Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
Christmas is just a week away, as are Chanukah and Kwanzaa. For many the festive season has begun. Joyous cards have been sent . . . Presents are purchased, soon-to-be-wrapped . . . Friend and family visiting plans are set . . . New Years’ parties RSVP’ed . . . Holiday vacation-time has been earned … Read more
To want nothing but Bodhicitta. What would that be like? *** Restless late on a cold, rainy, windy night, how would it be to want only Bodhicitta? .. Off to the store to buy some groceries, to fill the car with gasoline, or to move projects ahead . . . how would it be to … Read more
As Kathy and I were watching the National Dog Show the other night, her description of Border Collies piqued my imagination. :: Here is a dog breed developed to gather and control sheep in the hilly border country between Scotland and England. Known for their intense stare or “eye” with which they control their flock. … Read more
The Pacific Northwest is well-known for its mountains, waterways, salmon . . . and rainfall. .. Lots of rain, beginning in November and lasting through April . . . usually gentle and drizzly . . . sometimes accompanied by gusty winds, thick fogs and cool temperatures. .. The creek behind our house is flow-roaring; the … Read more
The Sufis say that whatever you can lose in a shipwreck isn’t really yours. :: As we sit around our table with family and friends, giving thanks and offering notions of gratitude, consider that all those things we have, that we give thanks for and appreciate having, are only on loan to us. :: People … Read more
In selling the 2003 invasion of Iraq to the American public, Armed Forces officials described their war plan as employing ‘shock and awe.’ An interesting term, one that represents killing superiority and power beyond any expectations, or means to be protected from. But herein limited to the military arena – bullets, bombs and bloodshed. Ordinary … Read more
When we tell stories there’s a beginning, a middle and an end. In writing sentences, we begin at the left side of the paper and gradually reach the right side. When we make a cake, we assemble the ingredients, mix and stir, then bake . . . soon after our cake exists. *** Humanity has … Read more
Sometimes words can be lightning rods for emotion, action, anxiety, etc. And at other times, words can be quieting, soothing, door-opening. A word not heard very often these days is “pristine” . . . I’d like to dance a bit with how it relates to mind. *** The Tibetan practices teach, and provide practices to … Read more
Election Day, 2016 “The luminous nature of mind, like the changeless sky, is unaffected by temporary events.” — Bodhisattva Maitreya What Maitreya says is very reassuring, especially if one has the experience to affirm it. *** We are all so familiar with our ordinary mind . . . like breathing we tend to take it … Read more
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series last night. Coyote has caught up to Road Runner; Charlie Brown has finally kicked the football into the air. The Wrigley curse, age 108; the Lord Voldemort of curses, is dead. Long live the King! The stories speak for themselves, and at the core of each is a … Read more