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Showing posts from February 13, 2011

How Long Should We Take for a Retreat?

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Meditation and learning while you are at a group, private or semi-private retreat will give you an opportunity to have an extended immersion in meditation and learning, free from everyday concerns and distractions. The opportunity to be near the lama, receiving guidance and formal teachings is so valuable and rare. Preferably, you will arrange for to be gone for three years, but if we do not have three years to give for inner transformation, then at least three months; but if we do not have three months, then at least a month to work on spiritual development in a formal setting! Not a month? Okay, ten days, ten days. We will see how much can be done in ten days. If we do not even have ten days to spare away from ordinary life, then we shall do it slowly-quickly in a weekend. ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ ‎ "Wie lange sollten wir uns für ein Retreat Zeit nehmen? Durch Meditation und Lernen während eines Gruppen-, Einzel- oder Halbeinzelretreats bekommst Du die Möglichkeit ausfü

Raising the Roof at Norbu Retreat House and Hospice

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Choices are will power in the face of influences.

Dreams and Waking Up

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The Buddhas assist those who have the noble goal Dreams are a function of the innate view. The hypnotic programming, which allows a living being to enter a perceptual realm, such as this human realm, is correctly flawed. The minor illogical controversies irritate the living inner being by not getting what one wishes and getting what one does not wish. These build up during the day, adding to tiredness and need for sleep and dream. Among the many kinds of dreams, two types are justification of inner logic of the hypnotic human view and learning dreams. Justification dreams do not need to be remembered to have the result of waking in the morning feeling refreshed. The stories ordinary mind tells itself during this dream time help re-stabilize the innate programming, holding mind to a larger karmic story. Waking in the morning without feeling rested means that the justification stories could not be completed and satisfy the subconscious mind; the inner conflict is not resolv

Inner Music and the Spiritual Mentor

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The Buddhas assist those who have the noble goal I am grateful for the millions of songs I never heard. I have freed up millions of time to do other things: interact with others, read and especially listen to inner music that has no counterpart. Some people who are practicing meditation should not try so hard because they might be harming their mind. However, in general, those who have Buddhist refuge and practice commitments should be trying a bit harder! That is why people who are serious will seek a qualified mentor (if that mentor is willing to take their "case") Those doing serious meditation without the benefit of a mentor to rescue them in difficulty will deepen their problem. Study, discuss with friends, attend teachings by those who are sharing teachings but are not mentors. Then, the only thing to do before going on is to find a real mentor who will act as your "case manager" for the healing of awakening.

Music in Small Inspiring Doses

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May this world be happy! In my opinion, music should be taken in small, high quality and inspiring doses and not used as a recreational drug. I have often observed how some people use music as an escape to avoid thinking for themselves. Because I am still learning about Western culture, I observe how non verbal concepts and values gather around musical theme s that act as a commercially available tool. Then, personal ideas are remembered as bits of song running through the head. I am not advocating for less music, but perhaps we need more time to express our own values without distraction. If we dislike the attempts to make us into "sheeple", perhaps we need to develop our own tools of expression instead of the easy way. ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "Meiner Meinung nach sollte man Musik in kleinen, hochwertigen und inspirierenden Dosen zu sich nehmen und nicht als Freizeitdroge gebrauchen. Ich habe oft beobachtet, wie manche Leute Musik als Ausweg benutzen, damit

Ethical Decision Making

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The good qualities of the teacher produce good advise Advocating for better decision making, using ethics as a center! In my just previous life, I was Tibetan, back in the time of terrible danger. Tibetans went to other countries asking for help because a terrible catastrophe was imminent, but no one, no one helped us. Our freedom was being taken away and others said, “Your agenda is a non-agenda.” They said that their current interests and agenda did not mesh with our wishes, therefore they would not help. On the other hand, how should we decide to help, (without political influence) when the freedom of others is truly in need? How many can we afford to hurt in order to ensure the freedom of others that we perceive to be in danger? From an ethical point of view, an important part of a high quality decision-making process, whose agenda should we attack first? The one who appears to be the aggressor, or the agenda of those who appear to be victims? For example, a dysfun

Emptiness Described ... short video

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