Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
An honest Dharma practitioner strives to be prepared. This preparation infuses all levels of experience and mind. Prepared for what? His or her own self-sabotage. *** The honest Dharma practitioner understands that ignorance is stubbornly clever and will create obstacles and diversions; some familiar, others inventive and new. He or she understands the terrain changes … Read more
Handle with extreme care. Beware of Dog. Follow instructions carefully Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. If this is an emergency hang up and dial 9-1-1. May be too intense for some viewers. For recreational use only. If condition persists, consult your physician. … Read more
The big event is upon us . . . the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017. Highways and motels leading to and within its projected path are jammed . . . campsites in the sweetest viewing spots have been gone for a week, ISO-certified goggles are at the ready, as are special filters for every … Read more
Pre-existing conditions. We all have them. Every existence is organic . . . the substance of which is a continuity of change, each moment determined by a lineage of pre-existing conditions, otherwise known as karmic inclinations. Buddhism presents a practical study of these . . . understandings of what they are and how they occur, … Read more
The Tibetan Buddhist path. Beautiful, Empowering. Challenging. Why challenging? Because it is difficult to learn something(s) new that will change you into someone who disagrees with the person you used to be. We’re just not “arranged” for that. Knee-jerk rejection and our lack of curiosity about the unknown are forms of self-defense. We’re defending the … Read more
“Klesha” is one of those Sanskrit words that identifies commonplace aspects of modern Western life. In Buddhist thought, kleshas are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. They include mind states such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire, agitation, arrogance, depression. (Do any of these sound familiar?) While familiarly accepted and … Read more
It’s a cloudy Sunday afternoon and here I am, in my place, doing what I’m doing as the Earth ball on which we exist spins through space at an incredible speed. My life, this mind’s current incarnation, has been a rich one, full of conventional highs and lows; I’m now sitting in my 65-year-old body, … Read more
“Why We Lie” is the cover story in National Geographic’s June 2017 issue. Even after 21 pages of reporting on scientific studies, various philosophies and anecdotes from an art forger, secret agent, impersonator, con artist, card shark and prankster, the “why” question remains unanswered. Identifying the whys of dishonesty is a psychologically complex task; there … Read more
Listen. Watch. Be aware. In time a different quality of being arises in you which is neither an aspect of your body, your feelings or your thoughts. It’s as if a different pillar of consciousness is gathering within you. Allow this to occur, and you will feel . . . no, you will know, more … Read more
“Oh, How I love my self, the essence of my self, the importance of my self.” How thoughtlessly simple this is . . . until our Dharma Eyes open. *** Self-centeredness is an archaic trait, rooted in territorial animal impulses and ignorance of reality beyond personal areas of experience. Most ancient tribes thought their tribe … Read more