madhyamaka.life
jojo
Melbourne, Australia · Practitioner & writer
"Within the first moments of my first meditation, the fog I had spent my entire life in cleared. Hearing about the two truths crumbled my conceptual walls. Living in and running a Buddhist retreat centre showed me the limits of existing approaches to teaching and practice. Completing my Masters in Applied Buddhist Studies gave me the words to share the view I have been living for decades."
I built this website to share the fruits of my learning and practice of Madhyamaka, and invite you into it. I have degrees in Western philosophy and Buddhist theory and practice, and have been learning and practicing Buddhist meditation and philosophy since 2010.
I lived at a Buddhist retreat centre for five years, participating in many retreats and running them for others too. There I was able to meditate frequently, read Buddhist philosophy, talk with teachers and practitioners, and eventually see the limits of the traditional approaches that we have to choose from.
Background
"Not anchored to a lineage, a teacher, an academic approach, or an objective theory — we have the freedom to explore Madhyamaka together in a way that no one else is providing."
I have great respect for the many different lineages of Buddhism that have developed across Asia for 2,500 years. But it is clear to me, and becoming clearer to others too, that their methods, models, assumptions and understandings do not fit the western context that I was born, raised, and live in.
I also have great respect for the many bright and talented academics working in Buddhist studies. But one thing they explicitly choose to omit is practising. That approach does not interest me. I come with a lived practice of Madhyamaka.
So I don't write from any established Buddhist tradition. I don't have a single teacher. I belong to many different Buddhist and secular meditation groups. This is not a limitation — it is the condition of possibility for this work.
This is for you if…
You already know something is possible.
You're a Buddhist who has hit a ceiling
You know there is more depth there but are unsure of where and how to mine it. Madhyamaka is the foundation of every Mahayana tradition — we can work together to give you the tools to understand its depth and live it.
You want the most careful Buddhist philosophy
Madhyamaka is the crown jewel of Buddhist philosophy — ruthlessly deconstructive, it offers no ground of permanence to stand on. It refutes substantial existence of time, causation, and specifically of 'self'. For those who discover this clear and bright paradise, you will want to understand it and share it too.
You're a serious meditation practitioner
Madhyamaka offers a view of meditation that is different to everything else out there. There are a lot of methods, and they certainly contradict each other. It is easy to get lost. The middle way — between extremes — offers something clarifying and rare.
I look forward to connecting with you.
jojo