Chapter 4 of “Monsters under the Bed”
Stepping out of the six realms Ken: Okay. Though it may not seem like it, we’re actually following a progression in this retreat. The first step was to establish a basis of attention. The second is to use that base of attention to move into an awareness of the material that keeps us from […]
Chapter 4 of “The Jewel in the Lotus”
[…] and inappropriate boundaries, and being taken advantage of, and being someone’s doormat, are all expressions of broken compassion. So yeah, you are talking about compassion. What is the essential gesture in compassion? Don’t try to answer this intellectually, go into being awakened compassion. What is the essential gesture? Anybody else? Unqualified love, presence. That’s […]
Chapter 2 of “Living Awake: Who Am I?”
[…] to do a series of meditations, more or less guided meditations. Just to get us oriented, Mullah Nasrudin had been given a check and he went to the bank to cash it. The teller said, “I’m sorry but we’ll need some ID.” And Mullah Nasrudin said, “What do you need the ID for?” He […]
Chapter 10 of “A Trackless Path I”
Motivation Ken: Friday, August 28th. Morning session. For many of you, the end of your time here is approaching. And, quite naturally, thoughts of other things start to intrude, I imagine. A couple of things that may be helpful. First, anticipation. Thinking about things that you’ve just let go for the last few days. […]
Chapter 6 of “Practicing the Diamond Sutra”
[…] puzzling and baffling sutra. And I’m just so appreciative to you, Ken, for doing this. And I’ve already gained so much, and now I get to enjoy the live vibe, which is just the best. So we’ll have some announcements at the end at the end of upcoming stuff. But once again, just welcome. […]
Chapter 5 of “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
[…] have some more. Okay. Yes? Student: You are looking at me? Ken: Yes. Student: What is this? Ken: Which is that? Actually … Student: Manifesting action in the world, on page 41. I read it last night, and it was making the other book look simple. Ken: Which other book? Student: The blue one […]
Chapter 29 of “Then and Now: A Commentary on The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
Acting morally: the natural or the right thing to do? Ken: This is the twenty-ninth class in the Then and Now series on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Some of you may have noticed I sent out an email—or at least to everybody on Facebook—saying, “How many of you are actually listening to the podcasts?” […]
Chapter 17 of “Then and Now: A Commentary on The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
[…] me a while to accept the kindness from this person, and when I finally realized what was going on, then it was overwhelming. Just like a dam breaking. And the other incident was with someone that I was— Ken: Like a dam breaking into what? Diane: Into just being overwhelmed that this person who […]
Chapter 16 of “Then and Now: A Commentary on The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
[…] not such a little one but maybe significant—either harsh words or lying or whatever, to actually come clean? Ken: Apologize? Raquel: I think it’s good for, whatever, breaking the pattern. I feel better. Is there any actual rebalancing of …. Ken: Well, yes. We’ll be going into this very explicitly when we come to […]
Chapter 5 of “Monsters under the Bed”
[…] it fully. Well, that fit with my experience. And I was getting sick, and like, you know, my back was in horrible shape. And you know, I’m breaking down, cause I’m not that strong. But I thought I was. And then one night up in the zendo my body just exploded. I mean, it […]
Chapter 1 of “Living Awake: Making Things Happen”
The Living Awake workshops Ken: This is, I think, the third workshop in the Living Awake series. This one is Living Awake: Making Things Happen. February 3, 2008. That’s the right day, isn’t it? Good. Got one thing right. The aim of this series is to explore, learn, how to be awake in […]
Article
Everyone knows the old adage “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” In the work environment, the trees are the immediate pressures you feel: demands and directives from above, needs and problems from below. The forest is the bigger picture, the picture beyond the immediate pressures. Most people react to remove pressures as quickly […]
Chapter 8 of “Stand-Alone Talks”
A pause, a departure, and questions that matter Ken: July 8th at Against the Stream in Hollywood. This morning is the last time I’m going to be here for a while. I don’t know what the future holds. I’ve been teaching here, in Los Angeles, for the last twenty-five years or so, and for […]
Chapter 1 of “Learning Mahamudra”
[…] mahamudra Ken: Tonight, we will begin a six week course on mahamudra. A couple of practical points. First, we have a very wide range of experience in the room, from people who are really just beginning a meditation practice, to people who’ve been working with this, and other kinds of meditation, for many years, […]
Chapter 5 of “Practicing the Diamond Sutra”
Student experiences of reading the Diamond Sutra The Alembic, 30 July, 2024. Ken: As Kati reminded us, this is the penultimate class. And we have a lot to do. I’ll be checking with you about a number of things. I’ll do that at the end. How many of you, if any, are reading the […]