The Discipline of Mind Training
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The Discipline of Mind Training
1. Who’s in Charge of This Mind?
There’s an old Zen saying: If the student understands the martial art, they will succeed—some of the time. If they understand the art and their opponent, they will succeed—most of the time. But if they understand the art, their opponent, and themselves—there can … Read the rest
Releasing our Masterpiece
When Michelangelo was asked how he created his masterpiece, the statue of David, he replied that he did not create David — he simply chipped away everything that was not David. David, he said, was already there, hidden within the stone.
As with Michelangelo releasing David from the stone, meditation practice … Read the rest
FINDING RESILIENCE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFE
Bowie’s song Changes was something of a clarion call to meeting our next moment. Not the idea we have of a dismal or tremendous future, but simply whatever happens. Can we meet whatever eventuality we meet with humble strength and, maybe a smile. We’re meeting what is. And … Read the rest
Right Action in the Face of Hatred
I woke up today feeling crushed. It’s odd to wake up in the sweaty arms of defeat. Then I sat for morning meditation and a personal check-in. Feelings are part of our reality—but they are not reality. They are expressions of a part of our being that … Read the rest
Let’s begin with something radical: what if we’re not fundamentally broken? What if, beneath the static, striving, and self-doubt, we’re already good—innately, luminously, primordially good?
This morning, as I was writing, my mind drifted into discursive worry and began rifling through all the ways I was failing—at the moment, … Read the rest
The Way In is the Way Out
Remember those finger traps? The woven tube that tightens when we pull? The harder we struggle, the more stuck we become. The only way out is to stop resisting and accept where we are.
Tibetan yogis compare the wisdom path to a snake moving through a tube—it cannot … Read the rest
I lay in bed this morning, unable to get motivated, pondering the deep existential question why bother? And when I get like this the only answer to why bother is … eh, fuck it.
In meditation training, we learn that every experience is worthy of investigation. Yet this sense of “why bother” is one I … Read the rest
First Thought, Best Thought
Commiting to Yes (And…)
First Thought, Best Thought was the title of a book of poetry by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and a phrase he used to describe engaging fresh mind in any creative endeavor. Last week, we discussed the idea of a fresh start—how returning to the breath brings us into … Read the rest
Good Morning, Everyone
We can say this regardless of the time of day because returning to the present is always a fresh start. Each fresh start is a new beginning. Every time we return to nowness, it’s like the first day of spring.
This fresh start can occur in an instant or unfold as a … Read the rest
Understanding Merit and Virtue
An essential component of the Buddhist path is accumulating merit through virtuous acts. Virtuous actions, according to Buddhism, are outlined in the Vinaya, the Buddhist code of ethics. The Vinaya is part of the Tripitaka (or “Three Baskets”), which form the foundational teachings of the Buddha. The Tripitaka consists of:
