Sutrayana looks deeply at the life of the Buddha and his teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eight-fold Path and the Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination. We will do intensive practice of Shamata (calm abiding) and walking meditation, and we will also learn about Buddhism through the life stories of the Buddha. … More Sutrayana: The Journey of the Buddha
There’s a certain time of day when I get the nibbles – usually late afternoon but sometimes at night, right before bed. I open kitchen cabinets, the fridge, the chip drawer scanning what might satisfy me. But there’s something insatiable in my being. In reality I’m not really hungry, I’m not really looking for food. … More Enough Already! Hungry Ghosts & the Practice of Savoring
The following programs will be taught by Pieter and Charlotte either together or with others at Tara Mandala Retreat Center this summer.
Three Yana Retreat: June 17
Sutrayana: June 17
Green Tara Retreat: June 21… … More Pieter and Charlotte Summer Retreats 2018
I’ve always thought of Pride as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, right up there with Lust, Gluttony and Avarice. In the Buddhist tradition, pride is one of the five poisons, accompanied by a similar entourage of desire, jealousy, anger and ignorance. Pride, of course, evokes the image of a puffed-out chest, an overly confident … More Vajra Pride: Awakening Primordial Self-Esteem
The Buddhist teachings on mindfulness invite us to become fully present in each moment, yet I realize how much of my time is spent anticipating some future event. Sometimes it’s with excitement for an upcoming trip, or just a night out; sometimes it is a bit more anxious, like teaching a new class or meeting … More Looking Forward to Now
We humans seem to come pre-programmed with a primeval fear of negativity.
We are so deeply conditioned to turn away from what we sense or perceive as negative, uncomfortable, painful, or unpleasant that we mostly do it automatically. Ironically, the avoidance itself is often very uncomfortable. It seldom leads to a sunny disposition, instead depositing us in the borderlands around our shadows.
So how to deal with this? … More Turning into Darkness
In Part I I reflected on busyness as a response to a fear of space which we try to cover up through activities and distraction. Another way to look at busyness is as a reaction to an underlying “poverty mentality,” a fundamental sense of dissatisfaction or lack. I think we can probably all identify with … More The Suffering of Busyness Part II: Poverty Mentality and Dissatisfaction – Reclaiming the All-Accomplished Moment
I recently heard about a study that found that “busyness” is the new status symbol. I grew up with images of the rich and powerful lounging on a long white beach, drink in-hand and not a care in the world. Now it seems that you prove your social standing by flaunting the number of engagements, commitments and responsibilities you have on any given day. The study showed that this is as true among the working class as it is for the middle and upper-middle classes. I have to admit: too often I find myself commiserating with a friend about my long to-do lists, my numerous and scattered work duties, child care needs, the dirty house, my forever overflowing inbox… It’s an easy – and seemingly always accurate – answer to “how are you?” Busy, busy, busy. Like we all are… … More The Suffering of Busyness
by Charlotte Rotterdam As I entered motherhood, I had to ask myself whether there would any longer be space for spiritual practice, or whether the spacious silence of contemplation would be altogether drowned out by baby cries and too many loads of dirty laundry. Ironically, I found the opposite to be true, for in the … More The Practice of Motherhood
The Retitled and Expanded Version by Pieter Oosthuizen and Charlotte Rotterdam The practice of Conscious Leadership, in essence, challenges the leader to re-examine and re-evaluate the very notion of self and the worldview that necessarily follows from our conceptions of self. If our image of self is very narrowly defined, we tend toward more fear-based … More Conscious Leadership:
SKYMIND 