LSD Articles

"Om Shanti, Shanti, Peace. …It’s good to find refuge, something to rely on, solace, beyond this saha world, so tenuous, so bubbly, so fickle, like a dewdrop. Finding something reliable. In Buddhism we call it ‘taking refuge’, finding a port in the storm of samsara, of confusion and delusion. Something to rely on – the higher power, the inner power.  We have our higher power in Buddhism too – don’t think we don’t – Awareness – with a capital A+. Awareness, cosmic consciousness, beyond mere thoughts. We can find this within.  Just Being.  Peace.  Harmony.  Inclusiveness. ...

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Thoughts on "Wisdom" Wisdom can be cultivated, and it can be found within us. Wisdom must be developed if we are to have any significant chance of surviving and flourishing as a race. How to develop it? What is wisdom? Wisdom is knowing reality, just as it is. It includes a higher form of objective judgment coupled with profound discernment, based on an illumined and lucid state of consciousness latent within us all. Tibetan Buddhist teachings tell us that wisdom is developed through three traditional forms of wisdom practices, or phases of true higher education: learning, reflection, and experience,...

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MUDITA: AN OLYMPIC PRACTICE IN THE BUDDHAFIELDby Lama Surya Das As an athletic legend in my own mind, I often enjoy watching the various Olympics and other great sporting spectacles, aside from attendant political and social concerns including human rights and the mental health and wellbeing of the rigorously disciplined competitors. I love seeing the youthful athletes rejoicing enthusiastically in the pure joy of hard-earned accomplishment. And often I wonder: If we could practice our spiritual disciplines anywhere near as devotedly and as much as these youthful master athlete-yogis, both...

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EVERY BREATH A PRAYER:  Thoughts on prayer by an American lama, with love, prayerful blessings and healing thoughts. Happy holydays! May every day be a good one, just being alive as the sun dawns. Every morning I wake and take a moment to appreciate the lovely view from my bedroom window. And every day, as I take in the stillness and beauty of my little pond and surrounding woods, I wonder: who made all of this? Wordless gratitude fills my heart and mind, body and soul each day as I begin my morning ritual, and I sense the sacred Presence transcendent over all of us yet immanent in each...

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A good question is better than an easy answer. Artwork by: Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903), "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" "Even death is nothing to fearFor those who have lived wisely."~ The Buddha They say everyone dies, and all things shall pass away. All is impermanent, fleeting, ungraspable. And yet, who shall truly live? What is our true life meant to be? And what does that even mean? This is my question for you, Dear Seekers and pilgrims in life. How to live and be(come) who and what we genuinely are and aspire towards? How to become the mensches we...

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"When outer borders are being closed we can begin again to open up our inner borders. And the borders we have built between the inner and outer world. We can devote ourselves again to the feminine wisdom inside of all of us that shows us how to communicate, to be in relationship with each other and to the inner worlds."     ~Angela Fischer   If ever there was a time to use the phrase “we are in this together” it is now. Coronavirus has plunged the world into uncertainty, spreading fear and anxiety. Constant news about the pandemic can feel relentless and overwhelming. What time...

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Times of transition and challenge can prove to be extraordinarily important to the inner alchemy of spiritual transformation. Tibetan Buddhists, including the Dalai Lama, often quote from the ancient Mind Training & Attitude Transforming wisdom texts: "The enemy, the crisis, the difficult to bear can be one's best teacher, catalyst and inspiration." Through such difficulties we can learn the necessity and benefits of letting go of your old identity, encrusted with mind-forged manacles like seaweed and barnacles on an old ship's hull, thus laying the groundwork for a new sense of self...

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1. Practice generosity in the form of donating, gift-giving, volunteering, and reaching out by making phone calls and writing. This cultivates cheerfulness and the spirit of mutual reciprocity, without foster overindulgence in consumerism or the intemperate habits of many holiday revelers. 2. Share a prayer or inspirational poem, film recommendation, book or wise quote with someone. 3. Give yourself a gift, whether material or a gift of time and space for some reflection, noble silence, and solitude. Get a massage or take a nature walk.

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1) Rest in the breath while letting go of all thoughts, concerns, plans, worries, and preoccupations. 2) Be mindful of the physical sensations you feel right now. 3) Feel the good earth beneath your feet or the seat that cradles you. 4) Chant a mantra or sacred phrase again and again, with pure, undivided concentration and focus. 5) Make eye contact with another being, and feel compassion and loving-kindness for whomever you are with. 6) Smile at someone, hug someone, or help someone 7) Go outside and make contact with nature through the sky, clouds, trees, a flower, a body of water, the earth...

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Elephant Journal February 14, 2017 Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times of year. The Tibetan New Year is also a favorite, and because the two often fall around the same time, I make a practice of reflecting upon New Year’s resolutions relating to my loved ones, and renewing my commitment to cultivating altruistic compassion and an unselfish open heart—the very essence of authentic love. These resolutions encompass opening both my heart and mind; listening better; learning to forgive and love even those I dislike; and accepting and blessing the world, rather than fighting or feeing...

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