Being a bodhisattva warrior means being fearless and willing to tread the Buddhist path. It’s different from saying, “I’m not afraid of rattlesnakes” or “I’m not afraid of dogs.” When we talk about basic warriorship on the Buddhist path, we are talking about being willing to include everything, and willing to work with everything without... Continue Reading →
The key to wise thought is to sense the energy state behind the thought. If we pay attention, we will notice that certain thoughts are produced by fear and the small sense of self. With them will be clinging, rigidity, unworthiness, defensiveness, aggression, or anxiety. We can sense their effect on the heart and the... Continue Reading →
As human beings we share a tendency to scramble for certainty whenever we realize that everything around us is in flux. In difficult times the stress of trying to find solid ground—something predictable and safe to stand on—seems to intensify. But in truth, the very nature of our existence is forever in flux. Everything keeps... Continue Reading →
Gradually I began to recognize how feeble and transitory the thoughts and emotions that had troubled me for years actually were, and how fixating on small problems had turned them into big ones. Just by sitting quietly and observing how rapidly, and in many ways illogically, my thoughts and emotions came and went, I began... Continue Reading →
Many of us, without even realizing it, are dominated by fear. We might be aware of some of our fears - perhaps we are afraid of public speaking, financial hardship, or losing a loved one. Most of us suffer from a far more pervasive form of fear: the fear of ourselves. We feel ashamed and... Continue Reading →
One's 'extraordinariness' lies in the ability to truly comprehend how ordinary we are with all our fears and dreams. Understanding that all desires, temptations & feelings that arise within us have been experienced by many others as well. May we use this understanding in relating to others better, may we use this to have more... Continue Reading →
When we are big enough for our world we feel fearless and empowered. We don’t feel alone. It is not just a matter of being kind or doing good in the world…it is also a matter of developing the mind of altruism…a bigger mind, which is courageous.In this way, bodhicitta is really the antidote for... Continue Reading →
It is important to learn to simply relax with intense feelings such as depression, insecurity, or fear. There is no need to label them “no good” or “unpleasant” and no need to get rid of them. Just let them be. This is much simpler and more effective than trying to avoid fear or get rid... Continue Reading →
We need to dialogue with our fear, and send it love and compassion because normally we suppress it, we push it down, we don’t like it, it’s something we don’t want. So therefore, it’s always pushed down and there in the darkness, it can grow, whereas if it comes up into the light of our... Continue Reading →
When fear arises, name it softly and experience what it does to the breath, to the body, how it affects the heart. Notice the sensations and ideas that accompany it, the scary stories it tells. When we work with the fearful mind, we will initially become afraid. However, at some point, if we open our... Continue Reading →
The trust expressed by Ajahn Chah comes whenever our consciousness rests in the eternal present. “From where I sit,” he said, “nobody comes and no one goes.” “In the middle way, there is no one who is strong or weak, young or old, no one who is born and no one who dies. This is... Continue Reading →
When I was introduced to the subject of mental afflictions, I thought, 'Oh no, I'm flawed. I'm ignorant. I have a lot of attachments and aversions. I'm stuck with unhappiness for the rest of my life.' But then I heard an old proverb. I don't know if it's based on fact, but it goes something... Continue Reading →
Fearlessness is not like a wild tiger or brown bear that is locked up in a cage and growls every time you open the door. Fearlessness is powerful, but it also contains gentleness and constant loneliness and sadness. Wisdom and consideration for others are also part of fearlessness....The more fearlessness evolves, that much more available... Continue Reading →
A first step [in remaining open] is to understand that a feeling of dread or psychological discomfort might just be a sign that old habits are getting liberated, that we are moving closer to the natural open state. Trungpa Rinpoche said that awakening warriors would find themselves in a constant state of anxiety. Personally, I've... Continue Reading →
When you touch your sorrow or fear, your anger or jealousy, you are touching everybody's jealousy, you are knowing everybody's fear or sorrow. You wake up in the middle of the night with an anxiety attack and when you can fully experience the taste and smell of it, you are sharing the anxiety and fear... Continue Reading →
Mindfulness is the practice that quiets the noise inside us. Without mindfulness, we can be pulled away by many things. Sometimes we are pulled away by regret and sorrow concerning the past. We revisit old memories and experiences, only to suffer again and again the pain we’ve already experienced. It’s easy to get caught in... Continue Reading →
The River Cannot Go Back by Kahlil Gibran "It is said that before entering the seaa river trembles with fear.She looks back at the path she has traveled,from the peaks of the mountains,the long winding road crossing forests and villages.And in front of her, she sees an ocean so vast,that to enter there seems nothing... Continue Reading →
So when you're like a keg of dynamite just about to go off, patience means just slowing down at that point- just pausing- instead of immediately acting on your usual, habitual response. You refrain from acting, you stop talking to yourself, and then you connect with the soft spot. But at the same time you... Continue Reading →
To work on ourselves is really only possible when there are no sidetracks, no exits. Usually we tend to look for solutions from something new, something outside; a change in society or politics, a new diet, a new theory. Or else we are always finding new things to blame our problems on, such as relationships,... Continue Reading →
Many people try to find a spiritual path where they do not have to face themselves but where they can still liberate themselves - liberate themselves from themselves, in fact. In truth, this is impossible. We cannot do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our real shit,... Continue Reading →
