We can lose anything. We’re losing things all the time, really. We often ruminate over things we’ve lost in the past. We sometimes obsess over the things we’re losing in the present. We worry about what we’re going to lose in the future. When we expect loss we sometimes get the idea that we can’t handle it. The truth is that we can. We think things should be permanent. The nature of things is to change and we can be… Read more
February 19, 2018
The Empty Field
February 19, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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Emptiness is a concept in Buddhism that people seem to struggle with a lot. People think it means that nothing exists or that nothing matters. I think it means there’s nothing to hold on to. This also means there’s unlimited potential. Emptiness and impermanence are ideas that seem scary at first glance, but that’s where potential comes in. We can improve things. We can transform our lives. We just have to put down the things that don’t serve us. If… Read more
February 15, 2018
On Generosity
February 15, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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Generosity is one of the six perfections, the actions that define the Bodhisattva path. This is our outward manifestation of compassion. This is the kind of generosity where we are giving without expecting anything in return, like feeding a stray animal, or donating your time in volunteer work. It has another level too. It also refers to a kind of not holding back. We’re generous when we’re completely open and genuine with others. The deepest form of generosity is sharing… Read more
February 12, 2018
Afflictions
February 12, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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We give a lot of power to some of the thoughts and emotions that harm our well being. In a very real way our thoughts and emotions shape how we see the world and how we see ourselves. But we can change how we think. We can change the way we experience ourselves and the world. We can strengthen and experience our sense of well being, which is beyond whatever circumstances we are facing. That’s really what the path is… Read more
February 9, 2018
Angulimala and the Buddha: Fearlessness
February 9, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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Angulimala is a bit of a strange figure in early Buddhist history. I think we can learn a lot from his story even if we might have to think hard to figure out how it relates to our lives. Angulimala was a serial killer. He was a relentless and fearsome madman who made his life’s mission to kill 100 people….and to collect their fingers and wearing them on a necklace. Angulimala is actually a nickname that means finger necklace. Eww. I… Read more
February 5, 2018
Take Care of Yourself
February 5, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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“If one knew oneself were precious, one would guard oneself with care.” -the Buddha So, often on the spiritual path we are told to hold everyone with compassion, to always be generous. This is all very good advice. But a problem can arise when we start to feel that giving is everything. I’ve had the experience of giving away too much of my energy. I’m sure many of you have too. There’s something we can very easily forget. Our compassion… Read more
February 1, 2018
No Self and You
February 1, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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This is a hard concept for us to understand. Anatta….no self. I’d like to explain it this way. Everything you think about yourself is a story you’re telling. There is no you, not in the way you think. All the concepts, feelings, and beliefs that we have about ourselves are self-created. We weave things together from our environment and fashion a self out of it. It’s not so much that there’s nothing as it is that there’s nothing to hold… Read more
January 29, 2018
Practicing Enlightenment
January 29, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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We practice Enlightenment when we sit on the cushion. Every time we sit and do what the Buddha did, we are engaging with the goal. That’s why Dogen said, “Practice itself is Enlightenment”. When we understand that and really engage the present moment, we can’t be pulled around by the myriad things that distract us so easily. We can be a little more stable, standing on solid ground. This is called illumination. If we can really open our hearts and… Read more
January 26, 2018
37 Practices: Don’t Say Anything
January 26, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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This text “the 37 practices of a Bodhisattva” is a concise text written by a Tibetan teacher in the 14th century named Togme Zangpo who was a member of the Sakya lineage. It’s a summary of how we should behave as we are on the path to awakening. It’s a Tibetan Mahayana teaching. 31 If you don’t go into your own confusion, You may just be a materialist in practitioner’s clothing. Constantly go into your own confusion And put an… Read more
January 24, 2018
37 Practices: The Perfections
January 24, 2018 By Daniel Scharpenburg
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This text “the 37 practices of a Bodhisattva” is a concise text written by a Tibetan teacher in the 14th century named Togme Zangpo who was a member of the Sakya lineage. It’s a summary of how we should behave as we are on the path to awakening. It’s a Tibetan Mahayana teaching. Verse 25 and the ones that follow detail the 6 perfections. The most important teaching for walking the bodhisattva path is the six perfections. The six perfections… Read more
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