By Stillman Brown
This week's
Heartcore Dharma discussion at the I.D. Project ended with a short contemplative meditation and discussion led by Juan-Carlos on the Lojong slogan of the week:
Always Maintain Only a Joyful Mind
This particular slogan, and our discussion, have resonated for me all week. There is the potential for the exacting language - always, only - to be misused by the judging mind to club you whenever you're not being joyful ("You're not being joyful again: Fail."), but I've found the opposite to be true.
by
Jon RubinsteinReady for some musical inspiration?
How's that for a kick in the ass?
I've never really noticed that before, how this song is all about the virtue of generosity. Way to be mindful, Jon! As Thich Nhat Hanh has said, "We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize." A profound teaching from the Red Hot Chili Peppers! Who'd-a thunk it?
The
lyrics are super clear--
give it away, give it away, give it away, now! So the question is,
what does that get me, and how does it apply to business?
by Ethan NichternFrom the "Never-Thought-I'd-See-The-Day" Department, Hip Hop Legend and Wu Tang Clan charter member, The RZA, was interviewed about Buddhism, Right Speech and the Heart Sutra for the Shambhala Sun blog by my good friend Rod Meade Sperry. Check...
by Jerry KolberThis week finds Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson suspended for anti-gay Twitter slurs against a coach.Of course, he is free to say whatever he wants to whoever he wants. Twitter may find that he has violated...
By Kirsten FirmingerAccording to new polling done by The Pew Research Center, only 35% of Americans feel that global warming is a serious problem, down from 44% of those surveyed in 2008. Only 36% feel that there is solid evidence...
"Wakefulness is our natural state: enlightened, complete, perfect in wisdom and compassion. It's not something outside ourselves that we need to attain or become. But it's also true that some effort is required to get in touch with it--and that...
by Paul GriffinIn Buddhism, the three avenues to understanding are study, reflection, and meditation. To study is to listen to the teachings and to read the texts. To reflect is to think about the material and to make it your...
by Ethan Nichtern On November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation...
by Evelyn CashI was voted "most competitive" in my high school senior yearbook. I would get a 95% on a physics test and be happy with it until I saw that a friend of mine got a 97%. I like...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
Michelle Provenzano is a New York-based artist and I.D. Project regular who is often inspired to create drawings as part of her engagement with the Heartcore Dharma series. Here is a drawing inspired by Monday's discussion on The Three Disciplines. ...
Remember that awesome Loverboy song, "Working for the Weekend"? Let me refresh your memory. I'm sure it'll brighten your day: Not bad, right? I hope you're still with me and didn't run out to get a perm and a headband....
By Melissa Kirsch I recently developed a mild but irksome case of writer's block. I dreamed someone important in my career had built me a tightrope. I like when dreams are so explicit as to require a minimum of...
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 by Jerry Kolber. Jerry is a media obsessed Buddhist televison producer in New York City. follow him at twitter.com/JerryKolber - or on Twitteleh. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";...
by Paul GriffinIn Buddhism, the three avenues to understanding are study, reflection, and meditation. To study is to listen to the teachings and to read the texts. To reflect is to think about the material and to make it your...
By Kirsten Firminger October 24, 2009 is the International Day of Climate Action. It is a global call to action to put our world on course to get back to 350 ppm. 350.org states that "350 parts per million is...
"It is useless to try to willfully change ourselves. We are much too entrenched in our own habitual patterns and in maintaining physical and psychological survival. In fact, sometimes the more we focus on trying to change ourselves, the more...
The late Buddhist master Chogyam Trungpa described a dynamic he called "idiot compassion" as follows:Idiot compassion . .stems from not having enough courage to say no. . . .In order that your compassion doesn't become idiot compassion, you have to...
The Balloon Boy story - a Colorado family released a UFO-like weather balloon and pretended their son was aboard to garner media attention - has gotten weirder and weirder since it's inception as a relatively mundane Child In Crisis news...
by Ethan NichternGreetings from the Shambhala Sangha Retreat in gorgeous Vermont, where I am acting as a meditation instructor under the awesome mind-heart training, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the coolest Buddhist teacher this side of the Himalayas, in my humble opinion....
by Evelyn CashI really don't watch much TV anymore. When I want to catch up on the shows I'm interested in, I turn to Hulu. A few weeks ago, began noticing ads on Hulu for a website called "Kiva" that...
Here is the dharma poem of the week, a wonderful poem by Mahmoud Darwish.I Was Not With MeStaring at the ceiling, resting my face on my hand, like some-body stealing up on a fresh idea, or lying in wait for...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
"Wakefulness is our natural state: enlightened, complete, perfect in wisdom and compassion. It's not something outside ourselves that we need to attain or become. But it's also true that some effort is required to get in touch with it--and...
by Davee Evans How about a year off? NY designer Stefan Sagmeister does this every seven years. He shuts his design firm, and heads off to work on personal projects for creative renewal. Watch his views on taking time off...
by Jon RubinsteinI'm a talent and literary manager. Recently, a problem was brought to my attention regarding an upcoming release. So we all got on the phone--movie studio executives, publicists, agents, and myself--to discuss the situation and see if we...
by Jerry KolberWhat the hell happened to health care reform? It turns out that not only is Barack Obama not some sort of savior, messiah, or angel, as his post-election pre-office halo seemed to suggest, he is also not even...
by Patrick GronemanSee it's all about the cheddar, nobody do it better. "Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news" - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche...
by Kirsten FirmingerAccording to the United States government (during World War II), it is your patriotic duty to waste less and recycle more. All of these propaganda advertising images are courtesy of Duke University's Ad*Access digital image database.Click on "Continue...
by Ellen ScordatoThis past weekend I clicked thru on a link in a tweet from a buddhist poster, and discovered what led to several articles about the sad deaths of two people at the Spiritual Warrior in Sedona, Arizona, led...
by Ethan NichternBoth yoga and Buddhist meditation philosophy ask practitioners to refrain from the act of killing - whether directly or indirectly - as much as possible. In the American yoga communities I am part of, vegetarianism is fairly prevalent....
By Stillman BrownThe first part of last night's Heartcore Dharma class at the Interdependence Project was spent discussing dana, or the quality and practice of generosity. This got me thinking about one aspect of generosity with which I have shamefully little...
The truth is, I'm an accidental Soto Zen Buddhist. When I initially learned to meditate, I had little interest in sticking to any particular tradition. I liked to call myself a "non-denominational" Buddhist and didn't really see a need to...
by Ethan Nichtern CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Nobel Laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, about his apparent brush-off from the newest Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Barack Obama. The Dalai Lama, in the fashion of embodying peace, was quite gracious....
by Patrick GronemanI too, was lucky enough to get tickets to see a very timely talk by Zen Monk Thich Nhat Hanh today in New York City. He spoke of the importance of building peaceful and compassionate communities, just a...
by Paul GriffinI've just returned from a day of mindfulness with Thich Nhat Hanh. This wonderful daylong program at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan was sponsored by the Omega Institute. The focus of TNH or Thay's message was building a...
by Ethan NichternAll day yesterday, many of us, myself included, were saying to ourselves, they gave Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, For What? On the day that our President was awarded arguably the most hopeful award that exists on...
image courtesy of the Museum of anti-alcohol postersby Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for...
by Paul GriffinI am attending the Thich Nhat Hanh program this Saturday at the Beacon Theater in New York City. I'll be sure to report back tomorrow, Saturday, with a blog entry on what goes down (the schedule calls for...
by Ethan NichternHope renewed? The Nobel Committee in Norway has awarded President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. According to the Washington Post, the award was given "for his work to improve international diplomacy and rid the world...
from Davee Evans Sex is in the news again, surprise surprise. I'm hearing nightly about David Letterman's confession of romantic affairs, and recently rehashing Frederic Mitterrand's prior sexual purchases as well. The latter, according to the AP, stemming from...
by Ethan Nichtern On November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation...
by Patrick GronemanThe top thinkers in the world of Future Study, Transhumanism and advanced computer programming recently descended upon the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan for the Singularity Conference to discuss all things Artificial Intelligence. The question on everyone's...
Jerry Kolber is a writer, filmmaker and television producer based in New York City. His personal site is at www.JerryKolber.com and you can follow him on Twitter. Past projects include Inked and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and he...
by Ethan NichternFile this under world turned upside down--or under political opportunism--depending on your viewpoint. According to The Hill, Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Obama administration for failing to support Tibetan rights and human rights in general by not meeting...
by Kirsten FirmingerFollowing up on my previous post, Setting sail for the plastic vortex, which focuses on Project Kaisei researchers who are studying the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, I found that they have posted up some great new videos from...
by Greg ZwahlenForeign Policy published an article not long ago by Wen Liao called Why the Dalai Lama Needs to Get Real. Liao writes:Advocates of Tibetan rights are disappointed that Barack Obama has chosen not to meet with the holy man...
by Ethan NichternDzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is one of the finest Tibetan Buddhist teachers in America, in my humble opinion. Funnier than most comedians and sharper than most scholars, I would encourage you to check him out. Somebody buy this man...
By Stillman BrownA quick Heartcore Dharma update: In case you missed it, last night Acharya Eric Spiegel rocked the Interdependence Project in New York with a guest lecture on the Bodhisattva vow. Be sure to check the ID Project website...
by Ellen ScordatoPop culture thermometer: Cold. Deathly cold. Cold and dead is hot. Zombieland was the top-grossing movie this past weekend. . Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was one of the near-moribund book publishing industry's few runaway success stories last year....
by Ethan NichternAccording to the Washington Post, President Obama has postponed meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama until after a summit with Chinese Leader Hu Jintao. The Post claims this is an attempt to avoid ruffling feathers and to...
by Evelyn CashI came across this story yesterday from the Buddhist Channel reporting that as the religion dies in Japan, Buddhist priests are resorting to desperate measures to try and regain followers. The priests are trying everything from anime DVDs...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
by Paul GriffinI attended a meditation retreat with my teacher Reggie Ray last weekend at the Tibet House in New York City. Reggie Ray is a wonderful and gentle dharma teacher who was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and...
by Davee Evans What kind of livelihood works best for a contemplative practice? To afford more meditation retreat time, I switched from full time employment to freelancing; and over the last four years my plan has partially succeeded, but it's...
by Ethan NichternOn November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation Marathon...
by Ethan NichternAn October Quote to start the month. Question Number One: What does a Spiritual America look like, and is there a difference between "spiritual" and "religious?"Question Number Two: Was Walt Whitman America's First Buddhist? Or just a spiritual...
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