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TX Photo Doc www.dpreview.com |
May you seek, discover and embody, the profound peace, kindness and wisdom that is within us all.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Anicca, Anatta
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Intention
(I admire and respect Tina Turner and find her song powerful & inspiring. The dancers send a mixed message.)
Friday, December 26, 2014
Agenda?
However, mindfulness practice is about transcending self-centeredness, and becoming fully engaged with a life of morality, integrity & wisdom ie being congruent - no ulterior motives. Mindfulness practice allows people of different or no religion to open to their personal depths, together in a safe space. The best in each of us is the same. If we see this & meet each other there, we can pull together for the common good - for each other - as mature, civilized adults.
"... our agenda is for our intentions to be kind and compassionate, for our minds to be aware of what we are thinking, saying, and doing, and for our experience to tell us as best it can how to craft our life to reflect our intentions."
Ingram DM. "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book." Aeon Books, London, 2008.
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Jelle Ziilstra www.dpreview.com |
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Basic Principle
Kurt Vonnegut Jr., "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater"
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bcys1961 www.dpreview.com |
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Rolling Through
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Bess |
Monday, December 22, 2014
Enlightenment?
Ingram DM. "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book." Aeon Books, London, 2008.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Meditation & Agency
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Bess |
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Self-concern = Suffering
"It happens completely on its own when a human being questions, wonders, listens, and looks without getting stuck in fear. When self-concern is quiet, in abeyance, heaven and earth are open." Toni Packer
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canonvet70 www.dpreview.com |
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
The Basic Problem Each of Us MUST Address
"Our current crisis originates between our (own) ears: in our outdated paradigms of economic thought. It originates in the disconnect between our dominant models of economic thought (which gravitate around ego-system awareness, in which stakeholders maximize benefit only for themselves) and the collaboration imperatives of our global eco-system economy (in which stakeholders seek to improve the well-being of all, including themselves). We have an enormous disconnect between egosystem thinking and the eco-system reality." Otto Scharmer www.wisdomatwork.com
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karamanda13 www.dpreview.com |
Monday, December 8, 2014
Beginnings and Endings and Beginnings and
Holy (not distracted) night ...
“…how we have filled our world with a multiplicity of noises, a symphony of forgetfulness that keeps our own thoughts and realizations, feelings and intuitions out of audible range. Perhaps we fear that with silence we might hear the cries of our own suffering and the suffering in the world.”
Halifax J. “Fruitful darkness. Reconnecting with the body of the earth.” HarperSanFrancisco, NY, 1993.
Friday, December 5, 2014
One Light
though the lamps are many."
Preece R. "The Wisdom of Imperfection. The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life." Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca NY, 2006.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Authentic Beauty in Self- and World-Creation
Batchelor S. “Buddhism without beliefs. A contemporary guide to awakening.” Riverhead Books, NY, 1997.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Aspirations
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the world's ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances." Atisha
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Julie DuBose www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205141453319375.1073741828.1335888565&type=1&l=e38e547509 |
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Fear-based Rigidity & Wisdom Paths to Mature Consciousness
Keeping an open mind-heart to reality's incomprehensible complexity, ambiguity, liminality, paradox, constant change, including the inevitable aging, sickness and death of ourselves & everyone we love, is hugely challenging.
But because of our impressive repertoire of subconscious avoidance maneuvers, we're minimally conscious of how powerfully this impacts our daily life. We're usually unaware of the severity of our existential dread & anxiety.
Nor do most of us have an intelligent, mature, conscious relationship with any wisdom tradition - the inner sciences that arose specifically to navigate these most challenging aspects of life.
Instead, most of us take one of two extreme, fear-based positions: drift in cynical nihilism - OR - lock into a dogmatic belief system (or go back & forth between these two).
But there are intelligent, mature approaches to the various wisdom traditions that CAN help intelligent, educated people evolve in consciousness / spirituality. I'm only familiar with Buddhist, Advaita & Christian paths.
There are other wisdom paths (Aboriginal, Hindu, Kabbalah, Sufi, etc) & other superb authors. Even outspoken atheists, like Sam Harris (below), recognize the vital role of wisdom traditions.
Adyashanti.
“The End of Your World. Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of
Enlightenment.” Sounds True, 2010.
Freeman L. “Jesus the teacher within.” Medio Media / Continuum, 2000.
Goldstein J. "Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening." Sounds True, 2013.
Helen Hamilton. “Reality Check. A Simple Guide to Final Enlightenment.” Balboa, 2021.
Helen Hamilton. “Dissolving the Ego.” Balboa Press, 2021.
Harris S. "Waking Up. A Guide to Spirituality without Religion." Simon & Schuster, 2014.
Hollis J. "What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life." Gotham, 2009.
Hollis J. “Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life.” Gotham Books, 2005.
Isira. "Buddha on the Dance Floor."
Living Awareness, 2014.
Keating T. “Invitation to Love. The Way of Christian Contemplation.” Continuum, 1998.
Kornfield J. "Awakening is Real. A Guide to the Deeper Dimensions of the Inner Journey." Sounds True (audio) www.soundstrue.com
May G. "Addiction and Grace. Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions." HarperCollins, 1988.
May G. “Simply sane. The spirituality of mental health.” Crossroad, 1994.
Palmer PJ. “A hidden wholeness: The journey toward an undivided life.” John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
Parks SD. “Big questions, worthy dreams. Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith.” John Wiley & Sons, 2000.
Sawyer D. “Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper. Living the World’s Religions. The Authorized Biography of a 21st Century Spiritual Giant.” Fons Vitae, 2014.
Smith R. “Awakening. A Paradigm Shift of the Heart.” Shambhala, 2014.
Walsh R. “Essential spirituality. The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind.” John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1999.
Welwood J. ed. “Ordinary magic. Everyday life as spiritual path.” Shambhala, 1992.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Religious Orthodoxy, Creative Spirituality - the Archetypal Dilemma
"Developing spiritual practice within an organisation can give an important foundation of understanding. As an 'apprentice' it can provide a structured, disciplined and contained environment in which to learn and practice. As we become more in touch with, listen to and trust our own inner truth as to our spiritual path, it may deviate from or become incompatible with the organization we have grown up in."
Preece concludes: "Our spiritual journey is personal and individual. As we awaken our innate Buddha potential, it is for each of us to take responsibility for how this may be expressed creatively in the world for the welfare of others. The Bodhisattva is perhaps the perfect example of one whose determination in life is not to avoid incarnation but takes responsibility through compassion to individuate and become a vehicle for ultimate wisdom to be brought into the world."
The archetypal duality of form & emptiness is beautifully discussed by Rob Preece in his excellent book:
Preece R. "The Wisdom of Imperfection. The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life." Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca NY, 2006.
and summarized: www.mudra.co.uk/individuation
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lem12 www.dpreview.com |
Friday, November 28, 2014
Painful Mistaken Identity
"It can take a sophisticated insight to understand the nature of our emotional wounding and the patterns and defenses that crystallize around it. ...
When I experience something threatening or insulting me I experience a kind of contraction in myself that grasps at a sense of me. This is a tangible, almost physical contraction that causes a strong emotional tightening in my chest. From this place, before I have a chance to do anything about it, I can react defensively with anger or aggression to protect myself. Alternatively, I may feel hurt or insulted and withdraw into myself for comfort and safety. In all of these reactions I can feel a vivid expression of my grasping at a solid sense of me. At first, this sense of me and its defensive reactions feels as though they relate to something that is a definite central part of me, something solid that must be defended. Only by looking more deeply will I begin to recognize that these reactions hold on to something that is not actually substantial, and they paint a picture of the world that is not real. Even though I may have feelings that I am hurt, frightened, or rejected, if I look deeply at this reactive me, I can see that it is not fixed, permanent, or true. There is no solid base for its existence. It is not to be found in my body, feelings, mind, perceptions, and so on as something existent.
The emotional process is real enough, but the 'I' that I am grasping at as a fixed sense of self doesn't exist. It is like an emotionally charged bubble that pops when looked at more closely. As this bubble pops, the sense of contracted surface tension that held it together begins to open. A quality of inner space begins to be restored that is not tight and contracted.
The recognition of the lack of solid self and the subsequent release of the contraction around it don't mean we have no ego at all. It is important to distinguish between normal, functional ego that acts as a focus of our relationship to the world and this emotionally charged solid sense of ego.
... It is not the ego that needs to go but the ego-grasping that holds on to a self as solid and ultimately existent."
Preece R. "The Wisdom of Imperfection. The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life." Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca NY, 2006.
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Antonio Celso Lima Mollo, National Geographic http://photography.nationalgeographic.com |
Thursday, November 27, 2014
No Preferences?
Just as we can learn to control the rheostat (dimmer switch) of our level of consciousness, we can also learn to seamlessly slide FROM "ordinary mind” (totally dependent on external conditions for happiness or suffering) TO awareness (that’s independent of external conditions - "no preferences”).
Only WE assign how negatively or positively external conditions will impact our lives. We can just as easily assign the reverse, or none at all. Part of psychological flexibility is examining any situation with curiosity, with “beginner’s mind” INSTEAD OF assigning a characteristic (boring) negative or positive judgment.
ANY and ALL events in life can energize us to grow & thrive - IF that’s what we choose.
There’s a continuum between ordinary mind and awareness. Awareness is spacious enough to be able to hold ordinary mind. We can be aware, kindhearted, still, peaceful, joyful AND have low-grade thoughts that no longer intrude & disrupt – as when we’re engrossed in a movie on TV, realize that there’s a newsfeed going by on the bottom of the screen, but we don’t bother reading it, remaining focused on the movie.
See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=energy
and: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/11/436-readiness-for-change-is-pivotal.html
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Julie DuBose https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205141453319375.1073741828.1335888565&type=1&l=e38e547509 |
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
"Expert Opinions" & the Capacity to Learn
Monday, November 24, 2014
Awake by Choice?
We clearly sense the disconnect between what we actually AND should think, say and do. Often we simply stumble along with the momentum of our reptilian instincts. A big part of this primitive momentum is our love affair with distraction - we have MUCH in common with the golden retriever (below). We seem to need to fully exhaust, to become thoroughly sick & tired of being dumb-asses.
We have all the hardware to be homo sapiens sapiens right here, right now - BUT - do have to CHOOSE to be AWAKE, now, now, now, now ...
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Beyond Self & Self-talk
Halifax J. “Fruitful darkness. Reconnecting with the body of the earth.” HarperSanFrancisco, NY, 1993.
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Nicolas Marino www.dpreview.com |
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Journey to the Place of Vision and Power
You must travel it by yourself. It is not far, it is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and on land." Walt Whitman
Metzner R. “The unfolding self. Varieties of transformative experience.” Origin Press, Novato CA, 1998.
How we relate to ourselves - our self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-care and self-transcendence - is how we think, speak and behave. Critical indicators of our heart-mind's health are how we treat women, children, elders, Native peoples, handicapped people, minorities, Nature, other living spaces, the arts.
A profound confusion, disorientation within each of us requires healing. Each and every one of us is on a lifelong healing journey of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-care and self-transcendence. Health and wholeness are at hand.
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Maurizio Targhetta www.dpreview.com |
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Ego OR Awareness?
These possible responses to any aspect of Mindfulness are worlds apart – like "heaven & hell." AND at the same time, each is immediately present right here, right now. Each moment we have the effortless, instant choice of any of these. See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2014/11/589-resting-in-awareness.html
We don't consistently live in awareness i.e. don't fully integrate aspects of Mindfulness into our daily life, to the extent that our ego remains in charge of our life. And we suffer in direct proportion.
As we become progressively more aware of what's happening within & about us in each moment, we gradually learn to choose thoughts, words & behaviors that are increasingly more skillful ie cause less suffering & greater joy for all.
When's a good time to start living wisely?
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Austin Beahm, National Geographic http://photography.nationalgeographic.com |
Saturday, November 8, 2014
McMindfulness?
Tricycle magazine 4/25/2014 interview: http://www.tricycle.com/blog/meditation-nation
Thursday, November 6, 2014
How Best to Mine Diamonds
Sam Harris. "Waking Up. A Guide to Spirituality without Religion." Simon & Schuster, 2014.
The general idea of the above statement resonates. Harris would, of course, ridicule a religious person examining science WHILE remaining true to the deepest principles of her religion.
From my understanding, to plumb the depths of any discipline, one must completely immerse oneself in that discipline "with an open mind" - be it learning to speak French, play the piano, or pharmacology. Each discipline has its own internal logic and set of rules. This can, and should be done, without "parking your brains at the door before you enter". There's far greater clarity with direct perception than in today's "gold standard" of scientific skepticism.
Immersive learning does call for psychological flexibility ie letting go of, if only temporarily, dogmatic rigidity (a psychological affliction in its own right). Huston Smith studied several of the world's major spiritual traditions (Buddhism, Islam, and others) by immersing himself in each for years at a time. Perhaps most inspiring are clergy, like Sister Elaine MacInnes, who while remaining a Catholic nun, is also a Zen Buddhist roshi (master), the highest level of teacher in Zen Buddhism.
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Peter Essick, National Geographic http://photography.nationalgeographic.com |
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Mindfulness Meditation & Human Depth in the 21st Century
... self-transcendence - the experience of losing the sense that there's a subject in the center of experience. And when you lose that feeling of self, then in some basic sense, only the world remains. ... Given that Christians, and Hindus, and Buddhists, and Muslims, and even atheists like myself, have this (type of peak) experience in a variety of contexts, we know that this experience can't be data in favor of any religious interpretation. We know that there's a deeper principle at work, and this deeper principle has to be understood in 21st century terms that are non-sectarian, that don't endorse any kind of sectarian tribalism. And that's the challenge I see for us - to get out of the religion business and to talk about the full range of human experience in terms that are intellectually responsible and honest and therefore non-divisive.
At age 18, I had a profound drug-induced experience that I couldn't forget which was that life could be far better than I was tending to live it. It became very clear, as I did some reading and got my first taste of meditation practice, that the problem was my own mind, the problem was how I was unable to pay attention in the present moment.
Meditation can be an immensely powerful tool for the mitigation of psychological suffering." Sam Harris
Sam Harris, author of "Tame Your Mind (No Religion Required)" interviewed by Mary Hines on CBC Radio's "Tapestry": http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/
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Saad Faruque |
Monday, November 3, 2014
It's All About HOW We Do Things
"What matters is the quality of your mind", while doing, whatever you do. There's nothing special about a lot of things we do, however, the way in which we perform the simplest of acts, can show respect for our own life, and respect for life in general, moment-by-moment.
Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening. A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala, Boston, 2013.
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Michael Melford, National Geographic http://photography.nationalgeographic.com |
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Waking Up
The birds have vanished down the sky
Now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and me,
until only the mountain remains.
Li Po did not rise up and leave the mountain scenery. His self-conscious mind has left him! He is describing a mind that has stopped churning out ideas, thoughts, feelings, and images. In his case, you might say that he no longer exclaims, 'Look at that gorgeous view. I'm so happy to be here. I can write a poem about this scene, and it will be remembered forever. Perhaps even anthologized.'
None of that chronic mental activity remains. His poem implies that self-cherishing has fallen away, and what remains is simply clear seeing."
Larry Rosenberg. Three Steps to Awakening. A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life. Shambhala, Boston, 2013.
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Nicolas Le Boulanger, National Geographic http://photography.nationalgeographic.com |