A slow uncovering of the wounds that bind us, is an apt description of the path of compassion. Understanding and transforming our pain is a common motivator for the path. Many of us came to the path because we were in pain. There is nothing like a broken heart to introduce us to meditation. But … Read the rest
THE CRADLE OF LOVING KINDNESS
The Cradle of Loving Kindness
Chogyam Trungpa directed his students to “place the mind of fearfulness in the cradle of loving kindness.” In this way, we are able to acknowledge and hold our fears, rather than be controlled by them. The cradle of loving kindness is the gentle firmness of the body opening to the
PATIENCE
The Majesty of Patience
Patience is the path of grace. A mountain rises over millions of years, but its power is in the waiting. In its time a mountain creates wind, directs weather, experiences deadly conditions and extreme energy, yet the mountain is seemingly still. It serves to inspire and guide us. It is not … Read the rest
A Very Dharmajunkies Thanksgiving
IT’S A WORRISOME LIFE
IT’S A WORRISOME LIFE – Working with Negativity
Our human psychologies are nuanced and complex. One foundational affect, or deeply embedded physio/emotional belief, is that we need to store negative experience in order to learn how to protect ourselves and our species. This gives way to an experiential prejudice toward negativity, commonly referred to as … Read the rest
Our Life’s Work
When I developed my meditation instruction into a practical life path I chose the name LIFEWORK for my new business. This felt apt because, in a very practical sense, our work is to live our life. Our jobs and any financial security we’ve earned would, ideally, support our life. While many of us have pressing … Read the rest
LEARNING TO LET GO
LEARNING TO LET GO. Letting go is a topic I can’t seem to let go of. An essential tool in the meditator’s kit, it is said that it is always appropriate to let go. But, as I keep hearing it from different perspectives, letting go seems to mean different things with many applications. As t… Read the rest
THE LONELINESS OF THE BODHISATTVA
Many beliefs we hold are taken for granted without investigation. They remain hidden motivators that influence our life journey. Yet, as these belief systems stem from reactions to difficulties in life, they are defensive and don’t offer access to a larger world with more options and deeper understanding of each other’s beliefs. We just assume
EMBODIED AWARENESS
My personal meditation practice is based on two principles, mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness is the grounding element that brings us back to the present. Awareness is the environment around mindfulness that lets me know when I should return, or when to let go. Awareness is seeing the trees and hills, it is feeling the wind, … Read the rest
OUR FRACTURED WORLD
The warrior feels sadness for the suffering of beings, as well as the delight in the possibility of their awakening.
– Sakyong Mipham.
We are living with the heartbreak and outrage of the war in the Middle East. This refrain has repeated many times throughout my lifetime. As things change, they say, the more … Read the rest