inner fire

January 23

if you never try, you can never be successful, but if you try, you might surprise yourself Lama Thubten Yeshe, THE BUSS OF INNER FIRE

Compassion Demands Engagement

The central guiding principle of Buddhism is compassion and concern for the world in which we live. It’s the idea of interdependence—that our actions dictate the experience of others. I don’t think everybody needs to run out and join an aid organization and everyone should feel bad that they’re not doing more for people in…

Dalai Lama concedes he may be the last

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said he realises that he may be the last to hold the title. But he told the BBC it would be better that the centuries-old tradition ceased “at the time of a popular Dalai Lama”. The Dalai Lama suggested the UK had taken a soft line with…

If we don’t have motivation, of course we’re going to sit there feeling bored, irritated, and in pain. With motivation, we can dedicate our lives: ‘I am here, fully present, and I vow to wake up fully so that all beings may be released from suffering.’ It’s that simple.

Fear of silence

I have the impression that many of us are afraid of silence. We’re always taking in something—text, music, radio, television, or thoughts—to occupy the space. If quiet and space are so important for our happiness, why don’t we make more room for them in our lives?One of my longtime students has a partner who is…

Creating Compassion

The idea of creating compassion for our environment, for something that we take for granted daily—something that, as a human race, we are just absolutely destroying, for the most part without a care—I think that connecting compassion to that is really, really powerful. – Emily Burke, “Meditating in Public”

The Role of Faith

As a factor of the Buddhist path, faith (saddha) does not mean blind belief but a willingness to accept on trust certain propositions that we cannot, at our present stage of development, personally verify for ourselves. – Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Role of Faith” Read Source

Surrender and Engagement

We must walk a fine line between surrender and engagement. As we individuate, we learn to remain open to the nature of uncertainty in the journey, allowing ourselves to fearlessly unfold. At the same time, our active participation in the process functions as a kind of dialogue between the ego and our Buddha-nature. We still…