I was just reflecting on how devotion really opens one’s heart up to the blessings of the Buddhas and Gurus. I added some materials to my teachers website last night, and the words of Shangpa Rinpoche’s reflections and prayers really touched my heart deeply. Though I wasn’t present at the celebration when he spoke the […]
Devotion Ripens the Heart Read Post »
Mahamudra meditation instruction is often presented in terms of two-fold advice – the common, and the uncommon. These could be said to be the general and the detailed or specific instructions. The common or general instructions seem intended to be the base or background upon which all the uncommon or detailed instructions build. For me
Reflections on Tilopa – Mahamudra Pith Instructions Read Post »
How difficult indeed it seems to be to differentiate between fearlessly expressing one’s point of view, and indulging in pride, ill-will and ignorance. How easy it seems to be in retrospect (often a retrospect of many years) to see how thoroughly imbued with ‘concerns of the self’, (actions designed to support my illusory sense of
Difficult To Differentiate … Read Post »
The more you practice, the more it happens. Things in the ‘outside’ world start reflecting your inner world. Auspicious Co-Incidence. Dependent Origination. Sitting meditating yesterday, eyes half open, facing out the window. In my meditation, Dakinis swirling like a snow storm, a whirlwind of Enlightened energy. Right then, at that point, outside the window, a
Dakinis of Coincidence Read Post »
Ah, fortunate sons and disciples gathered here, This body of ours is impermanent like a feather on a high mountain pass, This mind of ours is empty and clear like the depth of space. Relax in that natural state, free of fabrication. When mind is without any support, that is Mahamudra. Becoming familiar with this,
Machig Labdron – That is Buddhahood Read Post »
I was reflecting that the sense of inseparability in my deity practice has recently taken on a new dimension. The quality of not being sure whether I was generating the deity and identifying with her (Machig Labdron), or she was generating me and identifying with me has been so strong. It seems so much more
Butterfly’s Dreaming Read Post »
Response to a question on a List: How do you access your mind. Thoughts are like waves and the mind is like the ocean. How do you access the ocean? Looking at your question, I will respond in three parts: – How do you access your mind? – Thoughts are like waves and the mind
The Ocean and Waves of Mind Read Post »
Just some thoughts in response to an email to a Buddhist list asking why it is that we discuss the latest terrorist act so energetically, yet don’t seem to pay any attention to such things as starvation in Africa, for example. The mailer pointed out that one child dies of starvation there every 5 seconds.
Famine and Terrorism Read Post »
I’m currently studying ‘Songs of Naropa’, a translation and commentary on two Mahamudra songs of Naropa by Thrangu Rinpoche. The book is wonderful, full of Thrangu Rinpoche’s usual systematic and insightful reflections. The Two Doha’s or spiritual songs in the book are new to me, the first time I’ve encountered them. Both are short, and
The Eight Worldly Winds keep on blowing ….. One moment I am sitting at work, having just heard the news that Anwar, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia had just had his conviction overturned and had been freed from jail. (He’d been sent to jail in one of the most dubious and obviously politically
The Winds Keep On Blowing Read Post »
