In my teens, I made a claymation and live action fantasy film about a confrontation between a dark wizard and a wise sorceress. The dark wizard unleashed a host of terrible monsters on the sorceress. But just as she was about to be overwhelmed, she realized they were nothing more than the embodiment of her own fear. With this insight, she vanquished them with a single spell.

That storyline came to mind as I was contemplating how soaked in fear we are as a society right now: Fear of those who don’t look or act like us; fear of a natural disaster; fear of disease; fear of being told what to think, say, or do; fear of economic hardship. No matter our social status or political persuasion, and without judging the validity of that fear, it seems like we are all afraid of losing something precious.

When I made that film, the feat of the sorceress to master her own fear was literal magic. Without some extraordinary power of will, how else could she just stop being afraid? Decades later, I have in fact experienced that magic, but it is not in the least bit esoteric, and it has little to do with willpower. In his book, Fear, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers mindfulness—the capacity to stay grounded in the present moment—as the path to living without fear, whether that fear is reliving trauma from the past, or worrying about the worst possible future. This practice can be as simple as taking a single breath and looking up at the mountains through my car windshield, or as profound as attending a silent meditation retreat.

We’ve all had someone ask us, “What are you afraid of?” when they were trying to get us to do something we didn’t want to do. Those words trivialized our fear, shaming us for feeling it. They goaded us to be brave. To be brave is to put ourselves in harm’s way even when we know it is dangerous. What Thich Nhat Hanh calls “nonfear” is not the same as bravery. To cultivate nonfear, we ask that same question, “What am I afraid of?” But instead of shaming ourselves, we look deeply at the sources and causes of our fear from a place of compassion and understanding.

Sometimes we face real danger. But very often, our fear is triggered simply by having our expectations and assumptions violated. We don’t feel safe when we don’t know what will happen next. By first mindfully calming my nervous system, I find I can gently practice curiosity about that feeling. As a result, the story I tell myself to fill in the blank of the unknown future can shift. This may be as mundane as realizing that there are many possible solutions to a problem I’m worried about. Or it may be as fundamental as letting go of my accumulated judgements about “those people.” Either way, the magic of mindfulness is in full bloom.

Steve Allison-Bunnell is an ordained lay member of the Plum Village Order of Interning founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and serves as the senior practice leader of the Joining Rivers Sangha at the Bozeman Dharma Center.

From Steve Allison-Bunnell of Joining Rivers Sangha:

When we chant our closing Sharing the Merit, how often do we truly dedicate ourselves to the “benefit of all beings?” It’s easy for me to want to benefit my immediate friends and loved ones—that’s what nurtures our connection. It’s inspiring to want to benefit an endangered species or even an entire ecosystem—that is an embodiment of Interbeing. And it’s noble to want to benefit those we see as less fortunate—that is the essence of generosity. Then there are the people we disagree with, perhaps profoundly, about the shape of our society—our instinct is to not want to help them. But “all beings” really does mean seeking to relieve the suffering of all beings, perhaps especially those whose suffering can ripple out to harm us. How can you see their suffering as something that harms them as well? What can you imagine doing to help them? Where do you find refuge to make this even plausible?

This Dharma Thought on Bossiness is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell with the Joining Rivers Sangha.
I am in recovery from a life-long tendency toward bossiness. Being able to clearly see how things could be quickly becomes a burning desire for how things should be. And from that, telling others how they must do their work inevitably follows. I’ve talked before about the wonderful experience of deep, focused awareness while working on a recycled building materials project at Home ReSource’s annual Spontaneous Construction event in Missoula. But the trap waiting for me has always been the compulsion to micro-manage the rest of my team/family. This year, I had the added joy of watching them work with their own focus and great skill, and to use my mindfulness to pause and simply enjoy what they were doing. It was so refreshing to feel free from bossiness! And that energy helped us all to be satisfied with what we built. Where do you feel yourself being bossy instead of collaborative? What do you do to have confidence in others?

This Dharma Thought is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets Mondays at 7PM.

A deluge of misinformation, along with heroic attempts to debunk it, constantly sweeps over us. It may feel like “alternative facts” have reached an all-time high, aided by AI and social media. But when we return to the teachings of the Buddha, we are reminded that self-serving misinformation from those with power, be they religious or political figures, is nothing new. He repeatedly reminds his students not to solely take his word for how to attain liberation from suffering. He also keeps the focus on looking deeply into the causes of our own delusion and confusion before judging others. The question, “Is it true?” is best first applied to our own interpretations of our perceptions. To answer it necessarily means stopping to short-circuit our scripted responses and triggers and softening our inner critic. Where do you make space for examining your assumptions? How do you give yourself the grace to re-see something you thought was true? What happens when you do?

This Dharma Thought on “Metta Like You Mean It” is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets Mondays at 7PM.

A former President and current candidate nearly assassinated; questions about the future of the sitting President’s candidacy; relentless death and destruction in Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere — never has the world, never have our leaders, and never have we needed more to cultivate and amplify lovingkindness toward one another. One source translates the Pali word “metta” as “active interest in others.” I like how that phrasing emphasizes the fullness and commitment involved in practicing it. It goes beyond casual “friendliness” to soften blame and anger in order to genuinely wish happiness for all beings, starting with their safety and basic well-being. Practicing Metta emphatically extends that wish both to those we already care for and those we dislike. What happens when you direct lovingkindness to someone you judge or even hate? If you don’t think you can go that far, might you still try? How is it different to practice in this moment?

This Dharma Thought is by Steve Allison-Bunnell, the leader of the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets on Mondays at 7PM.

Sitting at the edge of Mystic Lake up the West Rosebud this weekend, watching drinkable water slowly dribble from our filter, I had two options: One was to feel impatient that I was having to work so hard for so little, and to berate myself for not cleaning the filter before leaving home. The other was to make this repetitive motion into a working mediation, something Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh) recommends over and over again. I chose the latter, matching my breath with each stroke of the pump, pausing for the chamber to fill before pushing it back out, feeling the steady rhythm of my arms moving. The view of the Absaroka-Beartooths surrounding me filled me with pure amazement. Seeing more deeply, I was aware of the uncountable snowflakes and raindrops from the peaks above that had filled this lake, allowing me to be refreshed. I noticed the morning light shift on the trees in front of me. And yes, my water bag did fill bit by bit. I was just there. When did you last give yourself to a task you could have otherwise been frustrated by? What did you experience instead of boredom?

This Dharma Thought on Sound Meditation is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell of Joining Rivers Sangha.

Silent meditation is so central to Zen practice that it’s easy to forget that several other traditions use sound, from bells to mantras, as an object of contemplation. So it was a beautiful gift to experience the Summer Solstice Soundgate practice, featuring crystal bowls, bells, an enormous gong, chimes, and a glass triangle. As the sound penetrated my entire body, my intuitive mind began to associate the sounds with different aspects of consciousness. Rattling shells became the skittering thoughts of monkey mind, allowing me to smile at them. Shimmering chimes became a portal to memory, and numerous moments, some long-ago, others recent, some still filled with shame, others with joy, paraded across my mental movie screen. The harmonizing crystal bowls were so quieting that I sat motionless for almost 40 minutes, possibly a new personal record. How does sound help you meditate? What sounds evoke certain feelings and images for you?

SoundGate

Our next SoundGate (Sound Meditation program) will be Friday, July 26 at 7pm and will feature Brian Sparks and Kathleen Karlsen.

Kathleen is a mantra practitioner, kirtan leader, composer, and artist focused on the transformative power of the arts.  She has three levels of training from the Kirtan Leadership Institute. Kathleen has led regular kirtans, mantra events, and workshops for the last six years. She joins us for an hour of Buddhist chants to the sacred sounds of the harmonium.

Brian received his spiritual teaching from several masters in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His teachers blessed his bowl work by giving him the specific “Prayer of Aspiration” and granted him many Buddhist empowerments. In person only. No registration necessary. Donations gratefully accepted.

Chants will be provided for those who would like to chant in unison — this is an evening where your voice is welcome!

More about Kathleen can be found on her website here.

This Dharma Thought is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell, an ordained lay member of the Plum Village Order of Interbeing and the practice leader of the Joining Rivers Sangha at the Bozeman Dharma Center. This article was originally published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle on February 10, 2024.

The old cliché, “travel is broadening,” really is true. Long before I knew anything about Buddhist practice, I remember looking at a phone on my first trip to England and thinking, “Wow, there’s more than one way to design a telephone!” But travel only broadens you if you let it. After returning from a European tour, a family friend pronounced, “Those Italians, they’re different.” I had noticed a difference and been intrigued by the possibilities. This friend had seen differences and entrenched his own preferences even more strongly.

Mindfulness is nothing more than noticing things and being aware of our reactions to them. We practice mindfulness first with meditation, since it is often easier to be aware of our own breath and body, and then by extending our awareness to the world around us. The trick to being present, whether traveling to an exotic place or driving to work, is to hold that awareness softly and without reflexive judgement. The Buddha taught that when we can see the world as it is, rather than how we want it to be, our sense of dissatisfaction (“suffering” in classic Buddhist parlance) diminishes.

Travel is the perfect opportunity to cultivate “Beginner’s Mind” — seeing the world in every moment as if for the first time, filled with wonder and delight, and free from preconceptions. Alternatively, if we cling to our habitual expectations, travel will almost certainly violate them and we might as well not have left home.

I recently got the gift to practice awareness and surrender to the moment during a natural history tour to the Caribbean with my son’s school. Literally each second of every day was an invitation to be present and truly see where we were, from coral reefs to tropical rain forests. No two underwater formations were identical, and every tree in the jungle seemed unique. The curiosity and openness of our fellow travelers helped sustain that presence. Knowing that the weather could quickly change our itinerary, we had to be flexible in what we expected. I was grateful that my established practice of mindfulness helped me not worry about what would happen next.

The trick when we come home after reveling in the freedom and novelty of travel is to maintain that expansive attitude even in our familiar surroundings and routines. It’s so easy to fall back into our habitual reactions and stories. And it’s also so easy to think we have to “get away from it all” to be engaged and happy again. The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh taught that the essence of mindfulness is to be confident that we always have enough to be happy in the present moment. With that in view, we don’t need an exotic trip to see the world afresh.

Steve Allison-Bunnell with Joining Rivers Sangha shares this dharma thought:

I like to think I am not a greedy person, but when it comes to photography, my greed knows no bounds. I love to make photographs and I hate to delete them. I faced this while trying to pick images for our annual family photo book. I wondered, “What does it mean to edit a photo collection mindfully?” On one hand, non-discrimination tempts me to think that all of the photos I made are beautiful in their own way. Keep them! But then, looking deeply and non-attachment lead me to joyfully throw away all but the few that most clearly evoke the moment that was the present. Ultimately, I can let go of the rest because those few are actually enough. The ones I keep are even more beautiful because they are not diluted by irrelevant variations. What collection do you dislike weeding? How do you see the truly special items?