The Gradual PathĀ Blog
Dharma teachings sometimes happen in mysterious ways, masquerading as everyday occurrences or through the behavior of unlikely characters. Several years ago, while working with marginalized populations, a patient taught me a treasured lesson. I was caught off guard when they handed me a package,...
Definition of emptiness - The lack of inherent existence of the subject, object, and interaction.
The “lack” implies something we thought was there is not. Self-existence or independent existence is not there. And yet...things still arise, appear, and feel good or bad.
There is a...
The ability to hold ones attention on an object, sustaining it indefinitely, at will, leading to an intense experience of bliss.
They say that concentration taken to its extreme can produce psychic abilities (siddhis) we would call extra sensory perceptions like clairvoyance.
There are also the...
We got this!
The journey of awakening is long, the suffering of living begins is vast to endure, without developing the virtue of perseverance what chance do we have? What has helped sustain you during the global pandemic? What well of good energy do you draw upon to start and sustain yourself...
1) The Patience of Not Reacting
See that people hurt us as a result of their karma - compassion See how we feel when others hurt us as our karma - renunciation Resist retaliation, which perpetuates cycles of violence. Find more karmically constructive ways to work with others who create harm =...
There are three types of morality:
1) Restraining from causing harm
2) Accumulating merit through virtue
3) Benefiting all sentient beings
Want an assignment? Look up the ten non-virtues and their opposites.
Using my snowflake model how is the perfection of morality connected and enhanced by...
Having established the altruistic intention, we move to the altruistic actions. These six modes of training build our capacity for optimal social engagement while at the same time cultivate the inner qualities leading to Buddhahood.
The Mahayana is the path of awakening through our social...
