Posts

Rediscovering meditation

By Gabriel Rocheleau / September 8, 2019

When the news came out that Culadasa, my meditation teacher, was being removed from his teaching position due to misconduct, I felt distressed and disheartened. Yet in an odd way, I think these unfortunate circumstances will turn out to have a positive impact on my practice, and perhaps on the community at large. The Culadasa…

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Culadasa misconduct

A god is dead

By Gabriel Rocheleau / September 2, 2019

Okay, god is a bit much. But still, one of the people I most admired has turned out not be the Saint I took him to be. So, what’s going on? As some of you already know, it has recently come to light that Culadasa, my meditation teacher, has engaged in misconduct. He has therefore…

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Pa Auk Forest Monastery

The Value of a Community (Sangha)

By Gabriel Rocheleau / July 3, 2019

I’ve been in Culadasa’s Teacher Training for a year and a half now, and the benefits of the training are invaluable. To name a few, the Teacher Training has provided me with: Relevant and practical resources, like selected suttas, books, videos and guided meditations. The motivation to commit to a more serious daily practice. The…

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The Four Noble Truths

By Gabriel Rocheleau / January 10, 2019

The Four Noble Truths are the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. All other Buddhist teachings are branches that sprout from these basic four truths. For some reason though, I never really paid attention to the Four Noble Truths. I found them vague and impractical. In fact, I never really got the difference between them. As I…

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Meditation mental health

Can Meditation Cure Mental Health Issues?

By Gabriel Rocheleau / May 17, 2018

In an environment where meditation is being promoted for a whole range of mental health problems, a line should be drawn between the problems meditation can help with, and those it can’t. There’s a tendency in spiritual communities to infer spiritual causes to well-known and documented medical conditions. If you look for it, you’ll find…

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Culadasa

Training as a meditation teacher with Culadasa

By Gabriel Rocheleau / February 28, 2018

As many of you know, I’ve always been more than happy to answer your meditation-related questions by email or directly here, in the comment section. Teaching meditation is something I find enjoyable and beneficial for others and myself. A few months ago, i read about an opportunity to apply for a teacher training course with…

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Live your wisdom

On Sharing Wisdom

By Gabriel Rocheleau / March 1, 2017

There are certain things we wish everyone realized. Have you ever felt a craving to make people realize certain truths, or to transform the way they see the world? If you follow my blog, you know I’m committed to help people think freely and live as their own masters. This desire led me to start this…

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Friedrich Nietzsche

3 Metamorphoses: Nietzsche’s Map of Human Growth

By Gabriel Rocheleau / December 15, 2016

In his masterpiece Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche presents a beautiful and profound metaphor for human evolution. “Three metamorphoses of the spirit have I designated to you: how the spirit became a camel, the camel a lion, and the lion at last a child.” Nietzsche represents the stages of human growth with four creatures : the Spirit,…

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Freedom from comfort

Freedom from comfort

By Gabriel Rocheleau / August 4, 2016

As a kid, I played a game called The Sims, a life simulation game in which you create virtual people called Sims and help them satisfy their desires. Each Sim had its own set of meters for energy, appetite, hygiene and several more needs. A meter I found particularly interesting was comfort. Not unlike humans, Sims got moody when they stood up for a while or faced prolonged discomfort.…

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Live free

How I Live Free

By Gabriel Rocheleau / May 29, 2016

I value freedom more than anything else, and I’m willing to heavily sacrifice to lead a free and independent life. I therefore live in a way that differs from mainstream culture, but which I find incredibly more satisfying. I’d like to share with you some of the choices I’ve made over the years to live as freely as possible.

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