Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
The Buddhist path is about much more than ‘Buddhism’ . . . It develops intuitive ethics, mindfulness, calm, intelligence, patience, confidence, integrity, wisdom, compassion. It promotes widespread inquiry through open-minded curiosity, study, contemplation, discussion, knowledge. It helps transform ‘out of control’ egos into significantly virtuous tools. It helps us overcome narrow-minded, reactive, often fear-based “me … Read more
Summertime . . . a time for road trips, forest hikes, picnics, ocean sunrises and sunsets. Let’s animate . . . leave for a summer excursion, inside, to where our greatest potential(s) lie. Where the skies are iridescently blue while transformative raindrops, full of infinite Buddhas, fall and penetrate. The joy of being in this … Read more
For 65 years I have been forgetful and unaware, but not for one moment have my intentions and actions ceased to bring forth effects on others, as well as in my own mind. Today is the anniversary of Siddhartha’s first teaching after attaining Buddhahood. A day of great karmic effect if and when one is … Read more
“It’s all in your head” is a popular comment, meant to dismiss an experience (or statement) of what “is” as something that doesn’t really exist . . . an out-of-touch moment . . . a fiction or individual misapprehension. Well, guess what . . . IT IS all in your head (if it is the … Read more
QUALITY (noun) 1. the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something. 2. a distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something. If you can reliably, and without drama, deliver precisely what you have promised, this is Quality. Quality happens when a … Read more
When I was 19 years old and living in NYC, I had an inkling to stick out my thumb and go for broke, coast-to-coast. At the time it was all about the open door, a battered map, and my desire to experience . . . and frankly, proving to myself that I actually would/could do … 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
“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
There are those who, upon first exposures to Tibetan Buddhism, get the sense that it’s “not for me” . . . a mismatch of sorts . . . too exotic, too complex, etc. But unfamiliar doesn’t necessarily mean ineffective. *** The Dharma contains insightful perspectives and skillful practices that work with/for various sorts of personalities … 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