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	<title>Just So&#187; compassion</title>
	<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com</link>
	<description>Meditations on Enlightenment</description>
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		<title>Just what is an arhat</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Arhat, or Arahant in Pali, is a term you hear a lot in Buddhism. Someone who has achieved liberation. But what does it actually mean? Well the etymology is ambigous. The traditional school reports arhat as meaning: one who is worthy. But apparently, recent research suggests that it is cognate with sanskrit Arihan: one who [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/just-what-is-an-arhat/</link>
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		<title>Compassion and Enlightenment</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Shravakas and solitary realizers Spring from the kings of Munis. Buddhas spring from Bodhisattvas. The compassionate mind, non-dual awareness, And the altruistic mind of Enlightenment Give rise to jinaputras, children of Conquerors. Mercy alone is perceived as the seed Of a Conqueror&#8217;s abundant harvest, As water for growth, and as Fruition in long enjoyment. Thus [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/compassion-and-enlightenment/</link>
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		<title>When meditation is difficult</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Meditation is neither difficult nor easy. Sometimes it feels difficult and sometimes if feels easy. I actually find meditations leading up to the full moon more difficult. And those following easier. Why is that? I&#8217;m not sure. Anyway, when we understand that difficult meditations can awaken us to our attachments they become a very interesting [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/when-meditation-is-difficult/</link>
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		<title>Supporting mindfulness</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in attention, judgment, planning, impulse control, execution and empathy. Is this related to what buddhists call mindfulness? I think it is. Alcohol and drugs harm this part of the brain, which is why perhaps you often find injunctions to not drink or take drugs. On the other hand, from [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/supporting-mindfulness/</link>
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		<title>Is there a smoking gun?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Imagine for just a moment that we don't die. How would that affect the way we live?  It's true that it can breed an incredible poverty inducing complacency.  The belief that a person is born the way they are because of karma...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/is-there-a-smoking-gun/</link>
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		<title>The End of Karma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The promise of Buddhism is to end pain and suffering. Or as it's called in Prakrit, dukka.  What's curious about life is that there are particular situations that seem to be triggers for dukka. And I think in the western world, at least, they are money and relationships with perhaps a third thrown in there, at least as we grow older - death.  Or perhaps that's my own constellation...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mikaelaldridge.com/zen/the-end-of-karma/</link>
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