The Way In is the Way Out
.... and Life Coaching with Joe
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Remember those finger traps? The woven fabric tube that tightens when we pull? The harder we try, the stronger its hold. Similarly, Tibetan yogis liken traveling the path to liberation to a snake moving through a tube—it cannot turn around. Zookeepers use restraining tubes to contain snakes. Unlike some of us, the snake immediately calms … Read the rest
I lay in bed this morning, unable to get motivated, pondering the deep existential question why bother? And when I get like this the only answer to why bother is … eh, fuck it.
In meditation training, we learn that every experience is worthy of investigation. Yet this sense of “why bother” is one I … Read the rest
First Thought, Best Thought
Commiting to Yes (And…)
First Thought, Best Thought was the title of a book of poetry by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and a phrase he used to describe engaging fresh mind in any creative endeavor. Last week, we discussed the idea of a fresh start—how returning to the breath brings us into … Read the rest
Good Morning, Everyone
We can say this regardless of the time of day because returning to the present is always a fresh start. Each fresh start is a new beginning. Every time we return to nowness, it’s like the first day of spring.
This fresh start can occur in an instant or unfold as a … Read the rest
Understanding Merit and Virtue
An essential component of the Buddhist path is accumulating merit through virtuous acts. Virtuous actions, according to Buddhism, are outlined in the Vinaya, the Buddhist code of ethics. The Vinaya is part of the Tripitaka (or “Three Baskets”), which form the foundational teachings of the Buddha. The Tripitaka consists of:
From Imprisonment to Possibility
There is an old Zen saying: “Disappointment is the chariot of liberation.” But what does that mean? Is it simply wishful thinking when things go wrong? Not quite. It points to a fundamental aspect of the path toward liberation. What are we liberating ourselves from?
While we often blame external persons … Read the rest
When we think of patience, we often imagine holding ourselves still with tight muscles, grinding teeth, tapping toes—waiting, holding, and waiting some more. We are locked in a ball of tension waging a war with circumstances. We live through moments of turmoil as we wait in grocery lines, toll booths, for a friends to show … Read the rest
TRANSFORMING AGGRESSION INTO WISDOM
Just he released the book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism in 1971, Trungpa Rinpoche realized his burgeoning meditation community reach an audience beyond the familial hippie trappings. This would mean different kinds of peo0ple, with varying degrees of processing, would be enter his community and it would elevate him to the iconic … Read the rest
Or, How We Choose to Avoid The Point
If the purpose of a spiritual practice is to develop awareness and the ability to be mindful of the details in our lives, then it is crucial for us to acknowledge that we are training ourselves. Training ourselves in what regard? Training ourselves from the conditioned tendencies … Read the rest
IT’S BEEN HERE ALL ALONG
In meditation today, I noticed myself trying to push my mind toward where I thought it should be. This morning my mind most certainly did not comply. As my focus wavered, ancillary stories began to surface — aging, memory, the need for better sleep. I started vetting strategies like caffeine … Read the rest
