By Kim Rosen
Writer Kim Rosen raises questions about Zen, openness, and the “desperation” of the creative process.
Read on www.spiritualityhealth.com
CLEAR ALL
Question: Buddhist teachers, including the Dalai Lama, often speak of happiness as a goal (if not the goal) of Buddhist practice. I don’t begrudge anyone happiness, but making it so central to spiritual life feels self-serving. Am I misunderstanding what’s meant by “happiness”?
As part of our #MeditationHacks series, a Mahayana Buddhist who is encouraged to practice for the benefit of all sentient being feels like they are only practicing for their own benefit. Venerable Thubten Chodron answers.
It’s surprisingly easy to achieve lasting happiness — we just have to understand our own basic nature. The hard part, says Mingyur Rinpoche, is getting over our bad habit of seeking happiness in transient experiences.
1
There are two kinds of refuge, says Mingyur Rinpoche—outer and inner. The reason we take refuge in the outer forms of enlightenment is so that we may find the buddha within.
Natalie Goldberg’s classic Writing Down the Bones introduced writing as a spiritual practice. She discusses Zen and the writer’s practice with author and Buddhist teacher Steve Hagen, moderated by Scott Edelstein.
Many equate self-discipline with living a good, moral life, which ends up creating a lot of shame when we fail. There’s a better way to build lasting, solid self-discipline in your life.
2
Artistic people must learn how to emotionally guard themselves against the tides of negativity—both external and internal.