One of the magnificent technologies we humans have specialized in since the beginning of the agricultural revolution is cultivation. People focus on some small piece of the universe, like an arable valley or a nice spot at the bend of a river, and pull resources from far and wide, gathering them into that one spot. Cultivation means concentration, where the […]
Concentration of Resources Read More »
Talks and meditations from two daylong gatherings in 2019 and 2020 at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, offered for adoptees, refugees, fostered, and other folks with early family system rupture. Both days were co-offered with Lev White, but Lev was unable to teach the 2020 one at the last minute, so I taught it alone. This meant that the
At home in the heart: adoption, early attachment rupture, identity Read More »
Some notes on the difficulties and benefits of home retreat as we develop this new form for intensive contemplative practice in the Covid era. Written as part of the welcome letter to our Summer 2020 home retreat: Living the Dhamma. Home retreat is similar and different from retreat at a center, of course. The schedule and practices are almost identical
The discipline of home retreat Read More »
And what is right effort? It’s when a mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise. They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up. They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind,
“Strive on!” (skillfully). Learning the Dance of Right Effort Read More »
The Pāli word uposatha means “observance,” and refers to the ancient Buddhist tradition of devoting a day to our practice, much like the Christian sabbath, which is a fine translation of the word. The Buddha strongly encouraged lay practitioners to keep the uposatha, as the texts at the bottom of this page indicate. Observing the uposatha day might be as
Observing the Uposatha (Sabbath) Read More »
Part of what’s so disorienting about a crisis, but also potentially so useful, is the disruption of norms. Some norms — patterns of feeling, behavior, and social organization — are healthy, and some are not, of course. And so the disruption of norms is also going to have healthy and unhealthy aspects. One of the things that feels most healthy
What did you expect? Read More »
One of the most subtle demons in spiritual practice is complacency. We can think of complacency as a “near enemy” to continuity. If any of us in positions of comfort or privilege have been coasting on the sense that everything is fine, and will continue to be fine — for us, even if we know cognitively that it’s not fine
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” Read More »
We’re grateful to be able to offer our spring 2020 retreat in a full Gift Economy model, with scholarships available for all who need them. More than half of the retreat participants have requested some amount of scholarship support, and it is only through the generosity of the larger community that we are able to fulfill these requests and make
Support our retreat scholarship fund Read More »
It’s “Super Tuesday” as I write this, and though I’m mainly worried that the Dems will mess this up and the world will get another 4 years of the current situation, I’m also amazed. Never in my life have two of the leading contenders for president been strong progressives, each with intelligent progressive economic ideas that if enacted would change
Once the Buddha was living at his most beloved monastery, a park given to the monastic community (saṅgha) by a passionate donor and community leader named Anāthapiṇḍika, outside the city of Sāvatthī. His two senior disciples, Sāriputta and Moggallāna, at that time were about 490 miles away, “wandering in the Southern Hills” with their own groups of students, and were
“…incalculable, immeasurable”: The Blessings of Gift Economy Read More »
May the forces of delusion
not take hold, nor
weaken my resolve.
(Sharing of Merit)