Archive for July 2011
Turning the Skeptic Inward
I often tell people that while science taught me to be skeptical of the world, Buddhism taught me to be skeptical the inner world. But more accurately, I couldn’t be a good skeptic until I was able to turn skepticism inward and tame this overactive mind. Because while others may fool us with stories, lies, and misinformation, the biggest deceptions happen within our very own heads!
Read MoreAnatomy of Seeing into Experience: Right View
This is Part 1 of a series of exploration and practice into the first factor of The Eightfold Path. This first factor really holds within it the entire path. It’s not something you master and move onto the second, but is a journey of exploration that carries over into all the other factors as well.…
Read MoreEpisode 72 :: David McMahan :: The Making of Buddhist Modernism
David McMahan David L. McMahan talks with us about The Making of Buddhist Modernism. Hi, everyone. Over the past year or so of the podcast, many of you have heard me use terms regarding the ‘evolution’ of Buddhism in contemporary culture. Some of us also use terms like ‘adaptation’, but the underlying principle is the…
Read MorePrescriptive, Not Descriptive
This is the third installment in which I discuss ideas presented by Stephen Bachelor in a series of dharma talks in late 2010. You can hear them at dharmaseed.org. Christians have some explaining to do. If, as they believe, God is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving, why is there so much suffering in…
Read MoreA Mala Prayer
*~*~* The first time I am aware that I met another Buddhist, I met several. There was the man who would become my teacher, Dennis, who was quietly organizing a visit from some Tibetan lamas and the monks accompanying them. There may have been more Buddhists among those of us who had arrived to hear…
Read MoreThe Path – Reworded for Modern Practitioners
I was never comfortable with the wording in the Eightfold Path. The word Right xx always felt like it implied following of dogma rather than an action packed plan. Because Buddhism relies so heavily on practice and observation, I felt each part of the path was better reworded for me with verbs, and action statements.…
Read MoreSupportive Virtual Buddhist Communities
I’ve been part of several Buddhist communities in my area, but over time found them lacking in various ways. I was excited to discover that in Second Life (SL), a virtual universe of worlds and communities of all kinds, had a big Buddhist population. Not only that, there are communities for all the traditional schools…
Read MoreEpisode 71 :: Carol Tavris :: Delusions and Cognitive Dissonance
Carol Tavris Carol Tavris speaks with us about how cognitive dissonance can lead to unhealthy conceptual attachments. Fairly frequently I get email from listeners, asking for recommendations on books that have been particularly helpful with practice. Often, there is an interest in books that are more secular in nature, and I’m happy to ask a…
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