Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
It’s an age-old riddle: if a tree falls in the forest (where no one is listening), does it make a noise? The answer in terms of accepted science is clear: (from the human perspective) the falling tree creates vibrations in the air which become noise if — and only if – they relate to an … Read more
I’ve amassed many photos on my phone. To clear some space I was sorting through them, newest to oldest. I guess I scrolled back too quickly; everything momentarily stopped and then a message appeared: ‘You’ve reached the beginning’ Yes, indeed . . . the beginning . . . the starting line . . . the … Read more
Perhaps for some of us, at times the Dharma mind is really just another aspect of self-centeredness . . . a high-regarding aspect of “me” . . . a new self-identity that I treasure and don’t want to lose because I like how it makes me feel. It makes me feel good to tell others … 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
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
This year’s Earth Day observations, we had our first March for Science. Crowds massed in Washington, D.C., and around the world to support science and evidence-based research – a protest partly fueled by opposition to Trump’s threats of budget cuts to agencies funding scientists’ work. *** Science is a process. It does not pretend to … Read more
It is Easter Sunday, and I’ve been speculating on the meaning of this day through the lens of Dharma perspectives. Thinking, in particular, of the idea of resurrection . . . of a perfect, eternal energy ascending from and through the harrowing trials and tribulations of mortal life. In my own Buddha-speak . . . … Read more
Today is April 1st . . . April Fools’ Day. A day for pranksters . . . practical jokes . . . hoaxes . . . phony stories . . . fakery . . . trickery . . . mis-directions . . . untruths . . . amusing mischief. While no one knows exactly where … Read more
And always, there is the outdoors. Trump yesterday signed a bill designed to unravel Obama’s policy/efforts to tackle global warming. There are many predicted results of this, let’s focus on one simple one: our wilderness areas are becoming increasingly endangered experiences for us all. *** How many of us have had genuine contact with … Read more