Speaker: Joey Waxman. Joey considers how the Buddhist path to enlightenment is supported by both emotion (heart) and reasoning (head). Above all, Buddhism values a kind and loving heart. There are no substitutes for compassion and devotion, which, when powerful enough, are sufficient to lead to realization. But reasoning can also support, clarify, strengthen, and stabilize an open heart. At the same time, the negative aspects of both emotions and reasoning can obstruct our progress: emotions are unreliable, while unclear reasoning can reinforce ignorance and bias. Vigilant introspection and mindfulness of the activities of our heart and head can enable us to balance their beneficial aspects and support our path to realization.

Speaker: Jill Oppenheimer. Jill reflects on the benefits of pursuing her motivation to deepen her connection to her practice. Sometimes practice lacks vitality and becomes a matter of habit and we find ourselves just going through the motions. To cultivate a deeper connection, we can slow down and stimulate our sense of curiosity, pausing to reflect on the meaning of the liturgy and visualizations, reflecting on the roots of habitual patterns, and shifting our perspective from the “checklist” mentality to the intention to benefit all beings. The efforts we make to connect more deeply with practice cultivate self-confidence and joy.

Speaker: Andrew Shakespeare. Andrew reflects on the importance of sangha. Even in conventional communities, our individual well-being depends on the quality of our relationships with others. For Buddhist practitioners, the value of sangha is even more profound. Our appreciation of the sangha deepens as we gain a greater understanding of Buddhist principles like karma and interdependence. Like the benefits of bodhicitta, those of relating to sangha are two-fold: our participation benefits ourselves as well as others.

Speaker: Daisuke Inaba. Dai-san talks about how self-reflection helped him navigate the changes in his practice and appreciate the importance of trusting himself. Initially, when he practiced to alleviate intense suffering, his motivation was equally intense. As his suffering diminished, his motivation also weakened and he began to question the sincerity and value of his practice. Through self-reflection, he was able to overcome the discomfort of seeing the limitations of his practice and to accept them as part of the path. He emerged from this experience with a greater understanding of how to work with obstructions on the path and a greater appreciation for the importance of trusting in himself.