This article first appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Summer 2004. With renunciation life begins.- Amelia Barr, All the Days of My Life Where compassion is the wish that others not suffer, renunciation is the wish that I not suffer. What causes me to suffer? Wanting. Renunciation, then, means not so much giving up things, desires, or a way of life, … [Read more...] about You Can't Always Get What You Want
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When Energy Runs Wild
< ?php include 'article.html'; ?> A few years ago, a psychologist came to see me with concerns after attending a one-day retreat. The practice instruction she had received was to put attention on just the physical sensations in her body, moment by moment. Whatever emotions or feelings arose, she was to focus only on the associated physical … [Read more...] about When Energy Runs Wild
Up Against a Wall? Sources of Unnecessary Confusion
Many problems in meditation practice come from confusion about what we think should happen, what we want to happen, and what actually happens. One way to clear up this confusion is to be clear about the purpose, method, effects and results of meditation practice. The purpose of meditation practice is to cultivate attention. The method is what we do … [Read more...] about Up Against a Wall? Sources of Unnecessary Confusion
The Four Ways of Working
The practices that we receive from the Asian traditions of Buddhism are the product of literally hundreds of years of experience and refinement. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate the many dimensions of even a simple practice. I discuss here one framework for understanding what is important in practice and then apply it to our practice of … [Read more...] about The Four Ways of Working
The First Precept: To Kill or Not to Kill
This article first appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Winter 2003. When asked whether euthanasia was ever appropriate, one Tibetan teacher laughed gently and said, "You aren't serious, are you? That would be killing." Another Tibetan teacher, when asked the same question, replied, "This is very tricky. Suppose you are sitting in your living room and … [Read more...] about The First Precept: To Kill or Not to Kill
Three Trainings
The underlying central aim of all spiritual work is to be present in every moment. This aim may be formulated in different terms in different traditions but it is generally recognized to be both the aim and method of our searching. How do we do this? Well, it's probably better if we do it intelligently. In Buddhism, intelligence is defined as the … [Read more...] about Three Trainings