
A Good Heart is Indestructible.by Benjamin Riggs on Dec 7, 2011 At the end of the day, we are all basically good people, but most of us are too timid to share our basic goodness with the world. 1,096 views |
My First Car and the Meaning of Thanksgiving.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 24, 2011 A Meditation on Thanksgiving. 116 views |
The Difference Between Spirituality & Self-Help in 1 Sentence.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 21, 2011 The Difference Between Spirituality & Self-Help in One Sentence. 3,291 views |
The Dalai Lama Redefines Religion with just 29 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 14, 2011 It is hard to imagine a more powerful use of 29 words. 45,054 views |
Embracing Personal Disappointment as the Path to Awakening.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 7, 2011 Buddhism is not about wishful thinking or academic speculation. The Buddhist path is about learning to participate in the expansion of your true life. In short, it is about learning to love your Self. 7,046 views |
Video: Deepak Chopra & Bill O’Reilly on Richard Dawkins, Atheism, God, & Much More.by Benjamin Riggs on Nov 3, 2011 Please watch this interview and tell me what you think… 335 views |
An Enlightened Society: The Dharma of Occupy Wall Street.by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 25, 2011 The secret of a true revolution. 1,125 views |
We are the Most Peaceful Civilization in Human History?by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 19, 2011 Steven Pinker explains the decline of violence… 202 views |
Buddhist Meditation: Reclaiming the Awesomeness of Our Humanity.by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 17, 2011 How is meditation and Buddhist spirituality relevant to our lives as modern-western people? 2,187 views |
Chogyam Trungpa: Buddhism is the Space Between Laziness and Trying Too Hard.by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 14, 2011 How to work through spiritual materialism: an exchange between Chogyam Trungpa and one of his students. 563 views |
Meditation, Buddhist Spirituality, & Exploring Our Humanity. {Video}by Benjamin Riggs on Oct 4, 2011 An with interview Ben Riggs, Director of the Refuge Meditation Group and Spirituality Editor for elephant journal. 907 views |
Tantric Buddhism in 86 Words. ~ Dr. Reggie Rayby Benjamin Riggs on Oct 3, 2011 The Journey of the Vajrayana… 2,237 views |
Is America a Christian Nation?by Benjamin Riggs on Sep 28, 2011 Stephen Colbert on being a Christian nation… “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and [...] 1,503 views |
The Difference Between New-Age Spirituality & Authentic Spirituality in 3 Paragraphs.by Benjamin Riggs on Sep 15, 2011 Both, readers and writers, often inquire as to why elephant journal labels its spirituality section “non-new agey spirituality.” Well, obviously the answer is that we try not to endorse new-age spirituality, which begs the question, “What is the difference between new-age spirituality and non-new agey spirituality? Here is my answer: 7,272 views |
Gurus, Authority, and Free Market Buddhism.by Benjamin Riggs on Sep 7, 2011 Gurus, institutional authority, and the emergence of a progressive Buddhism. 1,736 views |
What Meditation Is and Isn’t: In a 137 Words + {Video}by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 25, 2011 photo courtesy of Jide Airing Out A Musty Mind… Meditation is not another form of entertainment. Entertainment is mental clutter. It is an attempt to relate to our ideas about how things should be. Instead of relating to the precision of the present moment, we relate to our musty ideologies. This enables the ego to [...] 605 views |
God Has A Message for Gov. Rick Perry.by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 19, 2011 “Father, our heart breaks for America… As a nation we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us, and for that we cry out for your forgiveness.” ~Gov. Rick Perry 2,148 views |
Setting Your Intention: 108 Words to Live By.by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 15, 2011 A prayer of Motivation and Dedication. 7,483 views |
Buddhism in the West: Make-Believe or Authentic Spirituality?by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 10, 2011 So many people in the west are participating in Buddhism as if it were a hobby. 1,424 views |
Chögyam Trungpa: Awakening Confidence, in 100 Words.by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 5, 2011 “The ideal of warriorship is that the warrior should be sad and tender, and because of that, the warrior can be very brave as well.” 1,551 views |
How To Run an Enlightened Business and Deliver Happiness.by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 2, 2011 How to run an enlightened business. 624 views |
Emotional Video: Gabrielle Giffords casts 1st vote since shooting as House passes Debt Ceiling Bill.by Benjamin Riggs on Aug 1, 2011 Watch this emotional moment as Rep. Giffords returns to the house floor in historic fashion. 776 views |
The Difference between Radical Christianity & Islamic Terrorism?by Benjamin Riggs on Jul 30, 2011 A discussion about the most relevant religious/political issue of our day. 1,351 views |
Fox News Anchor Perfectly Explains the Problem with Main Stream Media to Jon Stewart. {Video}by Benjamin Riggs on Jul 28, 2011 Must See. 306 views |
Buddhism in the West: Interview with an American Meditation Master.by Benjamin Riggs on Jul 27, 2011 The Evolution of Western Buddhism. Part 3 1,986 views |
35 or Under? Remember the Skating Rink? Must See Hilarious Video…by Benjamin Riggs on Jul 26, 2011 This is so true… 234 views |
Bill O’Reilly: Jihadists are Crazy and All Christians are Sane.by Benjamin Riggs on Jul 26, 2011 He seems to be saying that Christian movements are not, by definition, capable of producing terrorists, while terrorism is an intrinsic part of Islam… 508 views |
Popular Lately
Your Mind & Body Are Not Separate. 8,854 views
"Korea's plastic surgery mayhem is finally converging on the same face. Here are the Miss Korea 2013 contestants." (Photos) 4,791 views
Eight things I Learned from 50 Naked People. 2,761 views
Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius: Clearing the Debris. ~ Kelly Lydick 2,623 views
50 Paulo Coelho Quotes for the Soul. ~ Dusty Ranft 2,407 views
Your Ugly Vagina Is Normal & Gorgeous. (Adult) 1,375 views
What is Love? {Video} 1,359 views
Playboy Yoga: Full Video with Sara Underwood. {Nude} 1,341 views
Why Enlightenment Might Be Bad For You. ~ G. S. Bobroff 920 views
Balancing Life as a Yogi Mom. ~ Jessa Baxter Voos 908 views
My Favorite Buddhist Quote By Someone I'll Bet You Never Realized Was Buddhist. 864 views
Your Inner Guru & the Full-Body Yes. ~ Sofiah Thom 790 views
The Bravest, Sexiest Thing You Can Do in an Uncomfortable Moment. ~ Garrison Cohen 709 views
10 Reasons I love Monsanto. 696 views
"Be the Change you wish to see in the World." ~ (Not) Gandhi 598 views
Popular This Week
- Playboy Yoga: Full Video with Sara Underwood. {Nude} 97,792 views
Butter, Salt & a Side of Poison: How to Protect your Family from Monsanto & Genetically Modified Foods. ~ Marylee Fairbanks 31,758 views- Your Ugly Vagina Is Normal & Gorgeous. (Adult) 30,363 views
Katy Perry Rolling Stone Photoshop: when Beauty isn't Perfect enough. 30,030 views
The 10 things you’ll do once you start yoga (that have nothing to do with yoga). ~ Lee Anne Finfinger 29,569 views- Eight things I Learned from 50 Naked People. 21,615 views
How I lost 30 pounds through yoga & never saw them again, with embarrassing “before” picture. 19,369 views- "Be the Change you wish to see in the World." ~ (Not) Gandhi 17,150 views
Rockstar / Yoga fanman Adam Levine of Maroon 5 gets sexy for prostate & testicular cancer prevention. 16,574 views
How to Love a Girl who Writes. 14,495 views
Popular All-Time
- Playboy Yoga: Full Video with Sara Underwood. {Nude} 974,822 views
Skip Your Morning Meditation & Watch this Instead. 515,855 views
Someone asked the Dalai Lama (?) what surprises him most. This was his response. 438,921 views- Your Ugly Vagina Is Normal & Gorgeous. (Adult) 372,966 views
Why Lying Broken in a Pile on Your Bedroom Floor is a Good Idea. ~ Julie (JC) Peters 262,507 views- Eight things I Learned from 50 Naked People. 213,763 views
- Rockstar / Yoga fanman Adam Levine of Maroon 5 gets sexy for prostate & testicular cancer prevention. 208,057 views
Shake the dust – this one is for you. 150,914 views- The 10 things you’ll do once you start yoga (that have nothing to do with yoga). ~ Lee Anne Finfinger 147,914 views
- "Be the Change you wish to see in the World." ~ (Not) Gandhi 128,874 views
A Meeting In Central Park With The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher In The World. ~ Photographed by Robert Sturman 110,244 views
This Poster Might Just Change Your Life. ~ Nicole Duncan 101,194 views
