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Sunday November 22, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
Going on Retreat, Leaving the iPhone
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Add to StumbleUponFriday November 20, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
"Getting To Yes" - Unintentionally Mindful?
By Stillman Brown
I had a fight with a close friend last week, one of those wrenching, existential blowouts where you argue each other in to a kind of hysteria of extreme positions and begin asking yourself, "who is this person? When did they get so mean?" It was hurtful and left me feeling drained. Worse, however, was that after I'd had a chance to check in with my body, do some sitting meditation and calm down, I realized: it was utterly unproductive. It was based on mutual projections, misunderstanding, and misdirected energy, and it need never have happened. What mattered most in the relationship was still there: mutual respect, affection, and sharing. Everything else was just noise.
Serendipitously, a friend lent me a copy of "Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. It's a classic in the field of negotiation and much of it's advice sounded oddly similar to what we talk about in Dharma gatherings. For instance:
Sunday November 15, 2009
Back to the Basics: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path
By Evelyn Cash
Over the past few weeks I've been taking a step back and revisiting some of the very basic teachings of the Buddha. I think it can be helpful from time to time to go back and reconsider teachings you haven't thought much about in a long time; it can bring a fresh perspective and re-energize your practice.
When I learned about Buddhism in my high school Comparative Religions class, I basically came away with the understanding that there were two teachings of primary importance to Buddhists: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. In my tenth grade mind, these two teachings were roughly equivalent to the Five Pillars of Islam or the Mitzvah of Judaism. I thought that, in order to be Buddhist, a person had to believe in The Four Noble Truths and follow The Eightfold Path in a devotional way, similar to a Muslim's dedication to prayer five times a day. I knew that Buddhists meditated and I was interested in that aspect of the tradition even then but the idea of following all eight of the folds of the path seemed just a little too difficult for me. I couldn't (and indeed, still can't) remember each one of the eight folds without consulting a book and so my interest in Buddhism, however small it was at the time, waned pretty quickly.
Now, as a Zen student who has been practicing for a few years and feels quite committed to the Buddhist path, I look at the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path in a completely different way. On the one hand, my tenth grade self was right - these teachings are at the very core of Buddhist practice. On the other hand, 15 year old Evelyn was completely wrong (as usual).
Thursday November 12, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Shopping For a Spiritual Practice: Intro to Zen
by Patrick GronemanLast weekend I continued my search for a spiritual practice by taking part in the Zen Mountain Monastery's "Intro to Zen Training" Retreat, a weekend toe dipping into the Mountain and Rivers Order manifestation of Soto and Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The monastery is tucked away in the beautiful Catskill mountains, about two and half hours outside of New York City. After stepping out of the car I stood on the front lawn for a moment staring at a the yellow leaves of a ginkgo biloba tree fluttering in the wind. I thought about how special it felt to just watch the wind rearrange the landscape and was reminded of a quote by Suzuki Roshi:
"Perhaps the wind is just blowing and pine tree is just standing in the wind. That is all that they are doing. But the people who listen to the wind in the tree will write a poem, or will feel something unusual." - Suzuki Roshi"Buddhism is a religion"
The training weekend began with a talk by Abbott Ryushin Sensei, a tall, older man with a shaved head, thin rimmed oval glasses and a Polish accent. "Buddhism is a religion because it addresses the most basic questions of existence..." He stressed the totality of Buddhist Practice, how it leaves no area of life untouched. I wasn't just coming here this weekend to do a lot of Sitting Meditation, or to eat my oatmeal very slowly; the monastery experience was one of immersion, you are expected to "swallow the whole fish."
Tuesday November 10, 2009
Building and safeguarding Buddhism in the West
by Greg Zwahlen
People study meditation and Buddhism for all sorts of reasons, with varying levels of interest. That said, it seems safe to say that the vast majority have modest aspirations for it, modest levels of interest in it, and modest levels of commitment to it. That's not a bad thing. It's wonderful, actually. It's normal, it's healthy, and it's exactly what one would reasonably expect. Most of the people I hang out with fit this description, and thank goodness they're here.
In a very real sense, people with a casual interest in Buddhism and meditation are the foundation of dharma in the West, without which there would be little or no dharma here at all. The scholar Thomas Tweed, writing about this in Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia, wrote "sympathizers have been an important part of the story of Buddhism since the 1880s . . . [the] tens of thousands who . ..do not affiliate formally with Buddhism formally or fully are an important part of the tradition's history in America" (pgs 75-76). Tweed coined the term "night-stand Buddhists" to describe the contemporary representatives of this demographic.
There simply aren't enough teachers to teach everyone with this level of interest in meditation and Buddhism. However, the good news is that it seems to be possible for facilitators to give introductory instruction with only a relatively modest amount of experience themselves.
In order to keep this situation healthy and thriving, however, it is also important that there is a certain percentage of the Buddhist population that is deeply trained and knowledgeable, able to guide the smaller number of people who wish to explore the dharma further and deeper, able to address more thorny issues in an informed manner, and able to protect the integrity of the overall situation. Basically, we also need more masters of scripture (āgamadharma) and realization (adhigamadharma).
Filed Under: Buddhism, Buddhist Geeks, Daniel Ingram, education, Judith Simmer-Brown, meditation, Thomas Tweed, Yogachara
Sunday October 25, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
Adventures in Comparing Mind
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...
Tuesday October 20, 2009
Categories: Arts and Media, Talking Dharma
Podcast: Guest Lecture - "Deep Abiding Change" with Purna Steinitz
"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...
Friday October 16, 2009
Categories: Arts and Media, Talking Dharma
Podcast: Natural Wakefulness with Juan Carlos Castro
"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...
Friday October 16, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Enlightenment without retreat?
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...
Filed Under: Retreat, Western culture
Sunday October 11, 2009
Categories: Meditation, Talking Dharma
Learning to Sit Down and Shut Up
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...
Filed Under: Buddhist Geeks Podcast, dharma, left-brain vs. right-brain, letting go, Matuoka Roshi, soto zen, Tami Simon, teachers, Zen, Zen Buddhism, zen meditation
Friday October 9, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Letterman. Mitterrand. What about your guru?
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...
Wednesday September 30, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Buddhism is Not A Religion Part 3: The Truth Shall Set You Free
Jerry Kolber is an award-winning film and TV producer and writer and is on the board of directors of The Interdependence Project. Past projects include Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, The Eden Myth, and Inked. Upcoming projects include Bank...
Tuesday September 29, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
The Comfort of Wherever You Are
by Stillman BrownI wasn't able to make it to last night's Heartcore Dharma class on "Aspiring and Entering Bodhicitta," so I thought I'd blog about something more personal. Several weeks ago, the partner of a good friend of mine was diagnosed...
Wednesday September 16, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Buddhism is Not A Religion Pt. 1: Buddhists on a Plane
In today's post I'm going to continue explaining why Buddhism, despite there being religious organizations called Buddhism, is not inherently a religion and is a technique and way of living that is applicable to anyone, EVEN IF they choose to...
Wednesday September 16, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Podcast: Reflections on 21st Century Dharma with Ethan Nichtern, Julia May Jonas and The Buddhist Geeks
One City Bloggers Ethan Nichtern and Julia May Jonas recently teamed up with Buddhist Geeks Vince Horn and Ryan Oelke to discuss the state of the Dharma in the 21st Century. Some of you may remember Vince's guest post on...
Wednesday September 9, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
The Branding of Buddhism
One thing that the Buddhist community doesn't seem to think about very much is branding. Gasp! Branding and Buddhism? I'm sure some Buddhists would find this hideously inappropriate, and they may be right. But, following up on my post two...
Friday August 28, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Top Five Method's for Having an Awesome Retreat
A few weeks ago I wrote about how amazing my first week long meditation retreat was. What I didn't mention was the extra helpful advice about retreat practice I got in the form of a handwritten note from my friend...
Tuesday August 25, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
I Am (Not) The Blue Cheese
This past weekend I went to a homecoming party for a friend who I haven't seen in about a year. Seeing this friend for the first time in such a long time brought up some things that made me think...
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...
Wednesday July 22, 2009
Buddhism is The Greatest Religion in the World, If It Was A Religion
My post Freedom From Religion: Buddhism Wins Best Religion in the World Award last week set off quite a stir around these here 'nets. Over at Paramita they offer to send an 11 month old girl to pick up the...
Tuesday July 14, 2009
Categories: Buddhism, Talking Dharma
Tāranātha on Padmasambhava's lotus-birth
According to Tibetan tradition, the eighth-century yogin Padmasambhava was born as an eight-year-old child on a lotus blossom in Lake Dhanakosha. His name, in fact, literally means "Lotus Born." This is what the early 17th-century Tibetan historian Tāranātha had to...
Monday July 13, 2009
Buddhism, Meditation, Psychology, and Therapy
Are you interested in Buddhist meditation and its link to psychology, therapy, healing arts, and a contemporary understanding of the mind? What might Carl Jung say about Buddhism or guided meditation? Would Pema Chodron and Freud get into a ballroom...
Sunday July 12, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
Are You Sure?
I was craving a little dharma reading the other day and picked Thich Nhat Hanh's Teachings on Love off my book shelf. I've also recently started dating someone, so I thought it might provide a little preventative care and help...
Saturday July 11, 2009
Podcast: "Understanding Karma" with Crystal Gandrud
This week on the ID Project Podcast Crystal Gandrud takes us past many of the common misconceptions surrounding the Buddhist Definition of Karma to a deeper understanding that reveals important connections between the concepts of interdependence, non-self and Karma.You can...
Saturday July 4, 2009
Categories: Arts and Media, Talking Dharma
Podcast: "Space is Grace" with Jessica Rasp
Inspired by reading the life story of Yogi Ransuratkumar and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's "Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior", Jessica Rasp takes us on a journey into an insight from a recent solitary retreat, encapsulated in the phrase "Space is...
Friday July 3, 2009
Categories: Talking Dharma
Dharma Discourse: Plato
Teacher: What's on your mind?Student: Well, many things.T: What would you like to talk about?S: The view. I would like to talk about the view. T: Okay.S: You see, I studied a lot of Western philosophy in college, so whenever...
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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.
» Posts by Evelyn Cash
Ethan NichternAuthor, founding director of the Interdependence Project, and the host of the I.D. Project’s popular weekly podcast
» Posts by Ethan Nichtern
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.
» Posts by Lodro Rinzler
Stillman BrownA photographer, writer, and meditation practitioner living in Brooklyn, NY
» Posts by Stillman Brown
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