Comments for Shambhala SunSpace

Comment on From the May 2012 Shambhala Sun magazine: “Blindsided” by Libby IS

Libby IS — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:22:09 +0000

Thank you, Elaine, for sharing your story, your path with us. Yes, who is not afflicted? We all sometimes get caught up in our own story, our own pain. But it is when we are truly vulnerable with others that true connectedness happens. Buddha bless you!

(Via Facebook)

Comment on Mindful walking: How to do walking meditation by How to do Meditation

How to do Meditation — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:25:30 +0000

Good article!

Comment on From The Under 35 Project: How not to tell a colleague to **** off by phyllis

phyllis — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:17:50 +0000

It's nice you found a way for yourself to deal with this person. However, you did leave the job and you did find out she was disciplined. Maybe if her off ways were pointed out earlier to the sources of the disciplining, so to speak, you might have helped in another way because others were also suffering from this persons behavior. You could have immediately dealt with this by citing your experience to whomever it was who hired you.

Comment on From The Under 35 Project: “Reality TV or Wrong Livelihood?” by Jan

Jan — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:08:25 +0000

There is no "sin" in Buddhism other than creating your own bad karma. And the above statement is a Biblical quote, not a Buddhist teaching. "Right livelihood" means earning a living that does not harm others. This line of work is obviously harming others, even more than just the willing cast of this TV show (impressionable viewers, for example). This is not beneficial to anyone other than those who will knowingly gain financially or career-wise at the expense of others – neither of which is in harmony with the teachings of Buddhism. Buddhists seek to end all suffering, especially that of others and this definitely contributes to it, while allowing the author to reap the rewards. There is nothing about this article or the mindset of it that reflects the true meaning of Buddhism. Again I must say, the teachings have sadly been twisted to accommodate the author and again, this is not what Buddhist practice is about. I strongly suggest that anyone who doesn't agree with me seek the advice of a respected teacher and learn what Buddhism really is about. The actions and the excuses in the above article are far from the encouraged practices of any school of Buddhism that I'm aware of…..and no, one does not have to be flawless to comprehend these basic ideals of Buddhism.

Comment on A mean animal practices the hard way by michael trevener

michael trevener — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:24:20 +0000

Thank you Bethany,and the other commentees for a dose of reality medicine,thankfully sweetened with humour and (self) compassion.
As I once remarked to my teacher,when discussing my somewhat frayed,anxious,and aggressive manner of late as,”I’m not myself lately”.To which he replied, in a kindly tone,”That’s exactly who you are at the momment!”

Comment on From The Under 35 Project: “Reality TV or Wrong Livelihood?” by Debby

Debby — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:18:04 +0000

There is no right and wrong. There simply is. And he who is without sin may trow the first stone.

Comment on From The Under 35 Project: “Reality TV or Wrong Livelihood?” by Jan

Jan — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:21:00 +0000

Seriously? Trying to sugarcoat one's contribution to bad behavior is wrong, as is twisting the Buddha's teachings to accommodate your life choices. This is definitely not what the Buddha taught! If that were so, then being mindful (which you seem to misunderstand means simply being nice) would make all forms of abuse and neglect to others acceptable as long as it was done with a smile. Your career choice in this case is not what anyone who understands Buddhism would consider a 'right living'. By contributing to the bad behavior of others, no matter how sweet you are about it, you're doing others a disservice. You're only fooling yourself with this thin excuse. I hope you find a good teacher and that one day you will come to understand the true meaning of mindfulness and Buddhism.

Comment on Right Here With You: Andrea Miller on Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Committed” by Guest

Guest — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:12:58 +0000

Wouldn't it be lovely if such trivial matters were the only things gay couples had to worry about? Instead, they daily face the kinds of stress (your marriage is illegal, you are going to hell, we are taking your children, you cannot see your dying husband in the hospital, your house is being taken away) that would wound even the strongest souls.

Comment on Pema Chödrön on “lightening up” by PopePiousAvocadoIII

PopePiousAvocadoIII — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:19:22 +0000

I wonder if this is advice that everyone 'should' be taking? There are many different kinds of people out there. Some are quite shameless!

Seems great for old ladies though. They 'should' definitely take it easy.

On a simultaneously related and unrelated note: being guilt-ridden and miserable doesn't require additional conditional circumstances beyond their own arising. But, its always nice to have a convenient excuse… if that's your thing.

Comment on “The Buddha was an ‘action’ kind of guy” — Michael Stone on mindfulness (Video) by Nirvikalpa

Nirvikalpa — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:24:04 +0000

I was working in a coffee shop some years ago, and there was a long line of people waiting to order. A middle-aged guy came up and was quite obviously absorbed in his inner experience, moving as slow as a turtle. He was also seemingly quite pleased with his "accomplishment", as he surveyed the scrambling people around him. He approached the counter and we silently recognized each other as practitioners. As I was flying around the espresso machine and the counters and the cash register trying to get everything done, I was also wondering why this "spiritually accomplished" fellow was deliberately preventing the free flow of activity and efficiency of movement, most notably in regards to the numerous other customers waiting behind him. He handed me his money so very slowly, with great focus. I quickly took the money and put it in a cash drawer, then withdrew his change and handed it back. This happened in a fraction of the time it took him to move his hand a few inches.. yet it was also done with great focus, as well as the precision and effortlessness of a highly trained kung-fu master. He may have even felt the breeze from my shirt sleeves. He seemed so incredibly, utterly, shocked.

I felt he got the message.

When looking at generosity, and also the aspirations of any bodhisattva type path, it is sometimes described in the way where "I" am here to help "You". However this is not the full depth of the story. As the boundaries between subjectivity and objectivity dissolve and return to the formlessness from which they have come, so do the boundaries which define other people as "not me". It is not something that can be forced, and really cannot be understood until it happens. The idea of such things does not begin to approach the reality of it.

When the perception of connectivity between phenomena becomes default, "randomness" is no longer useful as an excuse for confusion and non-recognition and so forth. Instead it opens up into the possibilities which the human mind refuses to encompass, and experience is increasingly enriched by the indescribable. The human body may seem to be represented by billions upon billions of separate entities who are currently inhabiting the earth. Yet this is only an inability of our senses to perceive the actual physical connections which bind all things together. The body-mind does not end at the edge of our skin, or the edge of our subtle aura, or the edge of our solar system.

The ideas of who we are seem so solid because our senses tell us the world is that way. In fact our senses tell us this because they have been conditioned to operate in that way. We are actually capable of much more than this. The only way to find out what that means is to explore these possibilities for yourself, in the depth of your personal experience as it occurs in each moment. The more attention and concentration you pour into each moment, the more you will discover. However, if you are concentrating so much you walk into a busy highway and get run over by a car, then all your possibilities for exploring this current human condition will end quite suddenly. Practice is not just about the intensity of focus, or adherence to a particular ideal – it requires the balance and moderation of a functional and efficient life to be truly beneficial in an all-encompassing way.