Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
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
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
Last night I dreamt about the Buddhist altar we’ve assembled in our living room. On it are statues, ancient tsa-tsas, a bell and djorje, assorted photos, a Tibetan text, some small stupas, some kusha grass from when I took formal refuge, protection cords, a small sea shell, candles, a mani stone and other meaningful odds-and-ends. … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #17 So, the paradigm has temporarily shifted, and we’re back to police shootings in the headlines. Violence of a somewhat different order, steeped not in international terrorism but domestic fear and hatred. Same “sport” – different playing field. The scenes are repetitive: raw videos, furious/heartbroken families, shocked and protocol-following police and government … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #16 There is a connection between Tibetan Buddhism and towering mountains. By the 1970’s most of the world’s major peaks had been scaled, and what were once remote base camps are now sprawling base villages. But the terrains of your mind to which Buddhist practice leads remain largely unexplored. *** The Dharma … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #15 We live at the bottom of an ocean of air. We take it in, then give it out . . . breathing . . . at all moments . . . including right now. There is no boundary between that which is inside and outside. It is all one element, and … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #14 There’s the deaths, killings and violence occurring around the planet. Hideous events of intentional slaughter and demise . . . with us every day. Sometimes I see a giant waiting room resembling NYC’s Grand Central Station, with newly dead people entering all the time, moving toward the track on which their … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #13 Is there any experience that is not mediated by language? Terror, bombing, murder, death, fear, despair, dread, horror, scare, panic, hatred, fundamentalism, anxiety, nightmare, phobia, revulsion, acre, suspicion, worry, apprehension and so much more. Paris, Orlando, San Bernardino, Dakar, Istanbul, Baghdad, Israel, Beirut, Charleston, Oklahoma City and so many more. Mass … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #12 When I see a “Ten Most Wanted” list I often have this thought: ‘Perhaps if we’d helped them feel wanted earlier, they wouldn’t be wanted now’. We live in a web, everyone connects to everyone else . . . not only materially, but through space and time as well. Therefore, everyone … Read more
(Dharma) Bread Crumb #11 Pain and horror shock and disrupt, and driven by loud emotion we want immediately to deal with and fix the situation. This is true of us all, including Dharma students and practitioners. But when pushed too far, we may turn and act without thought. And without fore-thought, we won’t know where … Read more