Training in Self-Awareness – Step One: Taking Responsibility for Our Mind July 27, 2015 What I would like to talk about today is self-awareness – that is, a type of key training in self-awareness – which can be used as a means to become more clear, and thereby able to effectively reduce one’s suffering. Dharma practice is a kind of medicine, a medicine of mind rather than medicine for Read More »
Life Release Commentary April 16, 2015 These comments were made by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche prior to releasing crabs and mussels back to their native habitat in San Salvador, Brazil. The MSB sangha regularly sponsors these events by collecting funds, and purchasing animals to liberate. These formal events occur regularly at Guna Norling, our center in Brazil, as well as through our Read More »
Overmanaging and Mis-Managing Our Lives (Part 2) August 21, 2014 Last time, we talked about the two predominating ways that people try to “manage” their life, and the problems which these create. Somehow we need to discover a more balanced approach. The ability to see our situation objectively as well as achieving greater balance can both be accomplished through Dharma practice. As we get older, Read More »
Controlling Your Life: Renunciation and Spontaneity May 15, 2014 Today I thought we could explore our general tendencies and attitudes about the management of our lives. Often we feel that life is something we must manage, and that we are the true “manager” of our life. We may feel that sometimes we’re on top of it, and doing a good job with this; but Read More »
Healing One’s Mind: Part 2 – Transforming “Junk Pot” into “Flower Pot” Mind March 25, 2014 To shape and transform our mind for the future, it is vital that we understand the concepts of bodhicitta and cultivating a good heart. First, we need to recognize how these relate to our mind. Right now, our mind is like a junk pot. We see this through our own experience, so this is not Read More »
Healing One’s Mind Part 1- The Virus of Collective Consensus March 11, 2014 We need our brains. It’s amazing that something like a small seed and an egg can develop to become the magnificent and complex biological makeup of our body, along with the profound, precise functioning of the brain. But, there has to be some additional element beyond mere biology and besides the brain itself, that makes Read More »
Appreciating Hard Times as Spurs for Practice December 19, 2013 The holiday season is usually a time for celebration with a lot of emphasis on gifts, abundance, parties, and all the good things in life. But what I often see and experience this time of year is not always so joyful, because there is also a lot of difficulty during this season: it gets colder, Read More »
Taking Dharma as the Path: The Qualities of Peace, Clarity and Remedy October 8, 2013 When we talk about the Dharma as a path, there are three qualities. “Peace” is mentioned first. What do we mean by peace? It means a complete cessation of disturbing emotions. We know how unsettled and distressed we feel when we are engaged in disturbing emotions. So imagine having none of that, and having a Read More »
The Resolved Practitioner: Naturally Graceful, Naturally Elegant August 2, 2013 Grace & Elegance Part II A practitioner who is truly resolved of all conflict – inner and outer, self and other; ultimately, of life and death – appears simply ordinary, simply authentic. The reason grace and elegance comes through is because there is no clumsiness. Clumsiness can only reside in an unresolved mind – when Read More »
Take Charge of your Practice May 7, 2013 Nowadays, even older people in their seventies feel they have a lot of time to fool around. I don’t know where this comes from. Maybe it’s because in modern cultures people stay healthier, active, and mobile longer due to a better diet, more vitamins, and the latest medicines. You hear people say, “The forties are Read More »