Thursday, March 15, 2012
Anam Cara Newsletter--March
Dear Friend
Turbulent, challenging times, whether in our personal lives or in our families, groups, or society, require greater commitment to acting more fully out of love, generosity and wisdom. Dharma, living from our highest nature, our deepest wisdom, is known in all traditions and provides the refuge we need for transforming the mind in difficult times.
It is so easy for the mind to be hijacked by fear. Research on the brain makes this clear. Fear overwhelms the higher cortical functions and puts them in the service of subcortical fear circuits in the brain. These are very powerful motivators. It's why groups of all kinds, religious and political, use fear to motivate people to go in the direction the group leaders want them to go.
People who are struggling in any number of ways are most vulnerable. It's not a matter of material wealth, but perceived threat, that drives the fear-based behaviors.
Taking refuge in dharma, in the highest ideals and visions of our spiritual traditions is the way through the fear and allows us to serve by holding to the truth and vision of who we all are as embodiments of Christ, or Buddha, Krishna, Allah, Kali, Shekinah, or Light, or however we want to label the Ineffable Source.
In these times we need everyone from every tradition doing all they can to hold to the ideals of love, compassion, generosity, and truth.
Perhaps the biggest untruth, the root of untruth, is that we are not the Infinite One who fears nothing and gives to all inexhaustibly. We can banish this ignorance, this root cause from our mind.
When we take refuge in the truth, in dharma, we bring that into the present, into our everyday interactions, as an antidote to the poisons of fear and ignorance.
Take refuge in dharma and steadfastly, unswervingly assert the truth with your state of being, of being at ease, of being wise, of being free.
Ryokan
Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf
Sporting and sporting,
As I pass through this floating world:
Finding myself here,
Is it not good
To dispel the bad dreams of others?
translated by John Stevens, p. 49
Kali's Bazaar
Penned by Kalidas
You may laugh out loud, be moved to tears or pulled into deep contemplation by what you encounter in Kali's Bazaar. Readers will return often to this accessible collection of poems to draw from its wellspring of devotion, revelation and celebration of the Divine present in every moment, every being and all of creation. Bring inspiration, clarity and practical instruction to your spiritual path or meditative practice through insightful and often ecstatic poetry from a devoted master meditation teacher who has more that 40 years of experience teaching and practicing the arts of meditation.
Click on the book for more information and book reviews by leading authors. Visit The Soul's Journey Store to order this book and view many other resources to support your practices.
(Note: Lawrence Edwards makes a very important point here: "dharma," a term used often in Buddhist practice, actually refers to the wisdom teachings of all the spiritual traditions, whichever you may choose. It comprises the distilled wisdom of the ages, and often may be found even in secular writers (such as Plato or Sophocles and other great thinkers of the past.) Poets also are treasured when they offer us great wisdom, couched in (we hope) beautiful language.)
