Originally published on Tricycle.Before the election, I posted a short piece about a Buddhist response to Trump, namely, to forget about being Buddhist and focus instead on being human. In particular, I wrote that our responsibility is to use the skills and capabilities we develop through practice to step out of our own reactivity. Then we have the … [Read more...] about A Crooked Tree In Changing Times
Writings
A Light in the Dark
Pointing out mind nature in the tradition of old sages by Ju Mipam Jampal DorjéI bow to my teacher and to Manjushri, being of timeless awareness.Not needing a lot of training in study and reflection,Just keeping to mind nature as in the Instruction Tradition,With little difficulty, a city practitioner becomes a knowledge holder.Such is the … [Read more...] about A Light in the Dark
Facing Fear
This article first appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Spring 2002. On Sept. 11, 2001, I watched in shock as the great cathedrals of globalism, the World Trade Center towers, crumbled into dust. The tallest and grandest buildings of any culture represent beliefs in invincibility, entitlement, and power. When these illusions are shattered, fear arises. … [Read more...] about Facing Fear
Wake Up Call: Relationship with the Teacher
Interview with Ken McLeod, published in Mandala Magazine, June-August 2002. Reprinted with permission. Finding and forming a relationship with a teacher is one of the most difficult aspects of the spiritual path. Many of us fell into teacher-student relationships at the end of the 1960s and in the early 70s. We were fortunate, very fortunate. So … [Read more...] about Wake Up Call: Relationship with the Teacher
Three Questions
“You may have recognized your nature,But unless you are thoroughly familiar with it,You will be like an infant on a battlefield:The enemy ‘thinking’ will run all over you.” — Longchenpa, Buddhist master (1308-1363) Last year I took a short course in rock climbing — hanging from strangely shaped colored knobs bolted to a canted wall while … [Read more...] about Three Questions
Money and Meditation
A question that has long drawn my attention appears at first glance to be quite simple: what is money? I've come to the feel that it is a collective thought. Let's turn to meditation for a moment. When we sit in meditation, resting the attention with the breath, thoughts come up. Sometimes when they arise, they just disappear without disturbing the … [Read more...] about Money and Meditation