I am intrigued by how we can live the 'holy life' as lay people. How do we erase the imaginary line between formal sitting practice and the rest of our lives? How can we bring full engagement to formal and informal practice? Is it possible to embody, in our lives, the understanding and insight that comes with intensive training? And can we live our lives in a way that expresses and continues to deepen our realization? These questions fuel my practice and my teaching.
I place a lot of emphasis on the Buddha's teaching about mindfulness of the body. The body is a powerful dharma gate. I encourage people to deeply investigate the body and use it as a place of recollection in daily life.
Our individual and cultural habits, our confusion, all require a sincere and ongoing commitment to spiritual life and practice. In order to mature our 'layastic' practice, we need to develop a palette of practices: mindfulness, loving-kindness, inquiry, reflection, precept practice, service, sutta study, etc.
I believe passionate engagement is the foundation of the spiritual path. Spiritual life blossoms when mindfulness is woven with a heartfelt sense of loving-kindness and compassion. With warm mindfulness as the basis of practice, our attachment to identity, roles and experience begins to loosen. As our experience and understanding matures, faith develops. This nourishes a devotion to practice which further deepens our insights.
It is precious to be born in the human realm and have an opportunity to practice and awaken. May we appreciate our inheritance and bring to life the teachings of the Buddha.
Loving the Dharma imbues our practice with heartfulness. This heartfulness allows us to experientially know our elemental nature as well as our Buddha Nature.
Exploring how the Buddha gave up the intoxication with youth, health and life. How mindfulness of death supports opening to our Buddha nature. Includes personal story about the experience of discontinuity in my near death experience.
How Satipatthana directs us to the development of not just being present but presence of Mind. Presence of mind support letting go. Anathapindika faces death directly and is given instructions of not clinging to anything. This Sutta changes the teachings of Buddhism for non-monsastics.
How we understand death dharmically and in our personal lives holds the potential for mindfulness of death in ways that enrich and bring the fruits of the dharma into our lives.
