Throughout history, people have sought the heights of human potential—to become as wise and strong, …
Starts off really well with a good "come and see" tone. The introduction includes a powerful #meditation and #reflection on letting be, letting go, letting in. Maybe it's just the mind-state I'm in today, but it seems like Rick has gotten even more skilled at reading his own work.
Starts off really well with a good "come and see" tone. The introduction includes a powerful #meditation and #reflection on letting be, letting go, letting in. Maybe it's just the mind-state I'm in today, but it seems like Rick has gotten even more skilled at reading his own work.
In the face of systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence, how can we metabolize our anger …
Creative, Radical, Challenging
3 stars
It's hard to know what to write about this one.
On the one hand, I experience much of Lama Rod's teaching in this book as brilliantly creative. The meditation instructions are well-systematized and I found the guidance helpful, especially for the #7homecomings, #tonglen, and #EarthTouching / #bhūmisparśa practices. I also deeply appreciated his acknowledgement of the issues present in the #Tibetan#Buddhist tradition and his way of relating to flawed teachers in a system vulnerable to abuse of power was valuable for me. The way he addresses #racism, #whitesupremacy, #queerphobia, #patriarchy and other forms of #discrimination or #opression reminded me favorably of Sebene Selassie'sYou Belong.
On the other, having now listened to it in its entirety, it seems like the book might have put together in a piecemeal sort of way. I get the impression that this might have …
It's hard to know what to write about this one.
On the one hand, I experience much of Lama Rod's teaching in this book as brilliantly creative. The meditation instructions are well-systematized and I found the guidance helpful, especially for the #7homecomings, #tonglen, and #EarthTouching / #bhūmisparśa practices. I also deeply appreciated his acknowledgement of the issues present in the #Tibetan#Buddhist tradition and his way of relating to flawed teachers in a system vulnerable to abuse of power was valuable for me. The way he addresses #racism, #whitesupremacy, #queerphobia, #patriarchy and other forms of #discrimination or #opression reminded me favorably of Sebene Selassie'sYou Belong.
On the other, having now listened to it in its entirety, it seems like the book might have put together in a piecemeal sort of way. I get the impression that this might have been intentional or seen as unproblematic as a way to enhance the sense of authenticity. I listened to the audio version, and while the inclusion of the original audio for the interviews was a nice touch, it felt a lot like recycling content to me—I think I would have preferred a more edited final version with links to the originals for anyone who wanted to dig deeper.
On the whole, it was well worth the time I spent with it. I feel like I've learned quite a bit. If anyone is reading this and trying to decide between the print & audio versions, I would guess that the print version might be a bit easier to use, especially if one intends to refer frequently to the instructions for #meditation and #reflection.
Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and find a greater sense …
A Good Manual of IMS-Style Brahmavihārā Practice
4 stars
It's a really good manual of brahmavihārā practice as it is taught in the tradition of the Insight Meditation Society. It covers everything one would want to start a practice and it's plenty deep enough for experience practitioners looking for a refresher. The four sublime abidings are complemented well by two chapters on #generosity (#dāna) and #morality (#sīla), so in a sense it's a bit like going backwards through the ten #pāramī
It's a really good manual of brahmavihārā practice as it is taught in the tradition of the Insight Meditation Society. It covers everything one would want to start a practice and it's plenty deep enough for experience practitioners looking for a refresher. The four sublime abidings are complemented well by two chapters on #generosity (#dāna) and #morality (#sīla), so in a sense it's a bit like going backwards through the ten #pāramī
