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The Second Noble Truth states that the most proximal cause of our suffering is clinging, craving or greed.  In this talk, we look at the importance of orienting ourselves with curiosity and interest in growth as opposed to self-judgment for being “greedy.”  Understanding what is underneath the reactivity of greed can allow the natural responsiveness of heart to support the need for growth and change.

In this meditation, we move through the senses and body to ground our awareness in heart and Earth.  At one point, I name what is on the exact opposite side of the Earth from where I sit in Charlotte NC, USA.  If you are somewhere else and want to know for your location, here is a place you can find out:  Antipodes Map

We continue our exploration of the 4 Noble Truths, a foundational teaching of Buddhism.  These teachings are a powerful study of the mind– what causes suffering and what relieves suffering.  An old story called the Monk and the Samurai makes a great introduction to the 2nd Noble Truth.

The 2nd Noble Truth is that the most proximal cause of suffering is clinging.  Sitting meditation is a powerful place to explore ways in which this might be true for you and how to work with the clinging mind.

This week I share a talk I gave for a program from Temple Beth El.  The invitation was to talk about healing the mind from religious, spiritual and mindfulness perspectives. 

This week we we continue our exploration of the First Noble Truth through a story from Rachel Naomi Remen’s My Grandfather’s Blessing.  In this story she draws on 3 useful questions which she suggests short daily contemplation: What surprised me today? What moved me or touched me today? What inspired me today?

From guest leader Colleen Faltus: In this week’s meditation we explore the wisdom of the body. As Valerie Kaur says, “One of the most vigilant spiritual practices is finding the seconds of solitude to get quiet enough to hear the wise person inside us.” Quieting our inner and outer worlds provides the much needed peace and calm to hear the wise words of our bodies. In this session, we explore how to tap into our inner wisdom and listen carefully to what our bodies are telling us.

Today we had a guest speaker, Colleen Faltus, who shared beautiful resources for using our breath, body or movement for tapping into the wisdom of the body.

Today we start our exploration of the Four Noble Truths with the first one– in life, there is suffering.  While seemingly simple and straightforward on the surface, learning to reckon with this truth has a radical potential for transforming how we meet life in all of its complexities and realities.

The teacher asked his students, does it hurt more to be shot by one arrow or two?  Of course, two.  The first is what has already arisen, what is unavoidably already here.  The second is the one we shoot into ourselves in reaction to the first.  In this meditation, we use an anchor for grounding and support for exploring opening with wisdom and kindness to the first without contracting into a suffering story of the second.

In our continued exploration of Buddhist psychology, today we explore the myth story of the Buddha’s life and how it relates directly to understanding our own personal causes of suffering and the path to our healing.1-13-21

We need to look deeply in order to see our true nature and the true nature of the Earth. We need to look deeply to see that we are the Earth. With this insight, love will be born. Our love and understanding will heal us and heal the Earth.      -Thich Nhat Hanh Thich Nhat Hanh offers beautiful "Touching the Earth" meditation practices.  This meditation is a modified version.

This meditation offers an invitation to explore 2 of the "Three Marks of Existence"-- impermanence and the interrelatedness of impermanent arisings.

In this sharing, we look at the last of the 3 Marks of Existence-- the reality of suffering in life.  This is so easily misunderstood as pessimistic or a negative view on life.  But in practice, when we follow the radical potential in this teaching, we begin to understand how a clear, wise seeing of suffering present is a natural doorway to compassion.

In this talk, we explore what's referred as one of the three "mark of existence," the concept of non-self.  We look at it through the lens of a translation that I prefer, "nothing exists in and of itself, without dependencies," and in particular not only on the widened ethics that arise naturally through this understanding, but also a certain quality of joy that opens to us when we understand the world and all that is in it in this way.

In this meditation, using the breath, we explore the quote "nothing exists in and of itself, without dependencies."

Today we start with a short vignette on dandelions from Anthony de Mello's book "The Song of the Bird, followed by a sharing by Michael J Fox and how he works with having Parkinson's. I don't look at life as a battle or as a fight. I don't think I'm scrappy.  I'm accepting.  I say "living with" or "working through" Parkinson's.  Acceptance doesn't mean resignation -- it means understanding that something is what it is and that there's got to be a way through it.  I look at it like I am a fluid that's finding the fissures and cracks and flowing through. ... Optimism is really rooted in gratitude.  Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from there is acceptance.  Acceptance that this thing has happened, and you accept it for what it is.  It doesn't mean you can't endeavor to change.  It doesn't mean you have to accept is a punishment or penance, but just put it in its proper place.  Then see how much the rest of your life you have to thrive in, and then you can move on. Michael J Fox

Acceptance doesn't mean resignation -- it means understanding that something is what it is and that there's got to be a way through it.  I look at it like I am a fluid that's finding the fissures and the cracks and flowing through.  -Michael J Fox

Today we explore the old story of Two Monks and the Lady as a way of deepening our understanding painful ruminating thought and how to cut through that habit.

It is very helpful to begin to see how the unconscious mind categorizes all moments in some version of pleasant, unpleasant or neither pleasant or unpleasant, also called feeling tones. If we are not aware of this process, then the feeling tone can set off a cascade of reactivity.  Learning to catch the feeling tone of any given moment opens the possibility of a choice in how to respond to any feeling tone arising.  This meditation practices with learning to see into the feeling tone of any moment.