Special Guest Post by Lama Palden
What happens when, instead of defending ourselves against our suffering, we welcome it with awareness? What is that like?
Throwing Out Our Cultural Cushions
“When we adopt too many aspects of the culture we are learning from, we can begin to feel pressured by it. We stop relating to situations with any immediacy. Instead, we relate to what is happening in front of us through a filter of rules and regulations.”
Dharma Practice and Language
Can I really practice dharma in my own language? Won’t something get lost in translation? What language did the Buddha actually speak?
No Piece of Cake
“Rebel buddha is not all mind and clear thinking. Rebel buddha has a very large heart with desires and passions of its own . . . .”
Truth or Trend?
Everyone is looking for The Truth, but just what exactly is truth? Can an idea be true today but false tomorrow? Or is there such a thing as timeless, immutable truth? How do you know the difference between a feel-good fix and the truth that calms all sufferings?
How Do You Know What Works?
When we’re choosing a spiritual practice, a path or even a meditation teacher, what guidance can we rely on? Even though a friend may be having a great experience with it, how can we know whether it’s right for us? Shouldn’t we be at least as cautious as we are before we buy a pair of jeans or take a class in Japanese? How do we decide if the teachings of the Buddha are going to be a good fit?
The Road to Freedom: What You Should Know
The difference between partial freedom and true freedom, a look at how our storylines and reactive patterns come into play, and why Buddhism is spiritual in nature, not religious.
Heretic Buddhists
Are we in touch with our rebel spirit, always questioning and testing? Can we take our “no fear” approach too far? Or, by rigidly holding to the “right” rules and rituals, are we actually losing spiritual ground and just shoring up the ego? Is it possible to cut ourselves off from our own clarity and wisdom, all the while thinking we’re playing it safe?
Using Inquiry to Unpack the Buddhist Teachings
What happens when we add inquiry to Buddha’s essential teachings? How can we examine our own experience to explore the truth in our hearts? Lama Palden guides us in exploring our subconscious thoughts and feelings in relation to the first Noble Truth.