Infinite Smile Sangha: Recent Episodes
Michael McAlister
Really thought this was an instructive (and painless) approach that brings a contemporary school of thought (Integral Theory) into our psycho-spiritual development. Have a look. Source: What Are the Stages of Development? – Integral Life
The post What Are the Stages of Development? – Integral Life appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Really thought this was an instructive (and painless) approach that brings a contemporary school of thought (Integral Theory) into our psycho-spiritual development. Have a look.
Source: What Are the Stages of Development? – Integral Life
The post What Are the Stages of Development? – Integral Life appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The Pain / Pleasure Trap – 10/18/2012
The post The Pain / Pleasure Trap… that can be avoided. appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The Pain / Pleasure Trap – 10/18/2012
The post The Pain / Pleasure Trap… that can be avoided. appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Clinging is the source of our suffering. Using meditation to uncover the path that leads us away from this habit enriches lives.
The post Not Clinging – 9/29/2021 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
By giving the hurt our full, intimate attention, we ease its grip.
The post Freedom From The Hurt appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The post Where’s the Heart in All of This Practice appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The post Where’s the Heart in All of This Practice appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Follow this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/LeWYEDBsoft9G0plufcgDiq_fTB2woMY6kPxK0nquygz0gvJHxiI2MO4LzVm_w7yf2GMzhaAEQm-oQS6.HGxETQW4thOAzoqS
The post Grief is Weird: Reflections on the Loss of a Loved One appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/LeWYEDBsoft9G0plufcgDiq_fTB2woMY6kPxK0nquygz0gvJHxiI2MO4LzVm_w7yf2GMzhaAEQm-oQS6.HGxETQW4thOAzoqS
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Seeking pleasure and ways of agrandizing our selves, along with avoiding emotions and death will veil enlightenment from Buddhist practitioners.
The post ISS Zoom Sitting: Intro Talk – 12/7/2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The post ISS Zoom Sitting: Intro Talk – 12/7/2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The post Infinite Smile Sangha Zoom Sitting and Talk – 11/30/2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The post Infinite Smile Sangha Zoom Sitting and Talk – 11/30/2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
To gain access to the Dharma Talk, click here. Should you want to join us live on Monday evenings: Scroll down on the homepage and get on our mailing list so that we can email you the pass/meeting code to get into the weekly, 7p PST gatherings. Click here to Zoom with us.
The post Dharma Talk via Zoom – July 13, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
To gain access to the Dharma Talk, click here. Should you want to join us live on Monday evenings: 1. Scroll down on the homepage and get on our mailing list so that we can email you the pass/meeting code to get into the weekly, 7p PST gatherings. 2. Click here to Zoom with us.
The post Dharma Talk via Zoom – July 13, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
To gain access to the Dharma Talk, click here. Should you want to join us live on Monday evenings: Scroll down on the homepage and get on our mailing list so that we can email you the pass/meeting code to get into the weekly, 7p PST gatherings. Click here to Zoom with us.
The post Dharma Talk via Zoom – July 6, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
To gain access to the Dharma Talk, click here. Should you want to join us live on Monday evenings: 1. Scroll down on the homepage and get on our mailing list so that we can email you the pass/meeting code to get into the weekly, 7p PST gatherings. 2. Click here to Zoom with us.
The post Dharma Talk via Zoom – July 6, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s the Intro Talk.
Here’s the Dharma Talk followed by Q & A.
The post Dharma Talks via Zoom – June 15, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s the Intro Talk. Here’s the Dharma Talk followed by Q & A.
The post Dharma Talks via Zoom – June 15, 2020 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Found this both fascinating and in alignment with what we’re doing at Infinite Smile Sangha. John Yang reports… In April, millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims around the world mark Easter, Passover and Ramadan — some of the holiest observances of the year. But how are followers of these religions expressing faith and community when […]
The post How religious observances are adapting to social distancing | PBS NewsHour appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Found this both fascinating and in alignment with what we’re doing at Infinite Smile Sangha. John Yang reports…
In April, millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims around the world mark Easter, Passover and Ramadan — some of the holiest observances of the year. But how are followers of these religions expressing faith and community when the pandemic makes traditional gatherings impossible?
Source: How religious observances are adapting to social distancing | PBS NewsHour
The post How religious observances are adapting to social distancing | PBS NewsHour appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
It sometimes feels like the “Apocalypse” is nigh: For people of many faiths, and even none at all, it can feel lately like the end of the world is near. Not only is there a plague, but hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming East Africa. Wildfires have ravaged Australia, killing an untold number of […]
The post The Apocalypse as an ‘Unveiling’: What Religion Teaches Us About the End Times – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
It sometimes feels like the “Apocalypse” is nigh:
For people of many faiths, and even none at all, it can feel lately like the end of the world is near. Not only is there a plague, but hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming East Africa. Wildfires have ravaged Australia, killing an untold number of animals. A recent earthquake in Utah even shook the Salt Lake Temple to the top of its iconic spire, causing the golden trumpet to fall from the angel Moroni’s right hand.
But, as the article points out, wisdom traditions have their own way of suggesting that massive challenges like we are currently facing can help revealing how we might do things better. Let’s hope so.
Source: The Apocalypse as an ‘Unveiling’: What Religion Teaches Us About the End Times – The New York Times
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I’m struck by how this quarantined living feels so similar to a retreat. There are differences, obviously. But the practice, and the mindset, is helpful. Be safe and enjoy the read.
Source: What Living In A Buddhist Monastery Taught Me About Getting Through Quarantine | HuffPost
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I’m struck by how this quarantined living feels so similar to a retreat. There are differences, obviously. But the practice, and the mindset, is helpful. Be safe and enjoy the read. Source: What Living In A Buddhist Monastery Taught Me About Getting Through Quarantine | HuffPost
The post What Living In A Buddhist Monastery Taught Me About Getting Through Quarantine | HuffPost appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here are the details of how to connect… from anywhere: VIA COMPUTER Downloaded the free Zoom app. You’ll need to do this BEFORE you can access the meeting. https://zoom.us/download Once you’ve downloaded the app then join the Zoom Meeting by clicking the following link. https://zoom.us/j/826589078 Meeting ID: 826 589 078 VIA PHONE Call from the USA: 669-900-6833 Call internationally: +1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 826 589 078 The post Join us for Virtual Sangha sittings! appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here are the details of how to connect… from anywhere: VIA COMPUTER Downloaded the free Zoom app. You’ll need to do this BEFORE you can access the meeting. https://zoom.us/download Once you’ve downloaded the app then join the Zoom Meeting by clicking the following link. https://zoom.us/j/826589078 Meeting ID: 826 589 078 VIA PHONE Call from the USA: 669-900-6833 […]
The post Join us for Virtual Sangha sittings! appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Dharma Friends, Just because we can’t meet in person doesn’t mean we can’t connect. Until we are able to gather again, please join us tonight, Monday 3/23, at 7pm PST via Zoom. We will follow our usual format – Michael will give a brief intro, we will have a 20 minute sitting, followed by a shortened talk. Here are the details of how to connect: There are two ways to join the meeting, your choice. #1: via your computer (you must download the app first). You will have audio and visual access #2: via your phone (no app is required for the phone option). You will have audio access only VIA COMPUTER Again, if you’ve never downloaded the Zoom app you’ll need to do that BEFORE you can access the meeting. It’s free.
https://zoom.us/download
Once you’ve downloaded the app then join the Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/657934309
Meeting ID: 657 934 309
VIA PHONE Call: 669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 657 934 309 In addition, please connect with us via our social media platforms: InfiniteSmile.org Facebook.com/InfiniteSmile Twitter.com/infinitesmile Instagram.com/InfiniteSmileSangha or email: info@infinitesmile.com Looking forward to being alone together. The post Infinite Smile Sangha via ZOOM! appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Dharma Friends, Just because we can’t meet in person doesn’t mean we can’t connect. Until we are able to gather again, please join us tonight, Monday 3/23, at 7pm PST via Zoom. We will follow our usual format – Michael will give a brief intro, we will have a 20 minute sitting, followed by a shortened […]
The post Infinite Smile Sangha via ZOOM! appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
"Enlightenment is not an experience. Rather it's living from a truth that goes past any story any of us might have about what truth might be."
The post Video: What Enlightenment Is NOT… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
There is often a great deal of confusion about awakening in relation to the awakening experience. Enlightenment is simply living beyond the stories the mind tells itself. It’s about living continually from a place void of un-truth.
https://infinitesmile.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/WhatEnlightenmentIsNot.mp4 The post Video: What Enlightenment Is NOT… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
https://infinitesmile.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DealingWithGuilt.mp4 The post Video: Dealing With Guilt appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
How is it possible to meet the continual challenges we face from a place of peace?
The post Video: Getting on the Other Side of Hurt appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Quick Dharma Talk – 7/29/19
How is it possible to meet the continual challenges we face from a place of peace?
The post Video: Getting on the Other Side of Hurt appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Michael will be presenting with our friends at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church on this lecture series, on 3/28/19 from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Care to join?
___
Life Worth Living
Thursday evenings, March 21 to May 9, 6:30-9:30 (excluding April 18) and all-day retreat on March 30 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church
What does it mean for a life to go well?
What do I need to do to lead a life worth living?
What does it mean for life to feel good?
During this 7-week program, we will engage in dialogue with leaders of philosophical and faith traditions to explore how each imagines a life worth living (Utilitarianism, the Buddha, the Torah and the Hebrew prophetic and wisdom writers, Jesus of Nazareth, Muhammad, and Technology/Scientific Humanism).
We will also engage with contemporary individuals who understand their lives to be shaped by each of these traditions and enriched by practices such as mindfulness meditation, generosity, doing the most good you can through personal choices, compassion, rest, prayer, and forgiveness.
The program includes a retreat that invites you to reflect on your own worldview and approach to the questions under consideration and to enter a process of discerning the good life. During the last session, participants will be asked to articulate their own personal vision of a life worth living.
To register contact renee@lopc.org. Cost: $90
Registration fees are due by March 1.
For more information, contact Jane Doty MacKenzie
at lifeworthlivingsf@comcast.net
Limited scholarships available
Made possible through a grant from Yale Divinity School and the Templeton Foundation.
The post Community Opportunity appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Michael will be presenting with our friends at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church on this lecture series, on 3/28/19 from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Care to join? ___ Life Worth Living Thursday evenings, March 21 to May 9, 6:30-9:30 (excluding April 18) and all-day retreat on March 30 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church What does it mean for a […]
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Great read…
The best way I can describe the effect is to liken it to a software upgrade for my brain — an update designed to guard against the terrible way the online world takes over your time and your mind.
Source: Opinion | You Should Meditate Every Day – The New York Times
The post Opinion | You Should Meditate Every Day – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Great read… The best way I can describe the effect is to liken it to a software upgrade for my brain — an update designed to guard against the terrible way the online world takes over your time and your mind. Source: Opinion | You Should Meditate Every Day – The New York Times
The post Opinion | You Should Meditate Every Day – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Robert Greene
I enjoyed this brief Quillette interview with Robert Greene. It both contextualizes much of what comes up in Sangha discussions. Getting over “ourselves” is serious business. But I write this with a smile on my face.
Question, question, question. Don’t assume that the reason that you feel something, and that it’s right just because you feel it. And in that kind of process, you will become rational, you’ll become somebody who can use empathy, you will have the ability to judge people properly and accept them for who they are as opposed to continually moralizing, wishing people were something that they’re not.
Source: “Stop Assuming that Everything You Feel or Think Is Right”—An Interview with Robert Greene – Quillette
The post “Stop Assuming that Everything You Feel or Think Is Right”—An Interview with Robert Greene – Quillette appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
I enjoyed this brief Quillette interview with Robert Greene. It both contextualizes much of what comes up in Sangha discussions. Getting over “ourselves” is serious business. But I write this with a smile on my face. Question, question, question. Don’t assume that the reason that you feel something, and that it’s right just because you […]
The post “Stop Assuming that Everything You Feel or Think Is Right”—An Interview with Robert Greene – Quillette appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
I enjoyed Jack Kornfield’s approach, relating to the topic of interpreting “enlightenment.” I would also add that what is available at every level, and at the core of every interpretation, is the simple experience of awareness. If our practice leads us here, so much else follows.
… it is wisest to speak of enlightenment with the plural s—as enlightenments. It’s the same way with God. There are so many forms: Jehovah, Allah, Brahma, Jesus, Kali, and so forth. As soon as followers say they know the one true God, conflict arises. Similarly, if you speak of enlightenment as one thing, conflict arises and you miss the truth.
Source: Enlightenments, Not Enlightenment – Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
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I enjoyed Jack Kornfield’s approach, relating to the topic of interpreting “enlightenment.” I would also add that what is available at every level, and at the core of every interpretation, is the simple experience of awareness. If our practice leads us here, so much else follows. … it is wisest to speak of enlightenment with […]
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I wrote about this a while back. Seems relevant for us all: “Fundamentalism arises when any religious organization, or any person, attaches so intensely to some version of truth that it must be defended. In this space, the ego continually seeks security by playing out its drama of “attack and defend.” This drama offers all […]
The post Beware of Fundamentalism appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
I wrote about this a while back. Seems relevant for us all:
“Fundamentalism arises when any religious organization, or any person, attaches so intensely to some version of truth that it must be defended. In this space, the ego continually seeks security by playing out its drama of “attack and defend.” This drama offers all sorts of teachers and practitioners an opportunity to commit to various forms of separation where an attitude of “we’re right and they’re wrong” not only rules, but begets more attachment. This space can sow seeds of terrible violence all in the name of the collective egoic version of what it deems sacred.
Fundamentalism, in any of us, destroys that which it seeks to protect. It’s as if a hand, enticed by the elegant simplicity of a flower and wanting to possess its beauty, grasps its bloom and crushes what it wants most. Living from a place of true intimacy, where flowers could be experienced rather than possessed, would mean that ego would have to allow itself out of its own cage of security. Yet to do this the ego must surrender to that which it cannot control.
This Awakened surrender is rare since the ego is always busy seeking control. Even when this opening happens for[…]”
Excerpt From: McAlister, Michael. “Awake in This Life: A Guide for Those Climbing the Mountain of Spirit.” BookSurge Publishing, 2008-05-03T07:00:00+00:00. iBooks.
This material is protected by copyright.
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A beautiful articulation of how art reminds us of what is holy in our hearts. The gesture seems to command us to halt, in such a gentle, dancer-like way that it also soothes and beckons. Calm down, it says; come closer. Source: Is This the Most Powerful Sculpture at the Met? – The New York […]
The post Is This the Most Powerful Sculpture at the Met? – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
A beautiful articulation of how art reminds us of what is holy in our hearts.
The gesture seems to command us to halt, in such a gentle, dancer-like way that it also soothes and beckons. Calm down, it says; come closer.
Source: Is This the Most Powerful Sculpture at the Met? – The New York Times
The post Is This the Most Powerful Sculpture at the Met? – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
A part of me is surprised that it took so long for this story to be told. Source: The New York Times
The post The ‘King’ of Shambhala Buddhism, Undone by #MeToo appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
A part of me is surprised that it took so long for this story to be told.
Source: The New York Times
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Here’s a link to a recent dissertation of practice by Michael McAlister. The attractive woman pictured on his left is his mother, a fellow USC Trojan.
Deepening Awareness: The Integration of Mindfulness Practices in United States High Schools – University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (16)
ABSTRACT: Mindfulness practices build an attentive awareness of the present moment and appear to support the kind of well-being school communities seek to cultivate. Currently there are increases in demands for the services offered by crisis counselors, who work to serve students’ emotional needs. Students are increasingly reporting levels of chronic sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. This is reflected nationally with high school students around the country reporting increased incidents of stress and depression. This issue represents larger educational problems, which correlate increased stress levels and ineffective teaching of coping skills with more serious problems such as increased risk of teen suicide. The problem of practice addressed by this dissertation is how schools might best integrate mindfulness practices, the learned attentive awareness of the present moment, into this void and evaluate whether this approach to increasing students’ ability to pay attention to their immediate experience, helps mitigate the problems affiliated with increased levels of stress.
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Here’s a link to a recent dissertation of practice by Michael McAlister. The attractive woman pictured on his left is his mother, a fellow USC Trojan. Deepening Awareness: The Integration of Mindfulness Practices in United States High Schools – University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (16) ABSTRACT: Mindfulness practices build an attentive awareness of […]
The post Deepening Awareness: the integration of mindfulness practices in United States high schools appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Great read about the science of mindfulness: What we know, what we don’t know, and what the future holds. Especially interesting is the move in neuroscience concerning the conversion of states into traits.
Source: Meditators Under the Microscope
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Great read about the science of mindfulness: What we know, what we don’t know, and what the future holds. Especially interesting is the move in neuroscience concerning the conversion of states into traits. Source: Meditators Under the Microscope
The post Meditators Under the Microscope appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
It’s worthy for us to consider how Myanmar, with its Buddhist leanings, might appropriately adjust policy relating to the Rohingya Muslims in a more compassionate way. Source: The Rohingya refugee crisis is the worst in decades – Daily chart
The post The Rohingya Muslim refugee crisis appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
It’s worthy for us to consider how Myanmar, with its Buddhist leanings, might appropriately adjust policy relating to the Rohingya Muslims in a more compassionate way.
Source: The Rohingya refugee crisis is the worst in decades – Daily chart
The post The Rohingya Muslim refugee crisis appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thought this was worthy of humanity’s consideration…
Within each of us exists the potential to contribute positively to society. Although one individual among so many on this planet may seem too insignificant to have much of an effect on the course of humanity, it is our personal efforts that will determine the direction our society is heading.
Source: Dalai Lama: Our Future Is Very Much in Our Hands – The New York Times
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Thought this was worthy of humanity’s consideration… Within each of us exists the potential to contribute positively to society. Although one individual among so many on this planet may seem too insignificant to have much of an effect on the course of humanity, it is our personal efforts that will determine the direction our society […]
The post Dalai Lama: Our Future Is Very Much in Our Hands – The New York Times appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thanks to the generous underwriting from one of our sangha members, Charla Gabbert, and the many contributions from others, the site is back up and running. All of the old podcasts have been recovered and are being re-syncronized with iTunes as I write this message. New content to follow.
Bows to all…
The post We’re Back! appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
It’s one thing to play in a single Olympic Games–but add a second and then a third opportunity and then you wonder how Team USA Water Polo goalkeeper Merrill Moses, 38—and on the cusp of turning 39—remains physically sharp and mentally prepared to play a game where the majority of […]
Source: How Mindfulness Propelled USA Olympic Water Polo Player Merrill Moses To The Olympics
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It’s one thing to play in a single Olympic Games–but add a second and then a third opportunity and then you wonder how Team USA Water Polo goalkeeper Merrill Moses, 38—and on the cusp of turning 39—remains physically sharp and mentally prepared to play a game where the majority of […] Source: How Mindfulness Propelled […]
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In a city full of fitness and wellness tribes, it can be seemingly impossible to break into a new one — but not when it comes to joining the growing group of meditators. Last week, a New York Times article explored the “mainstream business practice and a kind of industry in its own right” that meditation has […]
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In a city full of fitness and wellness tribes, it can be seemingly impossible to break into a new one — but not when it comes to joining the growing group of meditators. Last week, a New York Times article explored the “mainstream business practice and a kind of industry in its own right” that meditation has become. And though inclusive — it’s hard not to feel welcome at a group meditation — the movement is quickly becoming associated with millennials and start-up companies.
Source: My Meditation Binge, in a Nutshell
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Thought this was interesting: “There are no nouns in the universe, only verbs. Everything is energy, nothing is real”, said Chopra in his opening remarks. Summarizing enlightenment, he said, “Be aware. This is the key to waking up.” Similarly, Tolle remarked, “Consciousness is where experience occurs. I am consciousness. Simply knowing that and slipping into […]
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Thought this was interesting:
“There are no nouns in the universe, only verbs. Everything is energy, nothing is real”, said Chopra in his opening remarks. Summarizing enlightenment, he said, “Be aware. This is the key to waking up.” Similarly, Tolle remarked, “Consciousness is where experience occurs. I am consciousness. Simply knowing that and slipping into the self beyond the self in this present moment is awakening.”
Read On
The post Be Aware appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
I thought this was interesting. No one is immune to this kind of thing, especially teachers. It’s worth the read.
What happens when the guru up and quits?
The controversial American spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen did just that about two years ago, and his disappearing act became an enduring mystery in the New Age world. In June 2013, amid increasing allegations of abuse and cultish behavior, Cohen formally apologized in an open letter to his worldwide community of followers and voluntarily relinquished his 27-year reign as their “Perfectly Liberated Spiritual Master.”
Perhaps this is not earth-shaking news to observers accustomed to tales of cult leaders gone bad, but within the spiritual subculture, Andrew Cohen quitting his job and vanishing was a very big deal. Despite all “the blood and tears he left in his trail,” as he sometimes boasted, he had consistently weathered all attempts to expose and depose him, and actually seemed to be at the top of his game.
Source: What Happens When Your Guru Disappears? – The Daily Beast
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I thought this was interesting. No one is immune to this kind of thing, especially teachers. It’s worth the read. What happens when the guru up and quits? The controversial American spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen did just that about two years ago, and his disappearing act became an enduring mystery in the New Age world. In […]
The post What Happens When Your Guru Disappears? – The Daily Beast appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Sorry it’s taken so long to get back into the swing. Truth be told, we’ll be catching up for a while. The past couple of years have been interesting with growth on the part of Sangha participation and yet there’s been a steady withering away of our online presence. This is most likely because we simply let it slide. No excuses. Maintaining the blog, the videos and the podcasts ate away at time that needed to be spent in other areas. It’s all good, but we’ve narrowed what used to be wide. Our hope is to open up again in ways that allow for us to continue to spread a teaching that has been very helpful for many of us.
Thanks for your patience.
The post Oops… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Sorry it’s taken so long to get back into the swing. Truth be told, we’ll be catching up for a while. The past couple of years have been interesting with growth on the part of Sangha participation and yet there’s been a steady withering away of our online presence. This is most likely because we […]
The post Oops… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
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Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula diam, ornare magna erat felis wisi a risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada eleifend, tortor molestie, a fusce a vel et. Mauris at suspendisse, neque aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus in. Wisi mattis leo suscipit nec amet, nisl fermentum tempor ac a, augue in eleifend in venenatis, cras sit […]
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Days after the Boston bombing, Michael offered this talk about how all of us have the capacity to cling and become unconscious. He also points out that we all have the ability to move past clinging so that we can truly "run again" by looking outside of ourselves and by looking inside. The look inside, […]
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Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula diam, ornare magna erat felis wisi a risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada eleifend, tortor molestie, a fusce a vel et. Mauris at suspendisse, neque aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus in. Wisi mattis leo suscipit nec amet, nisl fermentum tempor ac a, augue in eleifend in venenatis, cras sit […]
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Join us.
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Join us.
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Come join us., a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr.
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Come join us., a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr. The post Come join us. appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
The recognition of meditations professional application, in my view, is such a welcome sign. I should also say that I’ve enjoyed my experiences at Wisdom 2.0 conferences. My only concern with the article centers around the suggestion in the piece that the “code” of “enlightenment” is something that some teachers say can be cracked. While […]
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The recognition of meditations professional application, in my view, is such a welcome sign. I should also say that I’ve enjoyed my experiences at Wisdom 2.0 conferences.
My only concern with the article centers around the suggestion in the piece that the “code” of “enlightenment” is something that some teachers say can be cracked. While I agree that it’s reproducible – traditionally called transmission – treating awakening as something that can be commodified can’t help but water-down the teaching as well as its expression.
Its not just Google thats embracing Eastern traditions. Across the Valley, quiet contemplation is seen as the new caffeine, the fuel that allegedly unlocks productivity and creative bursts. Classes in meditation and mindfulnesspaying close, nonjudgmental attentionhave become staples at many of the regions most prominent companies. Theres a Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute now teaching the Google meditation method to whoever wants it. The cofounders of Twitter and Facebook have made contemplative practices key features of their new enterprises, holding regular in-office meditation sessions and arranging for work routines that maximize mindfulness. Some 1,700 people showed up at a Wisdom 2.0 conference held in San Francisco this winter, with top executives from LinkedIn, Cisco, and Ford featured among the headliners.
Call me old-school, but spending time at the feet of masters helps prevent the proliferation of limited selves that think they’re Absolute.
Read on: In Silicon Valley, Meditation Is No Fad. It Could Make Your Career | Wired Business | Wired.com.
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Cool article… There can be little doubt that traditional religious frameworks are no longer speaking to new generations as they have in the past, especially in the West. In a recent article in the LA Times, Philip Clayton, Dean of Faculty at Claremont School of Theology, writes that the fastest growing religious group in the […]
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Cool article…
There can be little doubt that traditional religious frameworks are no longer speaking to new generations as they have in the past, especially in the West. In a recent article in the LA Times, Philip Clayton, Dean of Faculty at Claremont School of Theology, writes that the fastest growing religious group in the United States is “spiritual but not religious,” containing a shocking 75 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29. Clayton argues that young people are not necessarily rejecting a sense of God, rather they feel that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in the structures of the political status quo.
This is why the Interspiritual Revolution is so important. In a recent book of magnificent scope, “The Coming Interspiritual Age” (Namaste Publishing 2013), Dr. Kurt Johnson, a former Anglican monk and evolutionary biologist, together with David Robert Ord, trace the history of the interspiritual movement from no less than the Big Bang.
Read on
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Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. You can easily pay there with either a credit card or through Paypal.
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If you have any questions, contact us.
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Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken […]
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Commuter Zen #98
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Commuter Zen #98
The post What do we do with criticism? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Commuter Zen #97
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Commuter Zen #97
The post What should I do with intense craving? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Springtime at San Francisco Zen Center, a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr. The post Springtime at San Francisco Zen Center appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Springtime at San Francisco Zen Center, a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr.
The post Springtime at San Francisco Zen Center appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. You can easily pay there with either a credit card or through Paypal.
Register Now
If you have any questions, contact Kristi.
The post Come Join Us… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken […]
The post Come Join Us… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Retreaters, a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr.
The post Retreaters appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Retreaters, a photo by Butsu Sho on Flickr. The post Retreaters appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Watching this story play out should be interesting. A new study by Canadian academics says Mother Teresa was a product of hype who housed the poor and sick in shoddy conditions, despite her access to a fortune. The Times of India, reporting on the controversial essay, wrote that the authors asserted Mother Teresa saw beauty in the […]
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Watching this story play out should be interesting.
A new study by Canadian academics says Mother Teresa was a product of hype who housed the poor and sick in shoddy conditions, despite her access to a fortune.
The Times of India, reporting on the controversial essay, wrote that the authors asserted Mother Teresa saw beauty in the downtrodden’s suffering and was far more willing to pray for them than provide practical medical care. Meanwhile, researchers say, the Vatican engaged in a PR ploy as it threw aside concerns about her suspicious financial dealings and contacts to forgo the five-year waiting period to beatify her.
Read on…
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Lew Richmond offers up a great article on the Huffington Post:
“Emptiness” is a central teaching of all Buddhism, but its true meaning is often misunderstood. If we are ever to embrace Buddhism properly into the West, we need to be clear about emptiness, since a wrong understanding of its meaning can be confusing, even harmful. The third century Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna taught, “Emptiness wrongly grasped is like picking up a poisonous snake by the wrong end.” In other words, we will be bitten!
Read on
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Lew Richmond offers up a great article on the Huffington Post: “Emptiness” is a central teaching of all Buddhism, but its true meaning is often misunderstood. If we are ever to embrace Buddhism properly into the West, we need to be clear about emptiness, since a wrong understanding of its meaning can be confusing, even […]
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Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken […]
The post Come Join Us… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Spring 2013 Day-long Intensive The Power of Vulnerability Saturday, May 11, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. You can easily pay there with either a credit card or through Paypal.
Register Now
If you have any questions, contact Kristi.
The post Come Join Us… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Commuter Zen #96
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Commuter Zen #96
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Commuter Zen #95
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Commuter Zen #95
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I was glad to read this short piece by Joe Perez. Actually, I’m usually glad to read whatever Joe writes, but I’ve been concerned lately with what I’ve seen expressed in spiritual circles in terms of embracing simplicity as the answer to complex issues. This applies to all areas of our day-to-day lives: politics, relationships, […]
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I was glad to read this short piece by Joe Perez. Actually, I’m usually glad to read whatever Joe writes, but I’ve been concerned lately with what I’ve seen expressed in spiritual circles in terms of embracing simplicity as the answer to complex issues. This applies to all areas of our day-to-day lives: politics, relationships, consuming, child-rearing, and spiritual work. Nuance matters. This doesn’t negate the value of simplicity but we should be careful not to cling to elegance less we diminish its offering.
Anyway, give Joe a read:
I do worry when some folks talk about embracing paradox if they really mean to counsel an escape into an anarchic mind. Anarchy is best embraced in moderation.
via How to embrace both sides of a profound, conflicting wisdom | Joe Perez.
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The most contagious thing this flu season is not a viral infection. Rather, the most contagious thing in any season is unconsciousness. Unfortunately, vaccines for unconsciousness are hard to come by. However, consciousness itself is in infinite supply. Tapping into this helps all of us inspire helpfulness and generosity, two critical components of any authentic awakening.
In this evening’s talk, Michael talks about the parts of our experience that are effortlessly centered around opening. Michael equates awakening with the experience of riding, and purchasing, a bike. The components of any high-end bicycle, it seems, are singular and yet the style of the bike itself can vary.
___
Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.
Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk.
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The most contagious thing this flu season is not a viral infection. Rather, the most contagious thing in any season is unconsciousness. Unfortunately, vaccines for unconsciousness are hard to come by. However, consciousness itself is in infinite supply. Tapping into this helps all of us inspire helpfulness and generosity, two critical components of any authentic […]
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Winter 2013 Day-long Intensive No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER We only have a few spots left! This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is […]
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Winter 2013 Day-long Intensive No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER We only have a few spots left!
This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. Once you click the Paypal link, you will have the option to pay with a credit card of your choice.
Click Here to Register If you have any questions, contact Kristi.
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Commuter Zen #94
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Commuter Zen #94
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Commuter Zen #93
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Commuter Zen #93
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May 3, 2011
Student: Have you ever forgotten more than you thought you could forget?
Michael: Interesting question, but could you get a little more specific?
Student: Well, something weird has been occurring in that I thought I knew what mind was, but in turning back to itself, there is such emptiness that no description really remains. I dont know what mind is any more. I dont know what I am any more. I mean I know that I fulfill all these roles at work, at home and in the world, but its like Im losing a sense of being rooted at all. Its bizarre, like I have some type of sudden, spiritually oriented forgetfulness.
Michael: Yeah. I know what you mean. When we start to wake up, its less about what were learning and more about what were unlearning. Less about what were hanging on to and more about what were letting go of.
Student: That makes sense. Its like the Big Self doesnt need to know mind or anything else, or does it?
Michael: The Big Self doesnt need anything.
Student: It doesnt even need to exist. It just is. And something will always arise out of its tenderness. Does this make sense? It is just strange.
Michael: Do you want it to make sense, or do you simply want to rest as that tenderness?
Student: Oh yeah. Thank you. So, I dont really know how to ask this so Ill just fire away: what brought you back.
Michael: Back from what?
Student: From your, I dont know, summit experience. What brought you back down the mountain, so to speak?
Michael: Well, I spent a while forgetting what it meant to be human. Beer, football and peanut butter brought me back, but only partially. But Im still forgetting that Im here and that Im necessary, on the one hand. On the other hand I also feel passionately driven to share this stuff while I live as a functioning member of society. I guess the big deal is that despite my blend of passion and non-attachment, I dont get caught that much anymore. As the awakening process unfolds, this whole life gets pretty relaxing. Make sure that you enjoy how life begins to express itself through you as your shifts begin and end. I mean youre already on the cusp of this and probably have begun to feel how the mind gets reconfigured in ways that allow it to work in tandem with No Mind: the ultimate in reorientation. Its pretty cool, but we need to continue our practice in order for it to stabilize.
Student: Thank you.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #72 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
May 3, 2011 Student: Have you ever forgotten more than you thought you could forget? Michael: Interesting question, but could you get a little more specific? Student: Well, something weird has been occurring in that I thought I knew what mind was, but in turning back to itself, there is such emptiness that no description […]
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No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our […]
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No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. Once you click the Paypal link, you will have the option to pay with a credit card of your choice.
Register Now
If you have any questions, contact Kristi.
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As a parent, a citizen and a human being, I weep for the little ones of Newtown, Connecticut. I mourn for their families, their friends and I weep for us, as a people, who keep enduring these senseless incidents. The Newtown tragedy cuts deep for any of us that are parents since we cant help but […]
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As a parent, a citizen and a human being, I weep for the little ones of Newtown, Connecticut. I mourn for their families, their friends and I weep for us, as a people, who keep enduring these senseless incidents. The Newtown tragedy cuts deep for any of us that are parents since we cant help but see our own pain in the anguished faces of those realizing that their children will not be coming home. The kisses I share with my own kindergartener and pre-schooler always presuppose a tender repetition even though I know that there is no guarantee of any such thing. Its all so fleeting and temporary. Each story of the unfolding aftermath keeps offering me a reminder of this uncertainty and because of this I consider those that were lost to be my children. No. They are our children? In precisely the same way, the disturbed young man who shot them is also ours. So are the laws that so often make it harder for us to register to vote than to acquire the types of weapons used at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
So whats the appropriate response?
Avoiding the issue isnt the answer. Nor will our prayers and ritualized moments of silence be enough. We’re being called to act in the most profound ways. Despite this, the politicians and chatter class argue that its too soon to have a serious discussion about gun control, which is simply code for the very denial that keeps these tragedies showing up on our evening news. Running from the debate offers lawmakers cover so that they can keep their campaign coffers full and makes it sound as if they are working to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. As long as this model holds there is little room for debate and no room for discussion. Not only does this lack of engagement allow for these gun tragedies to continue, it also allows for a broader dysfunction to flourish. No doubt, tragedies will continue to happen and shameful amounts of unconsciousness will unfold. But perhaps the tragedy and the cries heard from Newtown can wake us, and our representatives, from our cowardly slumber and inspire us to weave some sanity back into our gun laws.
Were hardly afraid of debate in this country. We can debate a womans right to choose and whether or not homosexual couples should enjoy equal protection under the law. What we cant seem to do is effectively figure out is how to debate the issues surrounding those mentally unstable people who legally gain access to, and then use, guns against innocents. These discussions will require civility and, let’s face it, Americans are great at heaping incivility on each other especially in the public square. Just turn on cable news. Listen to talk-radio. The vitriole can be so disheartening. But underneath the venom is nothing other than fear, and fear is the seed of anger. What are we afraid of? We fear that something we hold dear might be taken from us. One of the great truths that each of us realizes sooner or later is that everything will be taken from us no matter how tightly we might cling. So whats there to fear if everything in our lives is borrowed anyway? Whenever we truly listen and feel like were heard, we get the chance to see through our fear and anger tends to dissipate. What might happen if we did this in relation to our broader political discourse? What if we listened at least as much as we talked? For the record, learning to listen effectively is not naïve, New Age crap. Its the appropriate path and it might keep us from having to so often console those who’ve had to endure what Newtown currently faces because our laws haven’t reflected common sense.
Common sense is in American DNA. None of us has to reach back to far in our memories to recognize that we are a people that can do amazing things. This isnt a nod to American exceptionalism. Chest-thumping, in general, and as it relates to our gun laws, specifically, represents us at our worst. We can, and must, do better than this. Rethinking and reimplementing sane gun policy will require silence, patience and courage not just for the political class and the punditry, but for all of us. And I’m convinced that we can do it. The historian, Shelby Foote, points out that the genius of American politics is compromise. Weve adjusted legislation relating to guns at both the federal and state levels in meaningful and effective ways before in our history. It’s time we do it again. We just need the courage. For the sake of the dead and grieving, as well as the hopes and dreams that I hold for my own children and yours, I’m hoping that this tragedy helps all of us find our way.
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May 3, 2011
Student: What is jealousy?
Michael: Its a brutal celebration of separation.
Student: Nice.
Michael: Is that all you wanted to talk about?
Student: No. Im dealing with something pretty brutal and yet, at the same time, interesting… and it ties into jealousy.
Michael: Want to share?
Student: Sure. We got robbed yesterday. There is still love and light filling our home, but my kids arent aware of it right now. Creativity is moving through me, trying to reassure my kids that we are still safe, even amidst the insecurity of an unpredictable life. How could it be otherwise? But Im not sure yet how to help my kids feel the peace that Im feeling.
Michael: Keep showing them that you feel peace. That very light will inspire them; slowly, perhaps, but it will inspire their own inner radiance.
Student: Yeah, Ive kind of intuited that. Im amazed actually at how the brutality of it all is recognized but it isnt crushing me as it might have some time back.
Michael: It sounds like the confidence you have in your practice is offering you something.
Student: Peace in the face of it all, maybe.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #71 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
May 3, 2011 Student: What is jealousy? Michael: Its a brutal celebration of separation. Student: Nice. Michael: Is that all you wanted to talk about? Student: No. Im dealing with something pretty brutal and yet, at the same time, interesting… and it ties into jealousy. Michael: Want to share? Student: Sure. We got robbed yesterday. […]
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Your Gift Will Be Matched December 2012 Dear Friends, We have exciting news! One of our members has generously offered to match any donation up to five-thousand dollars made between now and December 31st. This means that your power as a donor has just been doubled. Please think of the impact you can make by taking […]
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| December 2012 Dear Friends, We have exciting news! One of our members has generously offered to match any donation up to five-thousand dollars made between now and December 31st. This means that your power as a donor has just been doubled. Please think of the impact you can make by taking advantage of this opportunity and help support our cause during this season of giving. We believe that the work we’re doing at Infinite Smile Sangha is meaningful. If you agree, and have seen how our offering has made an impact on you or someone you love, please give. Any donation, large or small, helps us continue to provide support to you and those who find this work valuable. Your generosity matters and truly makes a difference. Bows, The Infinite Smile Sangha |
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Ben Hutchison’s piece for The Under 35 Project is a great reminder of how our path unfolds when we are no longer caught by the path itself. In practicing Buddhism, in whatever form or lineage you choose, there is going to be loss and disappointment. As Dogen writes in Genjokoan, flowers fall amid our longing and weeds […]
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Ben Hutchison’s piece for The Under 35 Project is a great reminder of how our path unfolds when we are no longer caught by the path itself.
In practicing Buddhism, in whatever form or lineage you choose, there is going to be loss and disappointment. As Dogen writes in Genjokoan, flowers fall amid our longing and weeds spring up amid or antipathy. Looking back at my patterns now, I see this loss of mine a little differently. Now, I practice. I dont wear beads too often. I still have books but I read them instead of carrying them around for show and tell. I shy away from wearing a Buddhist badge unless I have to. All of those things that happened to me that made me feel so alone were actually a slow peel of my conceptions and trappings I had about the religion of Buddhism.
via Dharma Lost and Found The Under 35 Project.
The post Breaking Through the Dharma Wall appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ April 27, 2011 Student: Since our last talk, its like everything, on the one hand, is easier and makes more sense. Its like Im […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #70 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
April 27, 2011
Student: Since our last talk, its like everything, on the one hand, is easier and makes more sense. Its like Im seeing big picture and small frame more easily. Sometimes its as if I see them at the same time even. But there are also sticking points that worry me.
Michael: Like what?
Student: Like how friendships are being reconfigured in a huge way. Weve talked about this a lot over the last year, I know, but as this practice has heated up, many of my friendships are just slipping away, and Im letting them. This is mostly because I dont relate like I used to, or maybe because I find relating on the surface level so uninteresting and Id rather be alone. So, now Im often alone.
Michael: Do you feel lonely when youre alone?
Student: Some times, but not nearly as often as I would have just a couple of years back. In fact I was thinking about this just the other day how I feel so very content.
Michael: So whats your greatest concern?
Student: Is it dishonest to keep a friendship alive just because sometimes I dont want to be alone, but not necessarily because this relationship represents the deepest truth?
Michael: Letting go of friendships can involve both non-participation as well as limited participation, as well as full participation. The trick is being fully there when you are with someone. When we are fully present, we get to take on as much or as little of whatever offering is being made. Then we get to decide what to do.
The cautionary note is that harm can occur and ours and others light can be dimmed if we make participatory choices based on some unexamined need to anesthetize ourselves from the pain of loneliness. Just participate fully based on whatever is being offered, then choose consciously how to respond.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #70 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
How might a Buddhist most effectively respond to the many pressing (often scary) issues facing humanity today? It’s not very bodhisattva-like, for example, to merely cloak oneself in “non-attachment” when an “appropriate response” is to be helpful to all beings. So how might one best walk this tightrope? How might a practitioner of today most effectively regard the cries of the world while letting an ancient teaching inspire his or her actions?
Zen teacher, David Loy has some thoughts:
Unless you’re on long retreat in a Himalayan cave, it’s becoming more difficult to overlook the fact that our world is beset by interacting ecological, economic and social crises. Climate breakdown, species extinction, a dysfunctional economic system, corporate domination of government, overpopulation –it’s a critical time in human history, and the collective decisions we have to make during the next few years will set the course of events for generations to come.
via David Loy: The New Bodhisattva Path.
The post A New Bodhisattva Path? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
How might a Buddhist most effectively respond to the many pressing (often scary) issues facing humanity today? It’s not very bodhisattva-like, for example, to merely cloak oneself in “non-attachment” when an “appropriate response” is to be helpful to all beings. So how might one best walk this tightrope? How might a practitioner of today most […]
The post A New Bodhisattva Path? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Barbara O’Brien offers us an interesting take on how contemporary Buddhism runs the risk of getting watered-down. In Zen monasteries, a flat board is hung near the meditation hall, next to a mallet. This is the “han.” Striking the han with the mallet calls everyone to meditation. Traditionally, these words are inscribed on the han: Great is […]
The post Getting Back to the Great Matter appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Barbara O’Brien offers us an interesting take on how contemporary Buddhism runs the risk of getting watered-down.
In Zen monasteries, a flat board is hung near the meditation hall, next to a mallet. This is the “han.” Striking the han with the mallet calls everyone to meditation. Traditionally, these words are inscribed on the han:
Great is the matter of birth and death,
All is impermanent, quickly passing.
Awaken! Awaken!
Don’t waste this life.
Zen teachers often speak of enlightenment as resolving “the great matter.” Masters of the Zen tradition, from Bodhidharma to the present day, have taught that resolving the great matter of birth and death is the heart of practice. All the rest is ancillary.
Frankly, I couldn’t agree more with the whole “ancillary” argument. If this work isn’t about enlightenment, it’s merely about self-help. Worse yet, deep spiritual work can get sidetracked and go to war with war. Injustice, rather than being seen as a practice opportunity for delivering an “appropriate response”, sourced from an awakened generosity, can get covered by a false cloak of Buddhism thus reestablishing the very boundaries our practice helps us dissolve.
What’s the solution? Redoubling our efforts on awakening in whatever time it is that we have remaining in these bodies of ours. In maintaining a steady practice of stillness, we are afforded opportunities for massive transformation. This transformation allows for us to meet the demands of our contemporary lives with greater depth and, because of this, greater options from which we can choose to respond. Social issues, politics, economics, parenting, relationships all get enhanced as we pay closer and closer attention to the Great Matter. But circumventing this process by, as O’Brien points out, rearranging the furniture only dilutes both mission and purpose of a time-honored and well-tested experiment.
Awaken! Awaken!
Don’t waste this life.
The post Getting Back to the Great Matter appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
Apr. 19, 2011
Student: So the last few days have been amazing and Ive held off talking about it because I wanted things to settle down and sink in.
Michael: Good.
Student: But then at last nights Dharma talk, you said some stuff that seemed to simultaneously blow the top off, and drop the bottom out, of whatever was left of me. Its so weird. I dont really know where to begin. I dont even remember what you said. Ive been walking around feeling like Im totally here and yet not here at all.
Michael: And that paradox of being all here and not here at all resonates?
Student: Totally. Its so clear. But its not an action I need to take at all. I guess Id describe it as something like, theres only love, and I am in it and it is in me, and thats all there is.
Michael: Good.
Student: How long will this bliss last and is there anything to do besides, I dont know, just forget about it?
Michael: Just let the rewiring go forth unimpeded by any clinging. This applies to analysis, too. Let the bliss be bliss. Let the discomfort be discomfort. As you now know, every single thing is simply a facet on the Great Jewel of Love. Being able to consciously rest in that state is a great gift. Its a state that has the potential to inspire and offer fertile ground in which amazing traits can grow. But this can only happen if we allow this opening the space to unfold. So no, dont forget any of it. But also dont grab it. Its just a state, after all, born in time. Therefore, its temporary. Just let it be as it is, without trying to understand it, change it, fit it into a story, label it, fade it, build an identity around it or deny it. Any of these moves will defile the beauty of its offering.
Student: When this happened to you did it ever make you feel like your skin was too small?
Michael: Sure. Ive also nearly continually felt as if the pull of my real world responsibilities weakened as my practice deepened. But like all feelings, all states and all things, even this is temporary. My sense is that the most important thing we can do, once weve begun to see through the delusions that are imposed on us by the boundaries of our minds, we can come back into the world as a practitioner, and therefore a sharer, of this offering.
Student: And we do this by teaching?
Michael: Yes. And we can teach in the simplest ways, whether were doing it formally from a cushion or were doing it informally in the way we order our latte in the morning.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #69 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ Apr. 19, 2011 Student: So the last few days have been amazing and Ive held off talking about it because I wanted things to […]
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Susan Stabile offers us an interesting read over at the HuffingtonPost: … Buddhism has helped me understand in a richer way some of the truths of Christianity. Although expressed in different terms, many of the truths of Buddhism have resonance in Christianity (another subject I explore in some detail in “Growing in Love and Wisdom”). The […]
The post Christianity Enriched by Buddhism appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Susan Stabile offers us an interesting read over at the HuffingtonPost:
… Buddhism has helped me understand in a richer way some of the truths of Christianity. Although expressed in different terms, many of the truths of Buddhism have resonance in Christianity (another subject I explore in some detail in “Growing in Love and Wisdom”). The Buddhist teachings on cherishing others over the self helped me embrace Christian humility. The Buddhist concept of emptiness gave me a way of understanding Christian notion on dying to self and rising in Christ. The Buddhist understanding of impermanence helps me deal with difficult mental states and feelings.
Read on
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Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
Apr. 1, 2011
Student: Where is freedom in commitment?
Michael: Mine or yours?
Student: Is there a difference?
Michael: Ah, very good. So where is there no freedom?
Student: When we think were winning?
Michael: No freedom in winning? Really? Freedom is at the core of all things. As such it is thingless or, we could just as easily say, it is the thingness of things. This means that its all freedom. Freedom is the essence of all, therefore its always here whether our minds perceive that were winning or losing.
Student: So even in commitment there is freedom.
Michael: Commitment, in the ultimate sense, is a vow to protect the sacred freedom that we all share.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #68 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ Apr. 1, 2011 Student: Where is freedom in commitment? Michael: Mine or yours? Student: Is there a difference? Michael: Ah, very good. […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #68 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Two Simple Words… November 2012 Dear Friends, It was important to us that this email not to get lost in the shuffle since we, as a community, wanted for you to hear two simple words: Thank you. For over a decade, the Infinite Smile Sangha has been able to offer podcasts and videos of […]
The post We Need Your Help… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
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| November 2012 Dear Friends, It was important to us that this email not to get lost in the shuffle since we, as a community, wanted for you to hear two simple words: Thank you. For over a decade, the Infinite Smile Sangha has been able to offer podcasts and videos of Dharma talks; online posts and video streaming of our events and discussions, as well as writings that speak to the hard to reach places within us — nearly all of it for free due to the generosity of our members. In order to continue our work we need your help. If Infinite Smile, and the teaching it offers, has made an impact on you or someone you love, please consider helping us maintain our presence in people’s lives by making a donation of any amount. Any donation large or small helps us continue to provide support to you and those who find this work valuable. Your generosity matters. It truly makes a difference. And it helps us continue our mission as we spread the Dharma. Bows, The Infinite Smile Sangha |
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The post We Need Your Help… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
March 31, 2011
Student: If someone said to you, You must have more patience with the Universe than I do, what would be your response?
Michael: As usual my response would depend a great deal on context but Id most likely just smile. I might ask something like, What other option might I have? If they were able to hear it, I might suggest that we are the Universe and that the Universe is, as weve discussed, simply One Song of patience. As long as any of us continues to see ourselves as disconnected and apart from this great chorus, well never know peace. Stop the war with yourself and everything else. Then Id see if they wanted to go get some pizza and beer.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #67 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ March 31, 2011 Student: If someone said to you, You must have more patience with the Universe than I do, what would […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #67 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ Mar. 29, 2011 Student: How are any of us to know for sure what we are supposed to do in life? Michael: I dont […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #66 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
Mar. 29, 2011
Student: How are any of us to know for sure what we are supposed to do in life?
Michael: I dont know. I mean Id say that meeting every thing in life without clinging and then engaging from this openness works pretty well at helping us live amazing lives. Id also say in this regard that vows help keep the practice alive. Whats your vow?
Student: I vow to meet and see Spirit fully in whatever form. I look forward to the spicy challenges here! Sometimes I desire things, like a marriage in which to explore relationship from this perspective, but increasingly, even that is given over. Maybe thats not whats in store. No matter. Because most of all, I just want to be helpful. Pretty simple if I continue dying to each moment and listening. Has your vow ever changed?
Michael: My vow is pretty simple: dont defile Buddha, Dharma or Sangha. Basically, this means that I do my level best not to let what is small in me get in the way of the expression of the Big Self, the teaching, or the community. Even more basically, I work continually on not doing harm. So no, it hasnt changed for quite some time. The implications of it, and the evolution of its impact, have continually shifted. But the vow helps me suture Samsara to Nirvana, earth with heaven, the relative to the formless, the real to the spiritual, in each moment.
Student: How have the implications and impact shifted?
Michael: Its all gotten bigger and oddly more important. My family life has shifted, especially with the addition of kids. My marriage has taken on a different series of meanings as weve agreed to separate, keeping the kids as our main focus as we co-parent. Its not easy but the practice of not doing harm has been amazingly helpful as weve watched our relationship to each other transform.
At the level of sangha, I would also say that the teaching moves through me differently and the teaching itself now hits more people. The teacher role has expanded. I have more worldly responsibilities and dont have as easy a time maintaining the myriad levels of conscious practice as opposed to when I had far fewer distractions.
With all of this said, my vow has deepened this entire experience and allowed me to explore the subtleties of the vow to do no harm.
Student: Sounds like youre leading a pretty normal life.
Michael: Id say so.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #66 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
This is from the “Do Not Become The Unconsciousness You Seek To Avoid” file. Regardless of our tradition (and yes, this includes Buddhism), clinging to scripture or practice can distort sacred teachings. Ali Khan Mahmudabad’sexplores the blasphemy laws of both Pakistan and Indonesia in this morning’s Guardian. Believers are urged in the sixth chapter of […]
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This is from the “Do Not Become The Unconsciousness You Seek To Avoid” file.
Regardless of our tradition (and yes, this includes Buddhism), clinging to scripture or practice can distort sacred teachings. Ali Khan Mahmudabad’sexplores the blasphemy laws of both Pakistan and Indonesia
in this morning’s Guardian.
Believers are urged in the sixth chapter of the Quran to “not revile those whom they pray to other than Allah so that they do not revile Allah through their ignorance”.
via Pakistan and Indonesias blasphemy laws have no basis in the Quran | Ali Khan Mahmudabad | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.
The post Blasphemy laws have no basis in the Quran appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Former chair and CEO of Medtronic, and now a Harvard management professor, Bill George has this to say about mindfulness:
The practice of mindful leadership gives you tools to measure and manage your life as you’re living it. It teaches you to pay attention to the present moment, recognizing your feelings and emotions and keeping them under control, especially when faced with highly stressful situations. When you are mindful, you’re aware of your presence and the ways you impact other people. You’re able to both observe and participate in each moment, while recognizing the implications of your actions for the longer term. And that prevents you from slipping into a life that pulls you away from your values.
He goes on to point out that…
In recent years, medical studies have found evidence of meditation’s many benefits, including protecting against health problems from high blood pressure and arthritis to infertility, reducing stress, improving attention and sensory processing; and physically altering parts of the brain associated with learning and memory, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking critical cognitive skills for leaders attempting to maintain their equilibrium under constant pressure.
via Mindfulness Helps You Become a Better Leader – Bill George – HBS Faculty – Harvard Business Review.
The post Mindfulness Helps You Become a Better Leader appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Former chair and CEO of Medtronic, and now a Harvard management professor, Bill George has this to say about mindfulness: The practice of mindful leadership gives you tools to measure and manage your life as you’re living it. It teaches you to pay attention to the present moment, recognizing your feelings and emotions and keeping […]
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Winter 2013 Day-long Intensive No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael.
Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. Once you click the Paypal link, you will have the option to pay with a credit card of your choice.
Register Now
If you have any questions, contact Kristi.
The post Take a break and join us… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Winter 2013 Day-long Intensive No Such Thing As A Mistake Saturday, February 9th, 2013 GREEN GULCH FARM ZEN CENTER This one-day sitting will involve sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Q & A and, by request, private interviews with Michael. Confirmation will be sent to you when your $80 payment is received. Click the link below and you will […]
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For those into Buddhist bad-assery, no one compares to the lay practitioner, Vimalakirti. It’s one of my favorite, old-school reads. The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, also called the Vimalakirti Sutra, probably was written nearly 2,000 years ago. Yet it retains its freshness and humor as well as its wisdom. Modern readers especially appreciate its lesson on […]
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For those into Buddhist bad-assery, no one compares to the lay practitioner, Vimalakirti. It’s one of my favorite, old-school reads.
The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, also called the Vimalakirti Sutra, probably was written nearly 2,000 years ago. Yet it retains its freshness and humor as well as its wisdom. Modern readers especially appreciate its lesson on the equality of women and the enlightenment of laypeople.
via The Vimalakirti Sutra – A Brief Overview.
The post Vimalakirti: Buddhist Bad-ass appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thought this series of talks was particularly timely as the presidential election approaches. Enjoy. “The Buddha,” Vishvapani says, “emphasized the importance of practicing Right Speech on the Eightfold Path. But then again, the Buddha wasn’t on Twitter. In this day and age, we’re constantly communicating, not only through face-to-face interactions but also through texting, emailing, […]
The post Right Speech and the Election appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thought this series of talks was particularly timely as the presidential election approaches. Enjoy.
“The Buddha,” Vishvapani says, “emphasized the importance of practicing Right Speech on the Eightfold Path. But then again, the Buddha wasn’t on Twitter. In this day and age, we’re constantly communicating, not only through face-to-face interactions but also through texting, emailing, Skyping, Tweeting, and Facebooking. It’s difficult enough to apply Right Speech in a conversation with a friend. But how do we do it over text? Via email? On Facebook?”
During this election cycle, as the American public collectively engages in heated political discussions, practicing Right Speech is more important than ever. Throughout the retreat, Vishvapani shows us how to engage in Right Speech by asking ourselves, no matter what the medium: Is it truthful? Is it effective? Is it beneficial? Is it kind? Speech, Vishvapani tells us, is a central part of being humanit’s what connects us to the people we surround ourselves with. When practiced wisely, Right Speech can have powerful and transforming effects and allow us to express true wisdom and compassion.
via Right Speech | Tricycle.
The post Right Speech and the Election appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ March 10, 2011 Student: If we are always already love, why does a felt sense of it follow on the heels of understanding? Michael: […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #65 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
March 10, 2011
Student: If we are always already love, why does a felt sense of it follow on the heels of understanding?
Michael: Are you sure youre not just feeling relief?
Student: Maybe, but I keep running into this experience as the teaching unfolds into lots of a-ha moments. Ill suddenly realize something that either you or another teacher has been saying for so long but it finally makes sense. And then theres this amazing feeling, like my heart is going to explode. But then I know that I am supposed to recognize this in an uninterrupted way. Clearly, if Im getting it in bursts, its getting interrupted.
Michael: First off, I think its great that youre feeling something evolve through you like this. So keep doing what youre doing and be aware of getting caught by what you think is supposed to happen. Id also point out that the love that you are is only perceived to be interrupted. Its continual and never changes. It has never moved and never will. Our interpretations of it may go all over the map, but love never moves.
Student: Its stillness?
Michael: Yes, it is. Put another way, its our felt sense of stillness.
Student: So what keeps the experience of love from showing up all the time?
Michael: Compartmentalizing. Categorizing. Analyzing. Identification. These and other aspects of thinking create the staccato sense of what youre talking about. With this said, its important to recognize that thinking is not bad. but as long as were busy letting the mind govern our experience, we leave no room for stillness to show itself as love.
Student: So understanding can get in the way of love.
Michael: Clinging to understanding, or clinging to the need to understand can obstruct the experience of love. But, if we have the courage to let go of our need to understand, there is the potential for a gap to open up in our thought stream. Through this gap, love is revealed as an infinite supply of the felt sense of deep peace.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #65 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Commuter Zen #92
The post Does spirituality support Awakening? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Commuter Zen #92
The post Does spirituality support Awakening? appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Interesting piece from Darren Littlejohn: Many people still see Buddhists only as robe-wearing monastics who have given up worldly things like sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. But there are different kinds of Buddhists. Some are celibate renunciates like the Dalai Lama. When asked on a recent TV interview if he ever thought about women, […]
The post The Buddha Between the Sheets appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Interesting piece from Darren Littlejohn:
Many people still see Buddhists only as robe-wearing monastics who have given up worldly things like sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. But there are different kinds of Buddhists. Some are celibate renunciates like the Dalai Lama. When asked on a recent TV interview if he ever thought about women, he said he doesn’t because he’s a monk, though occasionally he does notice a beautiful woman. As a monk, the Dalai Lama has taken vows that prohibit sex, partly because it can lead to attachment which is a distraction from the spiritual path. But other kinds of Buddhists are young, single and sexually active. Some are married. And some are “wild yogis” who don’t even look like Buddhists.
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Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
February 15, 2011
Student: Is there ever any leaning from one person on another in a deeply conscious relationship?
Michael: Relationships that are truly conscious turn the leans and tilts of the ego into perpetual movements of Grace. So its not that there is no leaning, but rather that the natural ebb and flow of sharing, the natural give and take of deep communion continually and consciously inform an opening to whats prior to the dance of the relationship. Its a miracle when its done well and one of the most beautiful things any of us will ever see.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #64 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ February 15, 2011 Student: Is there ever any leaning from one person on another in a deeply conscious relationship? Michael: Relationships that are truly […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #64 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ February 25, 2011 Student: How can the realization of stillness inform, say, a long-standing argument one person has with another? Michael: It depends. For […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #63 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
February 25, 2011
Student: How can the realization of stillness inform, say, a long-standing argument one person has with another?
Michael: It depends. For the most part, two things happen. First, the realization of stillness shows us that all arguments are simply petty expressions of ego. This renders them pointless in nearly all circumstances. Second, letting go of any long-standing, or should we say, long-held beliefs allows for our communication, both internally and externally, to shift from defending a position into cultivating an understanding.
Student: This seems to be exactly what is happening in my relationship with my ex-husband. Its like a whole new perspective is beginning to unfold within me making our discussions over kid-related stuff so much easier. Not that its all easy. Some topics still get tricky for us, but as this practice has worked its way through me, I keep finding that I dont have to be right so often.
Michael: Thats an amazing place. Totally undefended. Totally available.
Student: I feel totally vulnerable, but Im no longer afraid of losing anything.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #63 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
May all beings be compassionate and wise in the face of clinging… COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims angry over an alleged derogatory photo of the Islamic holy book Quran on Facebook set fires in at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes near the southern border with Myanmar, authorities said Sunday. The […]
The post Bangladeshi Muslims Attack Buddhists appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
May all beings be compassionate and wise in the face of clinging…
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims angry over an alleged derogatory photo of the Islamic holy book Quran on Facebook set fires in at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes near the southern border with Myanmar, authorities said Sunday.
The violence began late Saturday and continued until early Sunday, said Nojibul Islam, a police chief in the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar.
He said the situation was under control Sunday afternoon after extra security officials were deployed and the government banned public gatherings in the troubled area.
He said at least 20 people were injured in the attacks that followed the posting of a Facebook photo of a burned copy of the Quran. The rioters blamed the photo on a local Buddhist boy, though it was not immediately clear if the boy actually posted the photo.
via Bangladesh: Muslims Attack Buddhist Temples, Homes Over Quran Facebook Photo.
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Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ February 23, 2011 Student: Can it be said that as long as something is changing, a story is involved? Michael: Yes. As long as […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #62 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
February 23, 2011
Student: Can it be said that as long as something is changing, a story is involved?
Michael: Yes. As long as there is any kind of movement, then there is no stillness. As long as there is no stillness, then temporary truths show up as the chatter of stories that the ego tells us. As long as this is our psychological and spiritual center of gravity there can be no awakening.
Student: So stillness is prior to movement.
Michael: Its also what is after movement. Every single thing is born from, and dies back into, stillness.
Student: And this stillness is the same thing as what we might call, Emptiness?
Michael: Sure.
Student: And Emptiness is the beginning and the end of every single thing?
Michael: Its also inseparable from every point in between each beginning and end. This is why in Zens Heart Sutra we say, Emptiness is form, form is emptiness.
Student: Its all-encompassing. Never starts never finishes; never moves, never evolves. It just is.
Michael: Its just this.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #62 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
By Joe Perez I am not In love. Love is Of Me. Love is Upon Me. Love is Above Me. Love is Below Me. Love brings Me Alive. Love begins With Light. Love descends To Delight. Love begins With a Lie: That Light Precedes The I. Of: A preposition Expressing the Relationship of Part and […]
The post Love Poem No. 1 from The English Kabbalah appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
By Joe Perez
I am not
In love.
Love is
Of Me.
Love is
Upon Me.
Love is
Above Me.
Love is
Below Me.
Love brings
Me Alive.
Love begins
With Light.
Love descends
To Delight.
Love begins
With a Lie:
That Light
Precedes
The I.
Of: A preposition
Expressing the
Relationship of
Part and whole.
Of: In the position
Of Loves Center,
Its Schwa sweeping
Loves foyer.
There is no
Love without Of.
Light precedes
Relationship
But truly
Not the Eye
Which sees
In Light
And Darkness,
In Life
And Death.
Where is Love going?
To evolve.
via Love Poem No. 1 from The English Kabbalah.
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Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching. ___ February 22, 2011 (#61) Student: Why does other show up out of oneness? Michael: Its a great question. Why is there anything at all? […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #61 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Here’s another installment in a series of emails that took place between Michael and one of his senior students beginning the Summer of 2009. May you find the exchange interesting and enriching.
___
February 22, 2011 (#61)
Student: Why does other show up out of oneness?
Michael: Its a great question. Why is there anything at all? There are all sorts of glib answers but Im guessing that the Infinite wanted some entertainment.
Student: So the Infinite does not create otherness in order to know Itself. The Truth is already fully known and the Infinite, or Big Self, only sees Big Self in all things. But other is created, then arises and is seen simply for delight. Is this qualitatively different than saying that the Big Self wants a dance partner?
Michael: As long as we see the Infinite and the Big Self as one and the same, theres no difference. But, to be clear, know that the Big Self sees Big Self in everything and its delighted that it can also see the many small selves have been invited to the party.
Student: Everyones invited.
Michael: Everyone and everything. All the time.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #61 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
CULTIVATING FEARLESSNESS OCTOBER 12-14, 2012 MOUNT MADONNA CENTER
This weekend retreat will offer an approach to living fearlessly. Each day will involve sitting meditation, walking meditation and dharma talks followed by Q&A, as well as practice interviews with Michael.
Cost & Registration:
Depending on your lodging choice, the total cost per person including meals ranges from $210 to $370 for the entire weekend.
It is not too early to sign up. The spaces are limited and sell out quickly. To secure your spot please click the link that corresponds to your choice. Confirmation will be sent to you when your payment is received.
Accommodations:
Each of the following includes meals and Sangha fee. Please select the best option and you will be taken to our shopping cart check-out, followed up by our Paypal link. You can easily pay there with either a credit card or through Paypal.
Bring your own tent or van $210 – Register Now
Center tent $225 – Register Now
Shared room $300 per person – Register Now
Single room $35o – Register Now
Shared room for two with private bath $370 per person – Register Now
If you have any questions, contact Joanne.
The post Join us. There are a few spots left… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
CULTIVATING FEARLESSNESS OCTOBER 12-14, 2012 MOUNT MADONNA CENTER This weekend retreat will offer an approach to living fearlessly. Each day will involve sitting meditation, walking meditation and dharma talks followed by Q&A, as well as practice interviews with Michael. Cost & Registration: Depending on your lodging choice, the total cost per person including meals ranges […]
The post Join us. There are a few spots left… appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
February 14, 2011 Student: Under what conditions could death be characterized as a distraction? Michael: Death is merely a return to truth. But our interpretation of death is almost always a distraction to this offering. So Id say that both avoidance and celebration of death serve as distractions if either works to soften the full […]
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #60 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
February 14, 2011
Student: Under what conditions could death be characterized as a distraction?
Michael: Death is merely a return to truth. But our interpretation of death is almost always a distraction to this offering. So Id say that both avoidance and celebration of death serve as distractions if either works to soften the full knowledge of deaths immediacy. This also applies to life.
Student: So would it be true to say that fear comes from running away from all that death offers rather than accepting the invitation?
Michael: Sure. Id also go a step further. Id say that fear is the name we give to the experience of running away from loss.
Student: What happens when we stop running and were just stationary in the face of all of it.
Michael: Love awakens through us.
The post Dialogs With My Teacher #60 appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thought this was interesting. Perhaps obvious, but interesting.
Jock Gilchrist, The Review: Meditation has been a central component of religious traditions for millennia. Various methods exist, but it generally consists of quieting the mind to achieve a state of relaxation and clarity. Buddhists use it to cultivate virtuous qualities like compassion and equanimity because in the meditative state, the mind is compared to malleable gold. As it turns out, the sages of old actually tapped into quite a literal truth.
via The neuroscience of wellbeing | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation.
The post Wellbeing and Neuroscience appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Thought this was interesting. Perhaps obvious, but interesting. Jock Gilchrist, The Review: Meditation has been a central component of religious traditions for millennia. Various methods exist, but it generally consists of quieting the mind to achieve a state of relaxation and clarity. Buddhists use it to cultivate virtuous qualities like compassion and equanimity because in […]
The post Wellbeing and Neuroscience appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Fine. Interesting. But best not to attach.
Maybe the studies are correct and there are brain variences of statistical significance between the two ideologies. But it’s all still just mind.
ABC News ran this story about a recent meta-analysis of brain research (from ProCon.org) on Republicans and Democrats – the emerging understanding is that there are some general differences in the brains of people who tend to be more conservative vs those who tend to be more liberal.
Read On.
The post Conservatives and Liberals Have Different Brains, Same Mind appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.
Fine. Interesting. But best not to attach. Maybe the studies are correct and there are brain variences of statistical significance between the two ideologies. But it’s all still just mind. ABC News ran this story about a recent meta-analysis of brain research (from ProCon.org) on Republicans and Democrats – the emerging understanding is that there […]
The post Conservatives and Liberals Have Different Brains, Same Mind appeared first on Infinite Smile Sangha.