Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism ~ David Loy

Whatever the differences in their methods and goals, psychotherapy, existentialism, and Buddhism are concerned with the same fundamental issues of life and death and death-in-life. In this unique work, David Loy brings all three traditions together for the first time in a synthesis receptive to the insights of each, thereby casting fresh light on familiar problems.

Dr. Loy’s work grew out of the cross-fertilization of two basic ideas: the psychotherapeutic concept of repression and the Buddhist doctrine of nonself. Buddhism implies that our primal repression is not fear of death but the quite valid suspicion that “I” am not real. This shift from libido-instinct to the way we understand our situation opens up new perspectives and possibilities which this book explores.

Written in a clear, jargon-free style that does not assume prior familiarity with the topics discussed, this insightful book will appeal to a variety of readers including psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, scholars of religion—particularly of Buddhism—Continental philosophers, and literary and culture critics.

Click here to browse inside.

Is individual awakening crucial to reach social transformation?

This is an excerpt from the interview with David Loy at the Science and Nonduality Conference 2011 featured in the 3DVD set “Science and Nonduality Anthology Vol.3″.

David Loy, PhD, was the Best Family Chair Professor of Ethics/Religion and Society at Xavier University in Cincinnati from 2006 to 2010. His books include “Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy” (Yale University Press, 1988). He is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism, where he completed formal koan training under Zen Master Yamada Koun Roshi.

David Loy: Society is Separating the Self from Nature

David Loy, author of Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy, argues that in establishing a separate self in a constructed civilization, we have grown disconnected from ecology and the natural world.

THE WESAK FESTIVAL – the full moon of the Buddha

This nine minute video describes the Wesak Festival–a sacred ceremony of the living Buddha, celebrated each year in a hidden valley in Tibet.

Full Moon – April 25th 2013
Los Angeles: 12:58pm
New York: 3:58pm
London: 8:58pm

Wesak – Safeguarding the Most Sacred of Days

I Don’t Own My Past ~ Ajahn Brahmavamso

Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera (known to most as Ajahn Brahm), born Peter Betts in London, United Kingdom on 7 August 1951, is a Theravada Buddhist monk. Currently Brahm is the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, in Serpentine, Western Australia, the Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of Victoria, Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of South Australia, Spiritual Patron of the Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore, and Spiritual Patron of the Bodhikusuma Centre in Sydney.

Interview with Joel Lesko (Tears of the Buddha: Spirituality & Emotion)

About the Director
Joel Lesko is an award-winning filmmaker who has produced films featuring Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, Ram Dass, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Larry Dossey, Michael Murphy, Roland McCraty, Al Gore and other teachers, authors and leaders. Joel’s work has appeared on PBS, network and cable TV, and has received a number of awards, including many Telly’s, Aurora, Summit, Videographer, and the Iowa Film Award. Before embarking on his career in film and video, Joel traveled the world as a teacher of meditation. In this film, he set out to discover how spiritual teachings about emotions impact daily life.

Product Description
Tears of the Buddha: Spirituality & Emotions explores the spiritual path through the lens of emotion. Director Joel Lesko interviews modern Buddhistic, Advaita or Satsang teachers to find out how their teachings apply in daily life – are emotions an impediment to spiritual growth? What about so-called unspiritual emotions like anger and hate? Do emotions trap a seeker in the personal self?

Tears is a serious look at an area of life that is often confusing and problematic for people in spiritual practices. Rather than another documentary about a teacher’s enlightenment or awakening, Tears of the Buddha questions age-old teachings about emotions and leads to an important conversation about individual selfhood – is it real or is it an illusion? Lesko shares his own experiences and interviews leading teachers including Gangaji, Eli-Jaxon-Bear, Jeff Foster, Daniel Barron, and others.

Joel Lesko is a long-time meditator and a filmmaker. He set out in this film, Tears of the Buddha: Spiritual and Emotions, to find out what modern Buddhistic, or Advaita, non-dual oriented teachers teach – about spirituality, and specifically about how to orient towards one’s inner emotional life on the spiritual path.

Tears of The Buddha: Spirituality & Emotions trailer

This is a trailer for Tears of the Buddha: Spirituality & Emotions, a feature-length documentary that explores the spiritual path through the lens of emotion. Director Joel Lesko interviews modern Buddhistic teachers to find out how their teachings apply in daily life – are emotions an impediment to spiritual growth? What about so-called unspiritual emotions like anger and hate? Do emotions trap a seeker in the personal self?

Tears is a serious look at an area of life that is often confusing and problematic for people in spiritual practices. Rather than another documentary about a teacher’s enlightenment or awakening, Tears of the Buddha questions age-old teachings about emotions and leads to an important conversation about individual selfhood – is it real or is it an illusion? Lesko shares his own experiences and interviews leading teachers including Gangaji, Eli-Jaxon-Bear, Jeff Foster, Daniel Barron, and others.

The Way of Chuang Tzu (First Edition) – by Thomas Merton [Updated March 13, 2013]

Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of personal versions from his favorites among the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of the Chinese philosophers.

Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries B.C., is the chief authentic historical spokesman for Taoism and its founder Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings). Indeed it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name — Zen. The Chinese sage abounds in wit, paradox, satire, and shattering insight into the true ground of being. Father Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao. Illustrated with early Chinese drawings.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) entered the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, following his conversion to Catholicism and was ordained Father M. Louis in 1949. During the 1960s, he was increasingly drawn into a dialogue between Eastern and Western religions and domestic issues of war and racism. In 1968, the Dalai Lama praised Merton for having a more profound knowledge of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. Thomas Merton is the author of the beloved classic The Seven Storey Mountain.

Browse here

Thomas Merton & Chuang Tzu – The Active Life

Merton’s translation of the Taoist writer, Chuang Tzu, who lived in China during the 4th or 3rd Century BC, during the Chou Dynasty, sometimes called the Warring States Period. The visuals are scenes of Point Isabel on a late Sunday afternoon in Richmond, California.

copyright infringement not intended

Emptiness: The Most Misunderstood Word in Buddhism ~ Lewis Richmond

“Emptiness” is a central teaching of all Buddhism, but its true meaning is often misunderstood. If we are ever to embrace Buddhism properly into the West, we need to be clear about emptiness, since a wrong understanding of its meaning can be confusing, even harmful. The third century Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna taught, “Emptiness wrongly grasped is like picking up a poisonous snake by the wrong end.” In other words, we will be bitten!

Emptiness is not complete nothingness; it doesn’t mean that nothing exists at all. This would be a nihilistic view contrary to common sense. What it does mean is that things do not exist the way our grasping self supposes they do. In his book on the Heart Sutra the Dalai Lama calls emptiness “the true nature of things and events,” but in the same passage he warns us “to avoid the misapprehension that emptiness is an absolute reality or an independent truth.” In other words, emptiness is not some kind of heaven or separate realm apart from this world and its woes.

The Heart Sutra says, “all phenomena in their own-being are empty.” It doesn’t say “all phenomena are empty.” This distinction is vital. “Own-being” means separate independent existence. The passage means that nothing we see or hear (or are) stands alone; everything is a tentative expression of one seamless, ever-changing landscape. So though no individual person or thing has any permanent, fixed identity, everything taken together is what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.” This term embraces the positive aspect of emptiness as it is lived and acted by a person of wisdom — with its sense of connection, compassion and love. Think of the Dalai Lama himself and the kind of person he is — generous, humble, smiling and laughing — and we can see that a mere intellectual reading of emptiness fails to get at its practical joyous quality in spiritual life. So emptiness has two aspects, one negative and the other quite positive.

Ari Goldfield, a Buddhist teacher at Wisdom Sun and translator of Stars of Wisdom , summarizes these two aspects as follows:

The first meaning of emptiness is called “emptiness of essence,” which means that phenomena [that we experience] have no inherent nature by themselves.” The second is called “emptiness in the context of Buddha Nature,” which sees emptiness as endowed with qualities of awakened mind like wisdom, bliss, compassion, clarity, and courage. Ultimate reality is the union of both emptinesses.

With all of this in mind, I would like to highlight three common misunderstandings of emptiness: emotional, ethical and meditative.

Emotional

When we say “I feel empty,” we mean we are feeling sad or depressed. Emotionally speaking, “emptiness” is not a happy word in English, and no matter how often we remind ourselves that Buddhist emptiness does not mean loneliness or separateness, that emotional undertow remains. At various times I have looked for a substitute translation for the Sanskrit sunyata — I have tried “fullness,” “spaciousness,” “connectedness,” and “boundlessness” — but as Ari Goldfield points out, “emptiness” is the most exact translation. “Emptiness” is also the term that my own teacher Shunryu Suzuki used, though he usually added context. Once, speaking of emptiness he said, “I do not mean voidness. There is something, but that something is something which is always prepared for taking some particular form.” Another time, speaking of the feeling tone of emptiness, he said, “Emptiness is like being at your mother’s bosom and she will take care of you.”

Ethical

Some Buddhist students rationalize or excuse bad behavior of their teacher by asserting that through his understanding of emptiness the teacher is exempt from the usual rules of conduct. One student said, “Roshi lives in the absolute so his behavior can’t be judged by ordinary standards.” While it is true that Buddhist teachers sometimes use unusual methods to awaken their students, their motivation must come from compassion, not selfishness. No behavior that causes harm is acceptable for a Buddhist practitioner, teacher or otherwise.

Meditative

Some Buddhist students think that a meditative state without thought or activity is the realization of emptiness. While such a state is well described in Buddhist meditation texts, it is treated like all mental states — temporary and not ultimately conducive to liberation. Actually emptiness is not a state of mind at all; it is, as the Dalai Lama says, simply “the true nature of things and events.” This includes the mind. Whether the mind of the meditator is full of thoughts or empty of them, this true nature holds.

Conclusion

Finally, since emptiness seems so difficult to understand, why did the Buddha teach it at all? It is because of his profound insight into why we suffer. Ultimately we suffer because we grasp after things thinking they are fixed, substantial, real and capable of being possessed by ego. It is only when we can see through this illusion and open ourselves, in Ari Goldfield’s words, “to the reality of flux and fluidity that is ultimately ungraspable and inconceivable” that we can relax into clarity, compassion and courage. That lofty goal is what makes the effort to understand emptiness so worthwhile.

Reality Is All The God There Is: The Single Transcendental Truth Taught by the Great Sages and the Revelation of Reality Itself By Avatar Adi Da Samraj

Reality Is All The God There Is

Contemporary renderings of the dharma of the great sages of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism from the Realized Spiritual Master Avatar Adi Da Samraj

• Includes transmissions of wisdom teachings of the great sages Gotama Sakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Shankara, and Ribhu

• Presents classic texts of spiritual realization from the perspective of a Realized Teacher

• Provides insight into the ultimate realization possible when dualistic consciousness has been transcended

In this book Avatar Adi Da Samraj offers his unique renderings of the dharma of the great sages of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, including Gotama Sakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Shankara, and Ribhu. Rather than simply translate their teachings from available source texts, Avatar Adi Da, himself a Realized Master, respects them as one who has personally realized their truth, revealing that the Buddhist “Nirvana” and the Advaitic “Brahman” point to the same transcendental condition. Avatar Adi Da’s transmissions restore to these texts the profound communication intended by the spiritual masters who created them.

The ego nurtures the illusion of separation, an illusion that cannot be removed by the ego’s own efforts. It is only the spiritual master who makes possible the realization of egoless consciousness. The great sages proclaimed a state of spiritual realization that exceeded both worldly dualism and mystical seeking. They had awakened to a reality that spoke of abiding in a state of consciousness only. Avatar Adi Da brings these remarkable declarations back to life and then concludes with his own unique description of a realization that transcends even these extraordinary utterances–the realization of Reality As It Is, free of all forms of the ego’s search.

Avatar Adi Da Samraj was born on Long Island, New York, in 1939. In 1970, after a period of intense spiritual endeavor, he spontaneously became reestablished in the continuous state of illumination that was his unique condition at birth. After his reawakening, Avatar Adi Da Samraj began to teach. To date, his philosophical, practical, and literary writings consist of more than 70 published books. His students have established Adidam centers around the world.

Click here to browse inside.

Adi Da Samraj – The “Bright” Beyond the “God” Idea

Adi Da gives a Radical and profound description of the true nature of the Divine Reality, Stating that the Divine is the substance of all that arises, not the “cause” of anything, Adi Da goes on to describe how it is our own separation from that which is the very Divine, that causes the assumption of separation.

Adi Da Samraj – Is ‘God’ the ‘Creator’ of Conditions?

Adi Da Samraj examines the presumption of the ‘Creator-God’-idea.

Adi Da Samraj – You Can’t Get There From Here

In this discourse Adi Da Samraj suggests that the Way He Offers is not based on this assumption of separate self, but rather identification with that that is transcendent from the body-mind, the Divine Self-Condition.

The devotee asking the question of Adi Da was a former student of Zen Buddhism so in this discourse Adi Da refers to some metaphors that are part of the Zen Buddhism Tradition.

Adi Da Samraj – Beyond the Familiar

Adi Da Samraj discusses the notion of familiarity and its transcendence in the Way of Adidam.

Now: Embracing the Present Moment by Richard Singer

If it is possible to teach embracing the present moment, Singer (Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds) has made it that much easier with this collection of “living in the now” quotes gathered from wise teachers throughout the ages.

Each saying is followed with a brief and reflective commentary on the message, then followed with compassionate “Do It Now” exercises and inspirations that further engage the reader. “My books are not only for reading, they are meant to be lived,” writes Singer, who describes himself as a lifelong seeker of truth and recorded wisdom.

To model living in the now, the second part of the book features stirring essays from diverse contributors describing their daily practice of present-centered mindfulness. The person who reads one reflection each day from this well-conceived book is almost certain to find him or herself entering into a deeper—and possibly transformative—practice of appreciation for the wonder of life each moment offers

Richard Singer is first of all a real human being who is quite faulty and still struggles with life on a daily basis, however on a wordly basis he is an award winning author, trained psychotherapist, college instructor, and most importantly a seeker of truth. He continuously searches for wisdom to use in his life, as well as helping other human beings in their precious journey.

He has studied Eastern Psychology, Buddhist Healing, and Non-Violence at the Doctoral Level; in addition, he has spent years devoted to the study of wisdom recorded throughout history. He seeks to impart this knowledge to the world through his writing. His primary purpose is to benefit humanity in any way possible. Richard states that My books are not only for reading, they are meant to be lived.

Richard has written two meditation books and co-authored an inspirational children’s book.He consistently supports human beings in their search for purpose and passion in life. Richard passionately believes in equality among all human beings. “After all we only have one race; the Human Race.”

He has been featured in many magazines, on various radio and television shows, and his books have been widely reviewed specifically by Library Journal, Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine and many other review forums.

Click here to browse inside.

T.S. Eliot, Vedanta, and Buddhism [Hardcover] P. S. Sri (Author)

T.S. Eliot’s deep interest in Indian philosophical systems has long been acknowledged, but surprisingly little exploration of their influence on his poetry and drama has been undertaken. In T.S. Eliot, Vedanta, and Buddhism, Sri juxtaposes the essential perceptions of Indian thought with Eliot’s work to illuminate his vision of the human condition.

Years after his Harvard studies in Sanskrit and philosophy and his decision not to embrace the subject in the conventional academic sense, Eliot explained that his ‘only hope of penetrating to the heart of the mystery would lie in forgetting how to think and feel as an American or a European.’ But, though he was committed to Christian doctrine and an ‘occidental personality,’ Eliot realized that his poetry showed the influence of Indian thought and sensibility.

Sri notes all the direct references to the Hindu and Buddhist texts from The Waste Land and Four Quartets through The Cocktail Party, but his main concern is to show Eliot’s implicit fusion of Indian philosophical themes and symbols with the Western worldview in an organic whole. This work highlights another dimension of his search for a unifying principle in the universe.

About the Author
P.S. Sri is an associate professor in the Department of Literature and Philosophy at Royal Roads Military College.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Impermanence and Suffering
2. The Wheel
3. Craving and Maya
4. The Still Point

Conclusion

Click here to review Upanishadic Perceptions in T.S. Eliot’s Poetry and Drama by P.S. Sri
Royal Military College of Canada

Freedom I: Seeing Who is Looking Through the Mask – Part 1 & 2 ~ Tara Brach,

We suffer when we are identified with our egoic conditioning and unable to recognize the spirit–the love and awareness- that animates our own and all beings. In this talk we explore how recognizing our vulnerability and basic goodness helps us to see through the mask and realize who is here.

Freedom I: Seeing Who is Looking Through the Mask – Part 2