Dr Dosti Regmi Blog

Many people who practice meditation deeply for years—especially within traditions rooted in Gautam Buddha's teaching and the introspective path of Ramana Maharshi —often report similar shifts in understanding. These are not mystical beliefs but experiential realizations that gradually arise from sustained awareness and self-inquiry . Here are seven of the most common and powerful ones. 1. Thoughts Are Not the Self One of the earliest and most liberating realizations is that thoughts are events in the mind, not the essence of who we are . Through meditation, practitioners begin to see thoughts arise and disappear like clouds in the sky. The observer—the awareness behind them—remains unchanged. This insight weakens identification with mental narratives such as “I am a failure” or “I am not enough.” Instead, one begins to recognize that the mind is simply producing stories. Practice tip: When a strong thought arises, silently say: “thinking… thinking.” Watch it pass rat...

  How to Practice Mahā Prajñā Pāramitā Mahā Prajñā Pāramitā — the Great Perfection of Wisdom — is one of the most profound streams of Buddhist insight, articulated in the Prajñā Pāramitā sūtras of the Mahāyāna tradition. At its heart lies the famous mantra from the Heart Sūtra: Gate Gate Pāragate Pārasaṃgate Bodhi Svāhā , often translated as “Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awakening, so be it.” The mantra is not a spell but a declaration of realization — a movement from conditioned perception to awakened seeing. Its central teaching is emptiness (śūnyatā), which does not imply nihilism or non-existence, but rather the absence of inherent, independent essence in all phenomena. Everything arises interdependently; nothing stands alone. Emptiness therefore, reveals freedom: when things are seen as dependently arisen rather than solid and self-existing, clinging softens and compassion naturally expands. In Theravāda Buddhism, this wisdom is expressed thro...

    Adversity as Teacher There is a subtle arrogance in the way the mind judges events. Something happens — a loss, a delay, a rejection — and almost instantly the verdict arises: This is bad. The conclusion feels solid, unquestionable. Yet life has a way of revealing that our judgments are often premature. What we resist today may become the doorway we are grateful for tomorrow. An old Chinese parable tells of a farmer whose horse ran away. The neighbors gathered in sympathy. “What terrible luck,” they said. The farmer responded simply, “Maybe.” The next day the horse returned, bringing wild horses with it. “How wonderful!” the neighbors exclaimed. Again the farmer said, “Maybe.” Soon after, his son tried to ride one of the wild horses, fell, and broke his leg. “How unfortunate.” “Maybe.” Days later, soldiers arrived to conscript young men for war. The injured son was spared. The farmer’s wisdom was not optimism. It was humility. He understood something profound: we ...

Unhappiness is not born from the world itself but from ignorance — from not seeing clearly, not seeing things as they are. This insight lies at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. The Buddha identified ignorance (avijjā) as the root of suffering (dukkha). We suffer not because life is inherently cruel, but because we misperceive it. We cling to what is impermanent, resist what is inevitable, and construct narratives about ourselves and the world that distort reality. We do not see clearly; therefore, we suffer. When we examine our experience carefully, what we call “reality” begins to loosen its solidity. What we perceive is filtered through conditioning, memory, expectation, and emotion. The mind does not passively receive the world; it actively interprets it. Neuroscience suggests that sensory information is already processed by the limbic system — colored by emotion and survival instinct — before it reaches the reflective prefrontal cortex. By the time we “think” about something ratio...

Self-Inquiry, Non-Judgment, and the End of Reactivity:  Two of the most transformative aspects of mindfulness are: Not being self-judgmental or self-critical, and not being reactive to external stimuli and circumstances. But how do we actually cultivate these qualities — not as ideas, but as lived experience? One of the most direct and radical methods comes from the 20th-century sage Ramana Maharshi. His essential teaching can be summarized in two words: Know Thyself.  Or more precisely: Ask: Who am I? Ramana Maharshi did not offer elaborate philosophy, rituals, or dogma. His teaching was simple and uncompromising: The root of suffering is the mistaken identification with the ego — the “I” that we believe ourselves to be. This “I” is a thought. If we investigate this “I,” it dissolves. What remains is pure awareness — the true Self.  He called this method Atma Vichara — Self-Inquiry.  Whenever a thought arises, especially a troubling one, instead of analyzing t...

For forty-five years after enlightenment, the Buddha repeated a simple declaration: “I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering.” This statement, attributed to Gautama Buddha, has often been misunderstood. Many conclude that Buddhism proclaims: “Life is suffering.” But that is not what the Buddha taught. He taught that suffering must be recognized, understood, and transformed. He never taught that suffering is the ultimate truth of existence. In fact, the Third Noble Truth affirms precisely the opposite: the cessation of suffering is real. Joy is real. Liberation is real. The First Dharma Talk: Not Pessimism, But Medicine: After his awakening beneath the Bodhi tree, the Buddha walked to Deer Park in Sarnath and delivered what is known as the “Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.” Three themes characterized this first teaching: The Middle Way — avoiding both self-mortification and indulgence. The Four Noble Truths — a diagnostic path of healing. Engagement in the world — ...

The Gateless Gate   The Gateless Gate is a 13th-century Zen koan collection compiled by the Chinese monk Wumen Huikai (Japanese: Mumon Ekai). It contains 48 koans—brief encounters between masters and students—each followed by Wumen’s commentary and a short verse. Mumon says the barrier to awakening is not outside us. It is the mind’s attachment to concepts, language, and identity. The “gate” has no gate because nothing external blocks realization. What blocks us is clinging to views, self-image, logic, even to “Buddhism.” He says. "Those who cling onto words are fools who believe that they can catch the moon with a stick or can scratch their itchy foot through a leather shoe. How can they "see" reality as it actually is?" Koans are not riddles to be solved intellectually. They are devices that exhaust discursive thinking, collapse dualistic reasoning, and force direct, non-conceptual seeing. When thought fails, direct awareness remains. It is against the word drunk...

9 attitudes of mindfulness. It is an active lifelong process. There is no enlightenment or a state of permanent wisdom. It is the gradual cultivation of the following attitudes.  Beginner's Mind Non-judging Non-striving: Not doing but being. Being with the unfolding of life moment to moment without having any agenda. Acceptance Letting go: (means letting be when evidence suggests they have already been), eg, Monkey traps itself by grasping the banana in a cage. It's just like our breath. If we do not release our breath, we cannot take the next breath. Trust: Just like we trust that our cells, organs, and systems take care of themselves. Why can't we trust our brains and hearts? Our brain trusts in letting go, so it sleeps. Patience: Things will unfold in their own time, and we cannot hurry. It's because we are never really present, anytime and anywhere. Gratitude: Generosity: It enhances interconnectedness.

1. True Dhamma is a practical, experiential path of purification through self-observation. It is non-sectarian. True Dhamma is not about blind belief, intellectual understanding, or philosophical debate. It is about the direct experience of the mind-matter phenomenon within oneself. True dharma is what gives us peace when we bear it. It breaks the habit pattern of blind reaction (sankhāra) and gives one freedom from misery. Laboratory of the Body: Our own body is the laboratory for investigating the Dhamma. You don't need to believe in scriptures or a teacher. You can verify the truth for yourself by observing the interplay of sensations and your reactions to them within your own framework. The practice of Vipassana is the direct method to realize true Dhamma. It involves: Breathwork for concentration. Scanning the body: Systematically observing bodily sensations with equanimity. Developing Equanimity (Upekkhā): The most crucial aspect. The goal is not to crave pleasant sensations...