Los Angeles Shambhala Training Level 1 Forum- February 2010

This forum was established for the Los Angeles Shambhala Training Level 1 students to discuss their mediation practice, ask questions, or just keep in touch with me and each other.

Finding A Spiritual Teacher

(originally on The Huffington Post 3/2/10)

These days, many meditation students have questions about how to find a spiritual teacher, what criteria to use and what to expect from such a relationship. I think the mood is different than it was in the early 70’s when lots of us seemed willing to just dive into something and take a chance.

Then and now, however, when we are looking for a teacher, it is helpful to have a sense of how deep into our own journey we are prepared to go. That way we will be able to choose an appropriate level of study. It is also important to carefully consider the qualifications of our teacher and the extent to which that person actually embodies the teachings being presented[...]

Meeting the Buddha

(originally on The Huffington Post 2/16/10)

I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person who likes to go right to the source. So when it comes to studying Buddhism, I want to get right to it. Let’s meet Buddha, right? Don’t give me the lieutenant or the maitre d’ – take me straight to the Buddha. There’s only one problem, he died 2500 years ago. From a certain viewpoint that could be a very big problem!

The problem is that we can re-invent somebody who lived that long ago, and in a sense, re-form that person in our own image. We can take what that person said or supposedly said and kind of mold it to further our personal interpretation[...]

What Is Karma?

(originally on The Huffington Post 2/09/10)

I’ve found that using the analogy of a game of billiards can be a useful way to describe the process of karma — the table is set up, you hit the ball, it in turn hits other balls, moves the configuration on the table around, and then sets you up for your next shot. After that, maybe another person takes a turn and moves the balls around and then it’s your turn again[...]

Gradual Versus Sudden Enlightenment

(originally on The Huffington Post 1/28/10)

In Buddhism there is a lot of discussion about cultivating mindfulness and awareness. In a nutshell, mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to something, to hold your attention to a particular object or activity. The key is to stabilize our focus so we are able to compensate for the habit of our mind just jumping around like a frog from topic to topic. It is a very basic but potent capacity that we can develop. We can apply that mindfulness to any topic — compassion, impermanence, practical matters, the body, and to the mind itself to gain greater insight into what our mind is and how it works[...]

Awakening From The Day Dream

(originally on the Huffington Post 1/20/10)

According to the Buddhist teachings, we spend most of our time in this world in a kind of daydream. Within our “daydream” we are relating to what is going in our world but our sense of reality is heavily filtered by memories, habitual patterns of our mind, projections about the future etc. etc. etc. During the night, when we are “asleep,” our story lines continue in the form of night dreams[...]

Tiger Woods, Buddhism And Redemption

(originally on the Huffington Post 1/13/10)

Having recently seen my son Ethan represent the Buddhist community on CNN, it occurred to me that many folks here in the West may not really know much about the Buddhist tradition and what it has to say about redemption, salvation, or anything else for that matter[...]

Taking Your Seat: Simple Meditation Instructions For Ordinary People

(originally on The Huffington Post 1/4/10)

Shamatha or mindfulness meditation is a very organic practice, a foundational practice. It’s based on noticing the moment when our awareness connects with our present situation, and actually deliberately cultivating that kind of simple awareness. The benefit is that we become more synchronized in body and mind and begin to relate to our world in a less distracted and more wakeful way[...]

Why Meditate? — Words Do Not Cook Rice

(originally on The Huffington Post 12/29/09)

The way I was taught about meditation is that you study the “manual” under the guidance of your teacher, figure out what’s going on a little bit, then you practice, you study, practice, study, practice. Without a clear view of the whole process, it’s possible to just roam and fumble around for decades or lifetimes for that matter. Developing clarity in the “view” means understanding why we should meditate and how do to go about it. So having a clear view is the first step and then actually doing the practice is the second step[...]

What’s Keeping Us From The Cushion?

(originally on The Huffington Post 12/24/09)

I think it’s fair to ask ourselves early on, why are we afraid of just sitting still? Why are we terrified of that? Or irritated by it? Actually it’s for you to find out. But I would like to suggest the possibility that we are afraid of ourselves. We are quite literally afraid of ourselves[...]