Blog PostsFriends | BlogLove Is The Water Of LifeLove Is The Water Of Life _ 2020 _ One of our dearest poets, a voice for the ages, Rumi, wrote those words as the title of his poem, “Love is the Water of Life.” It speaks to an agony Of the spirit that is universal to all who advance To meet death without seizing the Water of Life. _ Today I want to tell you a little about the fears of Rejection that are common to us all, as we yearn, Within, to grasp the love that is the Water of Life. _ Those fears of rejection are native to each of us, For, after all, we are just simple organisms, short Lived, and fearful of most change we can’t control. And even when we think we can control changes, It’s just a dearly held illusion, to assuage our fears. _ And now, as we, in our multitudes try to shelter Safely at home to escape a virus that lives in the Very air we need to breathe, and hides, invisibly, On the surfaces we’d never even think about, our Chances to seize the Water of Life before we too Sicken and possibly die, seem to be getting fewer. As, in each new, lonely morning, we hear the stats Of new infections, and the losses of many a one’s Dear departed loved ones, multiplied yet again. _ I’d like to offer what may seem less than it is, A simple panacea for all of us who may never Get to hold onto and quench our deepest thirsts With the Water of Life. Love wears many guises, Some are worn and torn through hard lessons of Love ripped and then brutally rejected ; some are Colourful but faded and soft like silk, signs of Old loves tested again and again as being true; _ And some are nearly diaphanous because they Aren’t meant to be seen. Because, you see, The wearers of such thin garments care little For themselves but their hearts come near to Bursting when they come upon the suffering Of the weak and old, or those who do without; _ So they try in the best ways they can, to offer Kind words, money, warm food and clothes. And when they see their neighbors sicken and Then die, their hearts cry tears of compassion. _ I’m pretty sure in my humble self, that Rumi, The great master of loving poetic verse, himself, Would agree that if we can’t have the Water of Life in your own lives, at least not right now, The least you and I can do is, to offer the best Parts of ourselves, how ever we can, to those Who desperately need The Water of Life now. _ What Can Inspire Your Practice?What Can Inspire Your Practice? Experience is the seed of aspiration, the deeply rooted commitment to know. That aspiration then drives one into the difficult and transformative realm of spiritual pursuit, into the realm of practice. —Adam Frank, “In the Light of Truth” Waking Up on Your OwnWaking Up on Your Own The Buddhist prohibition against intoxicants isn’t about bad drugs versus good drugs. It’s about learning to wake up on your own. —Brad Warner, “The Enlightenment Pill” Love Always Lies Between The StarsLove Always Lies Between The Stars _ 2020 _ Dreams of love are like dreams of the stars. Seemingly far, far away in galaxies we can Only glimpse, yet ever present in the warmth Of a lover’s gaze, or the laughter of a child. _ Therein lies our greatest challenge. For now We are entering an era where dreams of love Must be set aside. Nothing less than heartfelt Love can serve us now, or in uncertain futures. _ A wise man once opined that the only thing That ever endured, unchanged, was change itself. We shouldn’t welcome such sudden uncertainty, But neither should we allow it to diminish love. _ I get a sense that in these scary times, when any Of us could suddenly fall ill and die, a new sense Of appreciation for human love and kindness will Take root and grow everywhere there are people. _ I hope I’ll live to see it and feel it, and I also Hope you’ll stay well and live to experience It. Imagine, a worldwide outpouring of love. Imagine how energized the survivors will be. _ Break the Cycle of ReactionBreak the Cycle of Reaction When there is no attachment or identification with thoughts and feelings, there is no reactive push into action creating more doing, more karma. … We get to the point where our acts are not done out of attachment but instead are just done as they’re done, and no new stuff is being created. —Ram Dass, “Karmuppance” The Age of Love in the Reign of PainThe Age of Love in the Reign of Pain _ 2020 _ There is so much loss to process, how can we? My niece, an out of work nurse, and single mom, Tells me she feels sick. She hasn’t the courage to Go to a hospital. Who will take care of Mikey, my Five year old son, the love of my life, she asks? _ I’m eight thousand miles away and forty years Older, but I’ve loved her and her sister and Brother, since I loved their mom, Nadja, the Sister I never had, so long ago. It’s been twelve Years since she overdosed, and passed away. _ I have no answers for her, nor the legion of Other good, loving people who must now Suffer with losses too staggering to process. The pain of each of those losses will define This age. The age of love in the reign of pain. _ Forgive Yourself for FailingForgive Yourself for Failing Falling down is what we humans do. If we can acknowledge that fact, judgment softens and we allow the world to be as it is, forgiving ourselves and others for our humanity. —Lin Jensen, “An Ear to the Ground” Getting Along with People Who Bother YouGetting Along with People Who Bother You A Buddhist practices nonattachment to views. If we human beings are going to stick around on this earth, we need to learn to get along not just with the people who share our views, but also, and more to the point, with the people who get our goat. And remember—we get their goat, too. —Susan Moon, “Ten Practices to Change the World” The Time To LoveThe Time To Love_ 2020 _ In the midst of this cacophony of fear, Ignorance, anger and hatred will try To misdirect our hearts away from love. _ We are much stronger than that. The love We offer strangers as we do what little We can, minus the touches of reassurance; _ Is somehow less than what we all need, A human touch, a hug, and yes, kisses Beyond number, and even shared tears. _ But when the natural-born love we hold For mothers, and fathers, and sisters and Brothers, and the dearest we’ve wedded; _ Or the dearest we’ve just discovered in our Hearts, and so, gladdening lonely minds, Opens wider than glad smiles and teardrops. _ It will be then, that we will know, that the Times are more right than ever before, to Open our fearful hearts and minds to love. _ Life is fickle at the best of times, and now Perhaps more so than we’ve imagined it Could ever be. Now is also the time to love. _ How to Respond to AngerHow to Respond to Anger If you are angry and you meditate to get rid of your anger, you will only frustrate yourself. Meditate because you are angry, not to eliminate it. —Mark Epstein, “I’ve Been Meditating for Ten Years, and I’m Still Angry. What’s the Matter with Me?” Diluting Your EgoDiluting Your Ego Each deepening of refuge is a lessening of ego. —Dharmavidya David Brazier, “It Needs Saying” The Humble MouseThe Humble Mouse _ 2020 _ The dirty little brown mouse pokes her nose Out of her city burrow and takes a whiff. _ It’s nighttime so she can see shapes better Than in daytime when all’s bright and loud. _ Her babies are hungry, she’s on a mission. On dry nights she does dumpster diving; _ But it isn’t easy to find a loose lid she can Fit through to forage for some tasty leavings. _ Her babies won’t be too particular after three Days of torrential rains have kept her inside. _ I admire her. She does her best, when she can, To keep safe so she can take care of her young. _ If some of the arrogant humans I hear about Would follow her example and stay safe at home, _ They’d have a better chance to survive the times When torrents of disease or flood ravage the land. __ What an inspiration she is. She never complains. Quick when needs must, but she’s never greedy. _ And if those torrents won’t let up, she’ll share, as Best she can. At least that way, some will survive. _ You Are EnoughYou Are Enough The ground of renunciation is realizing that we already have exactly what we need, that what we have already is good. —Pema Chödrön, “Renunciation” Pema Chödrön, Bhikṣuṇī (fully ordained nun) Born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown July 14, 1936 (age 83) New York City, New York, United States Religion Buddhism Lineage Shambhala Buddhism Education University of California, Berkeley Occupation resident teacher Gampo Abbey Teachers: Chögyam Trungpa, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Website pemachodronfoundation.org Pema Chödrön (born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, July 14, 1936) is an American Tibetan Buddhist. She is an ordained nun, former acharya of Shambhala Buddhism and disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Chödrön has written several dozen books and audiobooks, and is principal teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada. Contents Chödrön began studying with Lama Chime Rinpoche during frequent trips to London over a period of several years. While in the US she studied with Trungpa Rinpoche in San Francisco. In 1974, she became a novice Buddhist nun under Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. In Hong Kong in 1981 she became the first American in the Vajrayana tradition to become a fully ordained nun or bhikṣuṇī. Trungpa appointed Chödrön director of the Boulder Shambhala Center (Boulder Dharmadhatu) in Colorado in the early 1980s. Chödrön moved to Gampo Abbey in 1984, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in North America for Western men and women, and became its first director in 1986. Chödrön's first book, The Wisdom of No Escape, was published in 1991.Then, in 1993, she was given the title of acharya when Trungpa's son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, assumed leadership of his father's Shambhala lineage. In 1994, she became ill with chronic fatigue syndrome, but gradually her health improved. During this period, she met Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and took him as her teacher. That year she published her second book, Start Where You Are and in 1996, When Things Fall Apart. No Time to Lose, a commentary on Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, was published in 2005. That year, Chödrön became a member of The Committee of Western Bhikshunis. Practicing Peace in Times of War came out in 2007. In 2016 she was awarded the Global Bhikkhuni Award, presented by the Chinese Buddhist Bhikkhuni Association of Taiwan. In 2020 she retired from her acharya role from Shambhala International saying, "I do not feel that I can continue any longer as a representative and senior teacher of Shambhala given the unwise direction in which I feel we are going." Chödrön teaches the traditional "Yarne"retreat at Gampo Abbey each winter and the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life in Berkeley each summer. A central theme of her teaching is the principle of "shenpa," or "attachment," which she interprets as the moment one is hooked into a cycle of habitual negative or self-destructive thoughts and actions. According to Chödrön, this occurs when something in the present stimulates a reaction to a past experience. The Present That Few Are Grateful To ReceiveThe Present That Few Are Grateful To Receive _ 2020 _ What a long title. It’ll sure take some doing to Make sure I explain it to you adequately. _ Let’s start with an idea that is seldom given Much thought. We’re usually too busy doing. _ Think of this now time, this present moment. For all living organisms, each moment is a gift. _ No earthly organism is immune. Life can end In the moment that follows this now moment. _ If not for our participation in this moment, We’d be dead. Full stop. Last frame played. _ The final sentence of our story would have Been written. A story few will care to hear. _ I like to think that this moment needs to be Celebrated with recognition of its presence. _ I like to think that this moment needs to be Given its due: some gracious heartfelt thanks. _ So whatever it is you’re doing as you read This piece, focus! Come back to the moment. _ Be happy! You got a moment that many Organisms didn’t get. For you it’s a present. _ A short query to shake up time as it flies, How will you use your moment present? _ You Are Always in the Present MomentYou Are Always in the Present Moment You are always here now. It is only a matter of whether you know it or not. —Loch Kelly, “When Am I?” Why We Really PracticeWhy We Really Practice We need to lessen our attachment to the cushion and remember meditation’s true purpose: to transform our minds. We can do that anywhere. —Mindy Newman, “Ask a Teacher” Others Have Felt What You’re FeelingOthers Have Felt What You’re Feeling Whatever it is that you’re feeling, recognize it. In that instant of separation and acknowledgment, … use your imagination to recognize that there are other people on the planet at this very moment feeling just like you feel. You are no longer alone. —Lama Kathy Wesley, “Your Mistakes Are Progress” How to Work with People Who Cause HarmHow to Work with People Who Cause Harm Instead of giving up on those who cause harm, we need to realize that they are seeking happiness but don’t know how to find it. —Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, “Putting Down the Arrow” From Momentary Glimpse to Lasting IlluminationFrom Momentary Glimpse to Lasting Illumination Although initially the clinging to self disappears only when we’re very mindful, those moments free of delusion give deeper insight a chance to arise, and eventually wisdom becomes strong enough to trigger a permanent change of outlook. —Cynthia Thatcher, “Disconnect the Dots” Bending LowBending Low _ 2020 _ Look here, at what’s come to pass. The callow disregard of youth has Been transmuted to something else. _ It’s no mystery, the blur has slowed To a slow stream of now-ness I’d Never expected, but it is welcome. _ And a heart I never knew was there Has known the ample love of divine Forgiveness, and had its vessels filled. _ And if that isn’t cause to bow down And bend low and offer thanks to one And all who’ve helped me cross over; _ Then what is, I ask, rhetorically. Now my heart is weightless and free. A thing that wants to love all it sees. _ The famine is well over, I am replete. I’ll look at you, and all I’ll see is that, Having rejoiced, what will be, will be; _ Both for you and for me, with no fear. And that’s no small thing to know, is it? Yes, I’m bending low, what say you? Let Your Beliefs Evolve with YouLet Your Beliefs Evolve with You Beliefs—even the ones that feel most true—are only mental representations or symbols of our experience. We need to deepen our presence and ask ourselves: Do they match the actual, living, changing stuff of our experience in the world? —Tara Brach, “A True Taste of Peace” Where Fear Should Be FeltWhere Fear Should Be Felt We should not be afraid of suffering. We should be afraid of only one thing, and that is not knowing how to deal with our suffering. —Thich Nhat Hanh, “Why We Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Suffering” Seeing Worth in All ThingsSeeing Worth in All Things The sensitive, mindful heart perceives value and worth in all things. It does not rely upon drama or intensity to feel awake and alive, but draws upon receptivity, stillness, and a present moment wholeheartedness. —Christina Feldman, “Brief Teachings” Be Aware of Becoming UnawareBe Aware of Becoming Unaware Every time you recognize that you have lost awareness, be happy. The fact that you have recognized that you lost awareness means that you are now aware. —Sayadaw U Tejaniya, “The Art of Investigation” Those We Love BestThose We Love Best _ 2020 _ We love them all night long, And we love them all day too. _ It doesn’t take any effort to love Them, they’re air for us to breathe. _ When we see their happy smiles, It’s like a drink at a desert oasis. _ Even when we’re apart, it’s no Distance at all for hearts to cross. _ If they feel blue, it touches us too, And when they cry, we’ll cry too. _ Two hearts beating as one, for all Our needs, it’s the only deep relief. _ And if they say they love us, the air We breathe is sweeter than before. _ Deep inside hearts and minds, there Is a hidden place that patiently waits; _ For a soft gaze to open to the light, For those whose love we love the best. _ A Kiss Before LeavingA Kiss Before Leaving _ 2020 _ In these uncertain times (note: all times are uncertain For everyone everywhere), it’s more important than Ever for us to remember how much we appreciate and Value the presence in our lives of the people we love. _ When I think of my dear ones, my mind often skips to The question of how difficult it would be for me to cope With the sudden, permanent absence of any one of them, And, for a moment, a chill of uneasiness overwhelms me. _ And then I think of our shared paths, and a slight or two That linger between us, still unforgiven, and I am shamed. Or maybe I’ll ask myself when the last time it was that we Told one another of the love that’s held in our hearts. _ Fear of the sudden loss of a loved one is a consequence Of our natural human ability to love other humans. Often, We value the loves we hold for our most dear loved ones As our highest human ambition and accomplishment. _ Now, in these times of uncertainty that seem more intense Than any other times in our lives we’ve ever felt before, Wouldn’t it be a kind, mindful, loving thing to do, if next Time, before we took our leave of a loved one, we kissed? _ Focus on KindnessFocus on Kindness When our minds become convinced that we’ve been the recipients of a tremendous amount of kindness in our lives, the wish to speak ill of others vanishes. —Ven. Thubten Chodron, “The Truth About Gossip” How to Gain WisdomHow to Gain Wisdom We attain wisdom not by creating ideals but by learning to see things clearly, as they are. —Jack Kornfield, “Theravada Vipassana Practice” |