If you've received meditation instruction at a Shambhala center, or at an Insight Meditation Center, a zendo, or the ID project, the very first thing you probably learned was that it is possible to look directly into your own experience, using your breath to stabilize your attention somewhat and as a jumping off point. This technique is endorsed by Śākyamuni Buddha himself, right there in the Satipatthana Sutta (Sanskrit: Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), so it has to be just basic, foundational Buddhism, right?
Recently in Hardcore Dharma Category
Tuesday November 3, 2009
Why I am not a "Tibetan Buddhist" (anymore)
by Greg Zwahlen
If you've received meditation instruction at a Shambhala center, or at an Insight Meditation Center, a zendo, or the ID project, the very first thing you probably learned was that it is possible to look directly into your own experience, using your breath to stabilize your attention somewhat and as a jumping off point. This technique is endorsed by Śākyamuni Buddha himself, right there in the Satipatthana Sutta (Sanskrit: Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), so it has to be just basic, foundational Buddhism, right?
If you've received meditation instruction at a Shambhala center, or at an Insight Meditation Center, a zendo, or the ID project, the very first thing you probably learned was that it is possible to look directly into your own experience, using your breath to stabilize your attention somewhat and as a jumping off point. This technique is endorsed by Śākyamuni Buddha himself, right there in the Satipatthana Sutta (Sanskrit: Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), so it has to be just basic, foundational Buddhism, right?
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Filed Under: Buddhism, Chogyam Trungpa, Dzogchen, Leah Zahler, Mahamudra, meditation, mindfulness, Stephen Batchelor, U Goenka
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Add to StumbleUponFriday October 30, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Heartcore Dharma: Always (and Only) Be Cheerful
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.
Wednesday September 23, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Hardcore Dharma
Buddhism is Not a Religion: The God Problem
by Jerry Kolber
I am going to continue exploring where I left off last week with my question: is Buddhism a religion or a way to approach living? The ONLY reason I think this question matters is that the ideas that the Buddha presented 2,000 years ago - a path to non-violence, compassion, mindfulness, and "right" behavior - are urgently relevant to our world today, and I have encountered no other system of personal exploration that offers such a straightforward approach to liberating one's mind from a swamp of craving and grasping. Unfortunately inaccurately calling the system we refer to as Buddhism a religion means that a huge portion of the world's population will never bother to explore the teachings, because they already have a religion. But back to why this matters. I see little likelihood that people who have not learned to at least make a real effort to be present, in this moment, have any chance of long-term implementation of the behavior changes we need to stop recklessly destroying our own mental and physical environment. Talking about "saving the planet" or "personal/communal evolution" with a list of actions to do and behavior (and lightbulbs) to change, without the tools to internally calibrate your mind to how to ACTUALLY change your behavior, is no different than buying plans for a house and a set of tools and hoping you can build it with absolutely no training or instruction in carpentry, electrical work, or plumbing. You're just going to end up making a mess of things.
Buddha was careful to not present dogma, or rules, or external authority; his techniques simply create a mental environment in which you are far more free to make informed choices about your own behavior, by showing you where your own mind is stuck in habitual grooves and shining a light on the tricks of your ego.
I am going to continue exploring where I left off last week with my question: is Buddhism a religion or a way to approach living? The ONLY reason I think this question matters is that the ideas that the Buddha presented 2,000 years ago - a path to non-violence, compassion, mindfulness, and "right" behavior - are urgently relevant to our world today, and I have encountered no other system of personal exploration that offers such a straightforward approach to liberating one's mind from a swamp of craving and grasping. Unfortunately inaccurately calling the system we refer to as Buddhism a religion means that a huge portion of the world's population will never bother to explore the teachings, because they already have a religion. But back to why this matters. I see little likelihood that people who have not learned to at least make a real effort to be present, in this moment, have any chance of long-term implementation of the behavior changes we need to stop recklessly destroying our own mental and physical environment. Talking about "saving the planet" or "personal/communal evolution" with a list of actions to do and behavior (and lightbulbs) to change, without the tools to internally calibrate your mind to how to ACTUALLY change your behavior, is no different than buying plans for a house and a set of tools and hoping you can build it with absolutely no training or instruction in carpentry, electrical work, or plumbing. You're just going to end up making a mess of things.
Buddha was careful to not present dogma, or rules, or external authority; his techniques simply create a mental environment in which you are far more free to make informed choices about your own behavior, by showing you where your own mind is stuck in habitual grooves and shining a light on the tricks of your ego.
Monday September 21, 2009
The ultimate truth is fearless
by Greg Zwahlen
Over the last few days our friend Waylon Lewis, editor at elephant journal, blogged about allegations he had recently discovered about Chogyam Trungpa. Waylon was convinced they were false, and suggested that a reference to it on Wikipedia, be deleted pronto, and he also sent an email to the Shambhala International internal listserv urging the community to do the same.
Over the last few days our friend Waylon Lewis, editor at elephant journal, blogged about allegations he had recently discovered about Chogyam Trungpa. Waylon was convinced they were false, and suggested that a reference to it on Wikipedia, be deleted pronto, and he also sent an email to the Shambhala International internal listserv urging the community to do the same.
Rinpoche, of course, was famously controversial, but to some degree that controversy has always been diffused by the knowledge that his life was an open book and he hid nothing. Sadly, that second part may be untrue. The material in question is from The Other Side of Eden, a memoir written by John Steinbeck IV and his wife and published in 2001 by a major publisher. Steinbeck, son of the novelist, was a respected journalist in Vietnam. He was also one of Rinpoche's kusung (personal attendants) and part of the inner circle of the era, and by all accounts a man of personal integrity. The passage in question alleged that Trungpa Rinpoche had a serious cocaine and Seconal habit, and that this was careful kept secret from the community, among other things.
Tuesday September 15, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Monday Night Heartcore Dharma: Bodhisattvas Have More Fun
"We can practice as Bodhisattvas in one moment and practice as devils in the next moment...We can have characteristics of the Bodhisattva at any time."
-Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara
Last night saw the launch of a new Heartcore Dharma Ongoing Studies Series on Monday nights with a lecture by Village Zendo co-founder and master Zen teacher Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara. The theme for this 12-week series being Bodhisattvas, Roshi O'Hara was tasked with answering the question: "Do Bodhisattvas have more fun?" She answered by outlining the qualities, archetypes, and guidelines of Bodhisattvas in the Zen tradition.
But before I get into the meat of her talk, what exactly is Heartcore Dharma?
Friday August 21, 2009
Woah Frosting!
I've never been so shocked by someone unveiling a cake to me as I was when last Friday my girlfriend Jen showed me the special Mandala Birthday cake she made for me.It was a delicious as it looks. May...
Thursday August 20, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma: Gambling on Happiness, Betting With Lojong.
Last week I didn't post because my computer broke. It's fixed now. I won't go into details - talking about your computer breakdown/revival is like telling someone your dream, extremely interesting for you, extremely boring for them. However last week, hot,...
Filed Under: Broken Computers, Buddhism's a Gamble, Goths, hardcore dharma, Lojong, Mary Oliver, Ryan Adams, Wallowing, Zelda Fitzgerald
Tuesday August 11, 2009
5 Reasons My Dharma is Better Than Your Dharma
I've been putting this off for a while, but since yesterday's conversation here with Buddhist Geeks Vince Horn pretty much started a blazing meteor shower of comments, it's time to come out and say it - my dharma is better...
Thursday August 6, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
What do you read Hardcore Dharma? Words, words words.
My favorite aspects of Buddhism were not brought forth by SickestBuddhistgate and the winding rhetoric of comments that followed. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy getting down with analysis. I do. But I'm not fond of when awareness practitioners...
Monday August 3, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Hardcore Dharma
Buddhism and Baseball
I'm practicing lovingkindness meditation as part of Hardcore Dharma's investigation of three specific meditation practices. Specifically, I've been following the very explicit directions in Sharon Salzburg's* classic book, Lovingkindness.But I've been applying them to baseball. Specifically, the New York Yankees.*Sharon...
Filed Under: baseball, buddhist meditation, cardboard gods, lovingkindness meditation, sharon salzberg, Yankees
Thursday July 30, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma sings Jenny I Got Your Number
This is a story about my friend Jenny. Jenny and I attended the Tuesday night gathering at the New York Shambhala center. Jenny's new to Buddhism - this was the second Shambhala talk she'd ever attended. My normal tendency would...
Thursday July 23, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma is Good Enough, Smart Enough and People Seem to Like It.
Did you know that: Online Dating may make people feel overwhelmed by too many options? and Exercise provides stress relief?andKids like their dad's aroundandStudents benefit from tutoring?and Soda is bad for you?andSo it smoking?andToo much porn?Did you know that? Of...
Thursday July 16, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Hardcore Dharma
HeyJhana HoJhana
My experience of meditation lately feels like this: 1. Stabilize on breath. Having been doing lots of work on concentration lately, I feel like I'm getting to the point where instead of trying to pin down my attention on the breath,...
Thursday July 9, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma does not exist.
Before the Buddha became all Bodhi, he did Shamatha and sustained Samadhi. But much like Einstein took Newtonian physics one step further or the Beatles improved on Elvis, the Buddha saw that something good could be made better. The problem...
Thursday July 2, 2009
Categories: Everybody Hurts, Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Makes Metaphors
Here's a story. My mother is a retired church organist and choir director. Growing up, my participation in religious life was fairly required. When I was about ten or eleven, the church had a charismatic youth minister, a wiry, fierce, Princeton-seminary-educated...
Thursday June 25, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Summer Session: Give Gold, Be Merciful, Just Do it. But Not All At Once.
Last night marked the commencement of the Interdependence Project's Hardcore Dharma summer session. We settled our balances, met our neighbor and talked about our intentions. Ethan Nichtern, founder of the ID Project and general man about town, introduced the class...
Thursday June 18, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Daniel Ingram is my homeboy*
Hi Guys. My "sleep hygiene" has been terrible this week - the equivalent of brushing my teeth with dirt. The computer is changing colors on me and my head is bobbing like a blind man at a piano. I can't...
Tuesday June 16, 2009
Norman Fischer's Plan B
Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a senior dharma teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center, has an interesting article in the latest issue of Buddhadharma magazine (a portion of which is available online). In the article he states that as a teacher, he has...
Thursday June 11, 2009
Categories: Arts and Media, Hardcore Dharma
Dharma Art: Michelle Provenzano's "Brain Friend"
Inspired by our Hardcore Dharma discussion from week 10 on the 3 Marks of Existence, Michelle Provenzano, a New York-based artist and meditator, created this drawing called "Brain Friend."....
Thursday June 11, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 11: In Conclusion
It's the end of an era. After ten weeks of sweet multi-platform hardcore Buddhism learning action, the spring beginner Hardcore Dharma class has come to an end. Last week I wrote about the first meditator and this week I'm going...
Wednesday June 3, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 10: Who Was the First Meditator, or Cave Paintings Rock
"Impermanence is the Nike swoosh of reality ... omnipresent, ubiquitous, glaring at us all the time" -EthanIn the last regular class of this thrilling beginner Hardcore Dharma series (introductory info about Hardcore Dharma here), we talked about the Three...
Sunday May 31, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Hardcore Dharma
Striving for Pure Appropriateness
Our reading for Hardcore Dharma this week (Spectrum of Ecstasy by Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen) included a phrase I quite liked- "pure appropriateness". It is described as follows: We neither give too little, nor do we give too much; because...
Thursday May 28, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Dharma Art: Michelle Provenzano's "The Five Hindrances"
This is New York-based artist Michelle Provenzano's take on the 5 Hindrances, our topic for this week's Hardcore Dharma class....
Thursday May 28, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 9: The 5 Hindrances (in Sweet List Form)
This week's Hardcore Dharma class was pretty straightforward: You got yer 5 Hindrances and yer three methods of dealing with em'. Git er' done! For background on Hardcore Dharma check out my intro post and last week's thoughts on the 3...
Wednesday May 20, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 8: The 3 Yanas, or Cultivating "Healthy Revulsion," or Buddhist Barf Bags
As we sat to practice last night, below the yoga studio the Bowery was teeming with rush hour traffic and every third driver seemed to be leaning on their horn in frustration and hurry. My first thought was, "I'm glad...
Wednesday May 13, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 7: Sharon Salzberg Rocks the House!
"[Mindfulness] is like walking on a tightrope, [either grasp at something or push away] and you lose your balance and fall... and inevitably what we land on is another tightrope, another opportunity for mindfulness." -Sharon SalzbergLast night's Hardcore Dharma class was...
Thursday May 7, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma is Your Density...I Mean Your Destiny
For the next five weeks, I, in tandem with the ID Project Intermediate Hardcore Dharma class, will examine and explore teachings about the five wisdom energies. The five wisdom energies, (Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma & Karma), relate to qualities or...
Wednesday May 6, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Hardcore Dharma Week 6: How Many Windows Can Your Monkey Watch?
The official answer: One. Just one. I'll explain. (If you're wondering what Hardcore Dharma is, check out my introductory post). Last night we concluded our discussion of the Eightfold Path by talking about the third sub-division of the path: samadhi, or...
Thursday April 30, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Love in a Time of 21st Century Buddhism
I've got a wager for you. Walk into any Buddhist dharma center across the country. Sidle up to a pleasant looking stranger. Compliment their eco-friendly aluminum water bottle to get a conversation started then ask them what started them practicing....
Wednesday April 29, 2009
Categories: Hardcore Dharma
Week 5 of Hardcore Dharma: Stay Tuned!
Hi all, unfortunately our incomparable Ethan Nichtern has the flu (send him your get wells in the comments section) and had to postpone tonight's beginner Hardcore Dharma class, so my weekly roundup will have to wait. Instead, I thought I'd re-post...
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About One City: A Buddhist Blog for Everyone
Welcome to One City. You've lived here your whole life, whether you know it or not. One City blog is an outgrowth of The Interdependence Project, a Buddhist-inspired nonprofit organization led by Ethan Nichtern, dedicated to teaching the insights of Buddhism, meditation, mindfulness, and interconnectedness in the 21st century world.
If you're interested in how your mind works, are interested in meditation (but don't want to pretend you live in ancient Asia), care about the world, are into media, love contemporary culture, and above all, really dig the truth of interdependence-that nothing happens in a vacuum--then this blog is for you.
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About the Authors
Evelyn CashEvelyn is a Soto Zen practitioner and engineer living in Wichita, Kansas.
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Ethan NichternAuthor, founding director of the Interdependence Project, and the host of the I.D. Project’s popular weekly podcast
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Ellen ScordatoA business owner, editor, teacher, and board member of the Interdependence Project
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Jerry KolberA writer, producer, and director for television, film, and theater in NYC
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Jon RubinsteinJon writes about art and the media from a Buddhist perspective.
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Lodro RinzlerLodro Rinzler is a second-generation Shambhala Buddhist practitioner and teacher.
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Stillman BrownA photographer, writer, and meditation practitioner living in Brooklyn, NY
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