Freedom is not a state; it is a process. It is something you are, not something you have. In freedom, there is a continual releasing of reactive material as it arises in each moment of experience. Introduction DownloadIntroduction; how to live in power without being controlled by it; the three illusions — survival, control, being somebody; how … [Read more...] about The Warrior's Solution: Passivity and Freedom
Life
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
Relationships: Two tools
< ?php include 'article.html'; ?> A relationship between two people means that they relate to each other. Before two people can relate to each other, they must remove the principal obstacles to relationship -- reactive patterns. For present purposes, the reactive patterns are prejudice, closing down, contraction and feeling deficient. These … [Read more...] about Relationships: Two tools
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
Learned Helplessness
Conversation I "I can't do it," he said. "What prevents you?" I asked. Long silence. "Do you know how to do it?" "Oh, yes," he replied, "but I can't." "'Can't' or 'won't'," I asked, pushing a bit. Another long silence. "You don't understand," he said. "Everything you say makes sense. I understand how to do it. But I can't." "So what prevents … [Read more...] about Learned Helplessness
How to Stay Balanced and Productive
This article first appeared in Shambhala Sun, January 2005 under the title "Breaking the Habit Habit". 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 … [Read more...] about How to Stay Balanced and Productive