Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

Theism and materialism are closely related  •  "theism" does not simply refer to specific religious traditions, but more broadly to the human tendency to always want to be saved, to have someone else…

In some ways the Buddhist teachings are all about being on a journey  •  in order to get anywhere, we have to have a sense of the lay of the land, and a sense of where we're trying to go  •  the firs…

At this level, the fundamental teachings of the Buddha can be expressed in just four small points  •  the first point: acknowledging the difficulties of life — the reality of pain, suffering, and con…

Two additional streams run through the Profound Treasury teachings: mindfulness practice and awareness practice  • mindfulness, also called shamatha, means “peace” and refers to the stillness and sta…

When people hear the word “buddha” or “buddhism,” what usually comes to mind is the idea of meditation  or mindfulness training  •  but the practice of meditation is so much richer when placed in the…

When Trungpa Rinpoche first came to the West he was struck by our obsession with materialism and materialistic success  •  he referred to materialism as a “spell” or a thick black fog that traps us i…

“Dharma” is everything; it is a very intimate and personal way of looking at everything we do  •  what are our preconceptions, our beliefs, our hopes and dreams?  •  have we really ever felt comforta…

“Touch and go” refers to how we relate to thoughts, distractions and sensations that arise during sitting meditation  •  it represents a middle way between the extremes of avoiding our experience and…

Finding the right balance in our practice keeps us engaged with without being overly effortful  •  too loose = being spaced-out, indulgent, forgetful; too tight = being really hard on ourselves  •  s…

The skills we learn in formal meditation practice can be applied on-the-spot as we face challenges in our daily life  •  training to come back into your body; giving yourself just a moment to come ba…

In meditation we are practicing being more wholeheartedly present  •  learning to recognize our escape valves, the ways we hide out from our immediate experience  •  wholeheartedly feeling what we fe…

Meditation as a way of making friends with yourself  •  inviting in all aspects of yourself to a banquet of experience  •  workability: staying with our experience, whatever it is, at is arises  •  b…

The story of the tree, the rock, and the blade of grass  •  flexibility, steadiness, resilience: these are the qualities that are cultivated in meditation practice  •  rooted and flexible; you may be…

The first kind of effort is just showing up  •  just getting to the cushion is the hardest part  • simply  giving in and surrendering to the discipline  •  soft yet strong effort is what is called fo…

Two different aspects of thinking: the content of thoughts and the thinking process  •  where do thoughts come from? where do they go?  •  stillness of mind and activity of mind  •  like watching chi…

We place our mind on the outbreath, and then we let go  •  this form of mediation is based on dissolving outward, looking beyond ourselves  •  a rhythm of relaxing and regrouping, relaxing and regrou…

Our breath is our most intimate connection with life itself  •  we are continually in a process of exchanging inside and outside  •  the inbreath is taking in, and the outbreath is letting go  • the …

Sitting like a mountain: solid, immovable, content  •  meditation posture provides a container within which you can relax  •  sitting with uprightness and dignity (“head and shoulders”)  •  senses re…

Learning to come into our body in a simple and direct way  •  psychological body vs. sensory body  • start with just being still  •  “perching” vs completely settling in like a rotting log  • noticin…

The importance of setting clear boundaries  •  start with a clear beginning  •  sit down, slow down, and come into your body  •  take a relaxed, dignified, upright posture  •  breathe naturally and p…