Cultivating an attitude rooted in compassion helps our well-being in various ways. The world may try to tell you that compassion is not a strength, that if you have a lot of compassion you’re a “snowflake” or “bleeding heart” and I’m here to tell you the opposite. Compassion is a strength. Having an open heart is the way toward contentment in life. Compassion helps us with self-acceptance because it gives us the opportunity to see through our self interest and... Read more
This is a talk I gave at the Rime Buddhist Center. How to Train While Dying Dharma talk given by Daniel Scharpenburg, March 19, 2023. Music by Barefoot Bran Music. Check out this episode! Read more
One day I was asked to give a talk about death at the Rime Buddhist Center. So I had to spend a few weeks thinking about death. I think my talks are really centered in a few things. Being really open and genuine. But also having a sense of humor. I still haven’t settled on how I can use humor in this talk. If you want to hear the talk I gave, you can go listen to it here: How... Read more
What I’m referring to as “the Awakened Heart” is the concept of Relative Bodhichitta. if you’d rather listen to a podcast on this subject, click here: The Awakened Heart Bodhichitta is the mind of awakening. It’s what motivates and inspires us. It’s coming from a place of love and compassion in the things we do and our interactions with others. Our true nature is this Awakened Heart. We don’t always see it because we are afflicted by the things... Read more
Way back in early 2022 I wrote an article about famous Zen teacher Brad Warner. And I regret it now. Here’s how it happened. Brad Warner has been a famous Buddhist teacher for nearly 20 years. His books have inspired many people who thought Buddhism wouldn’t be for them. I wanted to be a Zen Buddhist for many years mainly because of his books “Hardcore Zen” and “Sit Down and Shut Up”. He even has a Wikipedia page. He founded Angel... Read more
This is a talk that I gave at the Rime Buddhist Center. Sixteen Actions to Avoid that Contradict Mind Training Dharma talk given by Daniel Scharpenburg, April 2, 2023. Music by Barefoot Bran Music. Check out this episode! Read more
I go to Washington DC every year for work. Or at least that’s the plan and I hope it continues. I went in March of 2023. A few weeks before that trip I was reading a book called “How the Swans Came to the Lake,” by Rick Fields. It’s a book about the history of Buddhism in the United States. When I was reading this book there was a reference to the Washington Buddhist Vihara. This is described in the... Read more
I did this series of talks on the subject of Training the mind. I hope listening to these will be helpful. Introduction to the Heart Preliminaries See Everything as a Dream Examine the Nature of Awareness Don’t Get Stuck on Peace Rest in Openness Be a Child of Illusion Sending and Receiving Seeds of Virtue It’s All Sacred Transform Disasters Drive All Blames Into One Be Grateful to Everyone See Confusion As Enlightenment 4 Practices That Help Whatever You Meet... Read more
The question comes up once in a while. It’s natural for it to come up and not something I’d ever shy away from. “How did you first get involved with Buddhism?” a co-worker asked. It was clear to me that her motivation was simple curiosity. Sometimes when people have asked me questions like that they’ve been hoping to convert me or something. But it’s been a long time since someone came at me with that sort of motivation, I think.... Read more
I did this series of talks on the classic Buddhist text “The Dhammapada.” I taught a class on this text and was recording these talks while I was preparing for the class. I hope listening to these will be helpful. This series doesn’t cover the whole text, it just covers some of the first half. In these talks I read from and comment on the verses in the Dhammapada. Introducing the Dhammapada Dichotomies Vigilance The Mind Flowers The Fool The... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In