… Read the rest SEEKING REFUGE
These are frightening times.
It would be reasonable to want to run and hide. But, there is an alternative. That alternative is not our usual strategies. It’s not stand and fight. It’s not medicate our way past it. It’s not checking out till someone else handles it.
The way out is the way in. It
NO BETTER TIME (TO BE HERE NOW)
The adage ‘be here now’ has currently taken on profound meaning.
Here in this viral age we are forced into a very practical interpretation of now. Remembering what was, even a month ago, can be unspeakably sad. Any realistic look at the future makes us anxious and depressed. ‘How long will this last? And what
WAKING UP
It’s like the song says, “waking up is hard to do.” Or maybe that was breaking up. In either case, the process is as painful as it is necessary. It’s about change. And who doesn’t love to hate change?
Growing hurts. This is why the teachings of the Buddha begin with the Truth of Suffering. … Read the rest
O B S E S S I O N
We are not always healthy. We are sometimes broken and easily triggered. We are sometimes depleted and feel we need to fix something, add something, change something or devour anything. What is actually devoured is our capacity to satisfy our needs. The more our wants cannibalize our needs, the more our wanting becomes an obsession.… Read the rest
SUFFERING
The cessation of suffering is a possibility on the path of awakening. It is a continuously occurring experience that indicated that suffering is not permanent or solid. A classically western application is to take any statement to its extreme, as though the cessation of suffering indicated a permanent solution, a rainbow at the end of … Read the rest
PERSONALIZED MEDITATION INSTRUCTION
MEDITATION? REALLY?
Meditation means many things, even if some definitions seem contradictory. We might ‘meditate’ on a decision, which would imply deep thinking. Or, we might let go of thoughts in meditation, which implies a clear state free of mental constructs. And there are just as many reasons why we might do this. Some people … Read the rest
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
HERE IS A LINK TO A TALK GIVEN AT SHAMBHALA NEW YORK (followed by a written companion post. )
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
I’m writing this from deep winter. It’s a time of environmental, spiritual and moral darkness. My spirits, like many, seem very low at times. Despite the triumphant chorus of another … Read the rest
BE YOUR BEST NON-SELF
I wish you the best in this new year. Truly. Whether I know you or not. Whether I like you or not. Whoever you are, my best to you. The idea that happiness is a zero sum equation and that mine is dependent upon someone else’s lack, is a great fallacy. There is happiness enough … Read the rest
CHANGING INTO OURSELVES
Its that time of year, again. Once again, the beginning. Beginning lists of new beginnings. This year will be different, of course. We will change. All of us want to change. Change change change. But, have we ever looked at what we’re changing?
Seeing what we want to change would seem a necessary first … Read the rest