Love this, Dan. Thank you for the longer format today. Always appreciate that you have mined the expanses and offered us the gold nuggets! Appreciate you so much.
Certainty is not an indicator of truth… I love this idea. Thanks Joseph for speaking it and Dan for sharing it. I confess, when I first read it, I responded internally in a smug, see-I-told-you-so way, along the lines of “Do you hear that, all you crazy people? Just because you think you are right doesn’t mean you are!” And then maybe I had side order of fist-bumpy, high-fivey self-celebration just to cram it home. And then it dawned on me that maybe Joseph wasn’t speaking to everybody else when he said that — maybe he was speaking to himself. Once I realized that it was my own certainty, my own righteousness, that needs consideration, Joseph’s idea suddenly became useful. I can’t control what others feel certain about, but I can question and change my ideas all day long, if I want, and that is where our salvation lies. I suppose this reads like Buddhism 101 to some, but it was a helpful and novel thought progression for me, and I am grateful!
The Heart Sutra, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”. Helped me sail through a cancer diagnosis, and will once again allow me to remain mostly unattached to this political climate. Again, thank you , you are a great teacher.😌
Dan, and Joseph, awesome sauce. I may have mentioned that I live 9 blocks from the Capitol on the Hill in DC. AHHHHH. Last time was tooooo much. So I left town/THE COUNTRY last week and am not coming back until Wednesday. I wasn't sure if I would be able to return, but this gives me hope. Also, I have a long time dear friend from when we were in our 20s and 30s. 20 years later we're physically miles apart but we talk on the phone a couple times a year. Only last month did I learn she's in the Orange Jesus camp. I reflect on what you said Dan and realized that we remained friends all those 20 years with me not knowing (we never discussed politics). At first once I found out, I was very concerned. But when I remember all we have shared, it's so obvious we have much more in common than not for sure. So, I understand all you said Dan. That friendship will always be there. And I won't let OJ take that from me.
A big Yes!! to this longer format. It offers many more handholds for my practice; plus wise words from your own wise teachers and your ever generous sharing of your specific challenges and patterns. A great start to the day. Thank you!
Thank you Dan, for adding a voice of compassion and common humanity to these turbulent and divisive times. Your article was a perfect length and it held wisdom that we all need to be reminded of. (I thought the images were imaginative in content and range, breaking up the text beautifully. The caption under your photo was a special touch 🤣)
Dan, I welcome the longer Sunday format. Growing up in eastern Oregon, there was one priest from Boston, Father Simard, whose sermons I always enjoyed. He usually told a story and then showed us how this might relate to our daily lives. He did it with humor and wisdom, not unlike your way of offering helpful insights to guide us through these challenging days.
I appreciate your numerical breakdown of strategies, each containing a quote from the texts that supports it. You're basically delivering it on a platter so we may go into the world and practice "right speech." Thank you!
This is so helpful as I continue to work on compassion for people I might think are not. I also appreciate your disclosure that the illustrations are AI responses. Have you considered using human artists instead? I understand that might be time consuming, but it's a thought.
So much of this this landed for me, but as for volunteering and the like, yes, giving locally in some way, political or otherwise is really uplifting. I’ve joined two local initiatives in my small CT Town: organizing a music festival and working to bring a food co-op to our once beloved now closed grocery store. The energy around these two are uplifting. Also, re: politics, I recently heard someone say “you don’t have to like politics to be engaged in government”, we all need to focus on the actions we take up on day after the election. Thanks Dan for all your wise words
Another vote for the longer posts. I find that loving kindness meditations help the compassion for those we disagree with and body scans help with feeling the feelings. Also walking meditations especially out in nature help with connecting to the larger world. But for me the injunctions to think of my existence as a bubble or an illusion tap feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness that aren’t helpful. I get accepting impermanence. But is seeking meaning against these precepts? Thanks for your hard work.
I have often admired those who can address contentious issues with equanimity. These 6 strategies would seem to go a long way towards that end. Thanks for the insights.
Grateful for this Dan! And love the posed shot Bianca captured of you “meditating”😂Let her get a shot of you in your plush meditation chair & post that!
Thanks Dan. I love this post and the longer format. Much appreciated. As my teacher, Norman Fischer, said to me quite a few years ago when I was struggling with world affairs: "I never said that being a Bodhisattva would be easy." A good reminder for today's crazy world. Like you said, the world is insane-but we don't have to be. And it's called "Practice" for a reason. Love ya!
Love this, Dan. Thank you for the longer format today. Always appreciate that you have mined the expanses and offered us the gold nuggets! Appreciate you so much.
Love the longer Sunday form, Dan. Much wisdom in today’s edition thanks to you and the Buddha. Onward with kind, curious awareness! 🙏
Certainty is not an indicator of truth… I love this idea. Thanks Joseph for speaking it and Dan for sharing it. I confess, when I first read it, I responded internally in a smug, see-I-told-you-so way, along the lines of “Do you hear that, all you crazy people? Just because you think you are right doesn’t mean you are!” And then maybe I had side order of fist-bumpy, high-fivey self-celebration just to cram it home. And then it dawned on me that maybe Joseph wasn’t speaking to everybody else when he said that — maybe he was speaking to himself. Once I realized that it was my own certainty, my own righteousness, that needs consideration, Joseph’s idea suddenly became useful. I can’t control what others feel certain about, but I can question and change my ideas all day long, if I want, and that is where our salvation lies. I suppose this reads like Buddhism 101 to some, but it was a helpful and novel thought progression for me, and I am grateful!
This sounds right to me. And no apologies required. We need to hear this stuff again and again and again and again.
Yes, over and over. It amazes me how often I learn a particular lesson for the first time…
Dan, excellent instructions! Just to add,
The Heart Sutra, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”. Helped me sail through a cancer diagnosis, and will once again allow me to remain mostly unattached to this political climate. Again, thank you , you are a great teacher.😌
Dan, and Joseph, awesome sauce. I may have mentioned that I live 9 blocks from the Capitol on the Hill in DC. AHHHHH. Last time was tooooo much. So I left town/THE COUNTRY last week and am not coming back until Wednesday. I wasn't sure if I would be able to return, but this gives me hope. Also, I have a long time dear friend from when we were in our 20s and 30s. 20 years later we're physically miles apart but we talk on the phone a couple times a year. Only last month did I learn she's in the Orange Jesus camp. I reflect on what you said Dan and realized that we remained friends all those 20 years with me not knowing (we never discussed politics). At first once I found out, I was very concerned. But when I remember all we have shared, it's so obvious we have much more in common than not for sure. So, I understand all you said Dan. That friendship will always be there. And I won't let OJ take that from me.
A big Yes!! to this longer format. It offers many more handholds for my practice; plus wise words from your own wise teachers and your ever generous sharing of your specific challenges and patterns. A great start to the day. Thank you!
Thank you Dan, for adding a voice of compassion and common humanity to these turbulent and divisive times. Your article was a perfect length and it held wisdom that we all need to be reminded of. (I thought the images were imaginative in content and range, breaking up the text beautifully. The caption under your photo was a special touch 🤣)
Dan, I welcome the longer Sunday format. Growing up in eastern Oregon, there was one priest from Boston, Father Simard, whose sermons I always enjoyed. He usually told a story and then showed us how this might relate to our daily lives. He did it with humor and wisdom, not unlike your way of offering helpful insights to guide us through these challenging days.
I appreciate your numerical breakdown of strategies, each containing a quote from the texts that supports it. You're basically delivering it on a platter so we may go into the world and practice "right speech." Thank you!
This is so helpful as I continue to work on compassion for people I might think are not. I also appreciate your disclosure that the illustrations are AI responses. Have you considered using human artists instead? I understand that might be time consuming, but it's a thought.
So much of this this landed for me, but as for volunteering and the like, yes, giving locally in some way, political or otherwise is really uplifting. I’ve joined two local initiatives in my small CT Town: organizing a music festival and working to bring a food co-op to our once beloved now closed grocery store. The energy around these two are uplifting. Also, re: politics, I recently heard someone say “you don’t have to like politics to be engaged in government”, we all need to focus on the actions we take up on day after the election. Thanks Dan for all your wise words
Another vote for the longer posts. I find that loving kindness meditations help the compassion for those we disagree with and body scans help with feeling the feelings. Also walking meditations especially out in nature help with connecting to the larger world. But for me the injunctions to think of my existence as a bubble or an illusion tap feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness that aren’t helpful. I get accepting impermanence. But is seeking meaning against these precepts? Thanks for your hard work.
Appreciate that you put my feelings into words. Hoping for a response in the Q&A.
I have often admired those who can address contentious issues with equanimity. These 6 strategies would seem to go a long way towards that end. Thanks for the insights.
Love this. Archived ✔️
Grateful for this Dan! And love the posed shot Bianca captured of you “meditating”😂Let her get a shot of you in your plush meditation chair & post that!
Thanks Dan. I love this post and the longer format. Much appreciated. As my teacher, Norman Fischer, said to me quite a few years ago when I was struggling with world affairs: "I never said that being a Bodhisattva would be easy." A good reminder for today's crazy world. Like you said, the world is insane-but we don't have to be. And it's called "Practice" for a reason. Love ya!
Thanks for this timely useful message. I may print and reread it during the next four years to help me stay sane