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[…] and practices that the modern world makes accessible. For instance, the groundwork or foundational practices in the Tibetan traditions (sngon.’gro) were originally developed as a preparation for direct awareness (mahamudra) training. The practices are not well suited to life in the West, and the expectation to complete this set of practices became an obstacle […]
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[…] say nothing in certain situations, or to do what everyone else is doing because that is what is done — and that can be a problem. The direct experience of mind nature is a critical moment for all of us. Many people see it as an end of a journey, when it is better […]
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[…] and we don’t know whether we are in pattern or presence. We know only from the result whether we acted out of habituated pattern or out of direct awareness. If the situation blows up in our face, we have to pay. We see our part in it if and only if we have brought […]
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[…] by a teacher or spiritual elder, you, the student, formally acknowledge that you are taking wakefulness (buddha) as your principal orientation in life. Ultimately, refuge is the direct knowing in which experience arises as movement in mind and emotional reactions and the associated struggles no longer arise. What do I take refuge in? You take […]
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[…] each other or not. In this field of sensory, emotional, and cognitive experience, you naturally become aware of what is out of balance and move in the direction of balance, weighing one interpretation over another. But this direction is constantly changing. You end up resting, but resting nowhere, constantly opening to the complexity and […]
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[…] God’s grace enters a sincere mind, through the action of grace that person is freed from the reactivity that gave rise to the original transgression. But this direct intervention by a higher power into the mindstream of another person is not a Buddhist notion. You may forgive me—that is to say, you may forgive […]
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[…] practice works in its own ways, reconfiguring your whole system. Intention is important here, but it is important not to confuse intention with goal. Intention is a direction, such as “I’m going to go north.” A goal is a definite destination, such as “I’m going to go to such-and-such a city.” When we set […]
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[…] eliminating all choice. One posture. One object. Rest right there. No choice. And, as all of us know, it’s not easy. The lack of choice brings you directly into contact with the way you habitually ignore, shut down, manipulate or control your experience. When you have no choice, you have to learn how to […]
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[…] are going into to territory that is unknown or unfamiliar to you. Think of a river guide, or a mountain guide. Change comes from following your guide’s directions, not striking out on your own, but absorbing and learning from your guide until you know the territory and its challenges and can be guide yourself. […]
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[…] with getting what we need and keeping what we have. How do we know which imbalances or struggles to address, which way to turn, or where to direct our attention and energy? This question takes us beyond the domain of Buddhist practice to the notion of practice in general. The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk’s […]
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[…] arise when either of those minds is operating. It gives us access to a higher level of attention, a level of attention that draws energy from the direct knowing that is mind itself. Devotion is closely related to awe, where awe is a feeling of being intimately connected to something that is infinitely greater than […]
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[…] ability to choose by presenting issues only in terms of right and wrong, this or that. Freedom is being awake, and being awake means not being passive with the tendencies that kill attention, intention, or will. What you experience is your life. To be free, meet experience directly, know it completely, and act without hesitation.
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[…] become aware of the feeling itself and how it resonates with other areas of life. You become aware of older, uncomfortable, buried feelings. You understand and know directly the structure that formed in you to keep you from being present in your life. The task is to take the structure apart, dismantle the projections, […]
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[…] department in a company, was concerned with how his employees perceived him and whether they were loyal to him. When he let go of those concerns and directed his energy into providing them with the resources they needed to work effectively, his department became a happier place to work for everyone. Instead of trying […]
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[…] is based on energy transformation. We saw how transformation takes place in the four foundations of mindfulness. Body scanning, holding a question, taking and sending—not to mention direct awareness methods such as shikantaza (just sitting) in Zen, Yidam practice and Mahamudra and Dzogchen in Vajrayana Buddhism, and “bare attention” in the Theravadan tradition—all involve […]
