Faith involves not Clinging but Letting Go

     Maturation, growth in wisdom or awakening involves repeatedly letting go of, transcending limiting worldviews, self-concepts, etc, for progressively more accurate, more expansive, more inclusive understandings of the nature of reality.

      "having faith is not a question of clinging to a particular set of beliefs, a particular set of Buddhist practices or psychotherapeutic techniques. Having faith involves the opposite: it requires we let go of what we are clinging to."

        Rosenbaum R. "Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy." Brunner/Mazel, 1998. http://www.zenqigong.com/Psych/ 

 

Anne Bastedo   http://www.serenityimages.ca

Buddhist & Western Psychology - Opening Minds

     "In the early years of the twentieth century, Anagarika Dharmapala – a Sinhalese Buddhist monk, on a tour of the United States – is said to have attended a lecture by William James at Harvard University. During the lecture, James apparently became aware of the monk, dressed in a distinctive yellow toga, sitting in the audience. 'Take my chair,' James said, 'and I shall sit with my students. You are better equipped to lecture on psychology than I am.' Dharmapala obliged and gave a short account of Buddhist teachings, after which James turned to his students and remarked, 'This is the psychology everybody will be studying twenty-five years from now' (adapted from Sangharakshita, 1952, p. 78). One hundred years on, it appears James’ prediction never came true. It has taken much longer for academics in the mainstream of Western Psychology to begin to share James’ open-mindedness towards Buddhist ideas, let alone to treat them as a valid ‘Psychology’."

       Stanley S. Intimate distances: William James' introspection, Buddhist mindfulness, and experiential inquiry. New Ideas in Psychology 2012; 30(2): 201-211.

     "William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) American philosopher and psychologist who had trained as a physician. He was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. ... He challenged his professional colleagues not to let a narrow mindset prevent an honest appraisal of those beliefs." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James

Johnny Rockets restaurant, Seattle WA - May 2013

Anatta & Joy

     For one who has removed the conceit 'I am' - this is indeed the highest happiness.     Buddha

     When feeling sad, remember to ask: "WHO is suffering?"

     See also: http://www.johnlovas.com/2012/08/objectivity-observer-mind.html 

Gassho to Mary

Letting Go of Dukkha

     "Let go of anger. Let go of pride. When you are bound by nothing you go beyond sorrow."                    Buddha

     “Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It's seeing through the facade of pretense. It's the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.”          Adyashanti

Dale Chihuly's glass art & Space Needle, Seattle WA

Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha

Transient joys
Transient neutral times
Transient sorrows
Ever-changing energies flowing through porousness
Flowing through
Flowing through

EMP building & Space Needle, Seattle, WA

Letting Go of Desire, Only Joy Remains

     Live joyfully, without desire.                Buddha

     It's incredible how much these few words encapsulate.

Dale Chihuly   http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

Mindfulness & Research?

     The "point of view that some things should not be subjected to dissection, analysis, and the empirical methods of science has a long history. Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893), the great 19th-century Plato scholar, theologian, and master of Balliol College at Oxford, felt this way. He grumbled, 'Research! Research! A mere excuse for idleness; it has never achieved, and will never achieve any results of the slightest value.'”

       Dossey L. Healing research: what we know and don't know. Explore (NY) 2008; Nov-Dec;4(6):341-52. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2008.09.009.

     Also, how does one who meditates best invest his/her limited time and energy?

Richard Kirsten Daiensai    http://www.kirstengallery.com