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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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[…] 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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[…] 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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[…] 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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[…] 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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[…] practices became much clearer. Without going into details, it seems to me that the intention of all these practices is to cultivate attention, either by practicing attention directly or by removing what prevents attention from developing. Once attention is present, appropriate action, skillful means, bodhicitta, everything else flows quite naturally. There is no need […]
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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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[…] So, while I teach others, I’m still a student. Could you elaborate on these approaches? The four approaches in spiritual work are power (the ability to go directly and just “do”); ecstasy (the ability to open); insight (the ability to see into); and compassion (the ability to let go). Buddhism specializes in insight and […]
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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 […]
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[…] to do this as tonight’s work. In preparing the meal for the following day as tonight’s work there is no goal for tomorrow being established, yet our direction for right now is clear; prepare tomorrow’s meal. In other words, we do whatever is next with full attention but without any kind of expectation. When […]
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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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[…] 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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[…] 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. First published August 6, 2004.
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[…] money that indicates the true extent to which we have engaged this collective thought. What do we do? The answer, for me, seems to lie in the direction of becoming more mindful (have we heard that word before?) of the role money plays in our lives, to take money much more seriously than we […]
