Category Archives: Dharma Thoughts

Dharma Thought: True Freedom

Dharma Thoughts

This Dharma Thought on True Freedom is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell from the Joining Rivers Sangha.

What is true freedom? The Declaration of Independence claims freedom from government interference and control. Over 250 years, this has morphed into a freedom from responsibility toward anyone. With this view, community and connection are hard to come by.

The Buddha offered a profoundly personal path to freedom. The Dharma offers us liberation from our own dissatisfaction with the world. Being a free person on the Eightfold Path is to live with lightness we nurture for ourselves, rather than demanding that others allow us to do as we please. What is your personal definition of freedom? When do you feel liberated?

Image of head of Buddha statue to symbolize this Dharma Thought on True Freedom.

Dharma Thought: Look Up to Look Out

Dharma Thoughts

When I see someone walking along with their head down, eyes on the ground, I know from personal experience that they are not actually present. As a sighted person, where my gaze goes, so does my attention and awareness. So when I feel my own perception collapsing inward, turning my suffering into the singularity of a psychic black hole, I practice literally looking up and out. Where am I really? What do I see outside of myself, surrounding me? Instead of feeling alone and insignificant, touching the reality of Interbeing in the present moment — the fact that I am not separate from the rest of the universe — brings me connection and calm. What do you do when you find yourself looking down? What do you see when you look out?

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha. Joining Rivers Sangha practices in the Plum Village Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and meets on Mondays at 7pm (in person only).

Silhouette of a man with hands raised in the sunset

Dharma Thought: Contemplation & Practice Suggestion

Dharma Thoughts, Non-denominational

Contemplation:

“Whenever we are between here and there, whenever one thing has ended and we’re waiting for the next thing to begin, whenever we’re tempted to distract ourselves or look for an escape route, we can instead let ourselves be open, curious, tentative, vulnerable.

You can always find ways to connect with this in your everyday life. Its very simple,  slow down and abruptly stop.  Look out, and touch in with the present moment.  Doing so breaks up the stream of concepts and mental chatter that overlay your experience.  It enables you to touch in with the timelessness of the present moment”.

Pema Chodron, “Welcoming the Unwelcome”

A possible practice session for the next 3 weeks:

Reflect on your motivation and aspiration.

Relax in open awareness:

       Don’t try to focus on anything in particular or control your mind.

       Leave all the sense doors open, without trying to block any aspect of experience.  

After a few minutes, bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body

Rest your attention on an object in your visual field, or on whatever sense you have chosen to use as support for your meditation

You do not need to change or alter your experience, nor do you need to focus intensely or concentrate the mind.

                 Simply know that you are feeling/seeing/hearing.  

Rest again in open awareness, not distracted and not meditating. Eyes open for the last 1-2 min.  

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Tergar Bozeman: The Joy of Living Practice Group which meets weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM.

Dharma Thought: On Activity

Dharma Thoughts, Zen

On Activity, from Suzuki Roshi: “When we practice zazen, we limit our activity to the smallest extent. Just keeping the right posture and concentrating on sitting is how we express the universal nature. Then we become Buddha and express Buddha nature…we just concentrate on the activity we do in each moment. When you bow, you should just bow; when you eat, you should just eat. If you do this, the universal nature is there. In Japanese, we call it ichigyo zammai or ‘one-act samadhi.‘ “

Despite our society’s love of “multi-tasking,” science is discovering that we really can only do one thing at a time. Our attempts at multi-tasking are actually our brains serially monotasking. This fragmented attention is the opposite of what the Buddha taught and of what Suzuki Roshi tried to remind us. Do you notice a difference in your mental state when you focus on one thing at a time and when you try to multi-task? Which one feels better?

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by the Bozeman Zen Group.

Dharma Thought: Path of Practice

Dharma Thoughts, Non-denominational

“Stay on the trail!” my father would say on family hikes. It expressed his care for the land and is a strong habit for me still. So it felt oddly transgressive to be in Yellowstone this weekend, first hiking a “real” trail marked on the map, then following paths made by bison, and then just striking out cross-country to reach the road. When we were no longer on a human-made trail, we felt more vulnerable, on higher alert for bison and bears, even though the landscape was the same. But we also grew more confident in our ability to observe and navigate without a “real” trail. Life often feels the same way: anxious when we are unsure of the path; relaxed when we are. Following the path of Buddha Dharma is wonderful in two seemingly contradictory ways. As a guide, it offers tools to navigate an uncertain world. But as a practice, it also helps us tolerate uncertainty. I am grateful to take refuge in both. Are you a “stay on the trail” person? How do you experience the path of practice?

This Dharma Thought brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell with Joining Rivers Sangha which meets on Mondays at 7PM.

Dharma Thought: The Dharma’s Gift of a Second Chance

Dharma Thoughts

I hope that someday my practice will help me avoid speaking in anger more often. Until then, I take refuge in Thay’s teaching of Beginning Anew, the practice for repairing damage to a relationship. I needed to do that recently. While I still regret being unskillful to begin with, I am glad that the practice gave me the courage and confidence to make amends in an authentic, compassionate way. It took me over a week of daily contemplation, but I was finally able to write letters of sincere apology and deeper explanation for my frustration. I did not follow the precise script that Thay gives us for using within the Sangha, but the spirit of sharing, “Darling, I am suffering” was there. I was relieved when my letters were received with generosity. More than anything, it is profoundly reassuring to recover from mistakes like that, since we all will make them no matter how diligent we try to be. What fresh start would you like to make in a relationship? What do you need to Begin Anew?

This Dharma Thought is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell with the Joining Rivers Sangha in the Plum Village Tradition.

Stories of Stuff

Dharma Thoughts

This Dharma Thought about our Stories of Stuff is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell with the Joining Rivers Sangha.

Two elder family members are both confronting their relationship to possessions. One is leaving the home they’ve lived in for 55 years, filled with family treasures and “this might be useful someday,” but has been disappointed that many heirlooms have little monetary value. The other already left a life-long home, but brought everything with them and now struggles with an overflowing apartment. One is being ruthlessly pragmatic, trying to look ahead to a new life. The other is very attached to the memories that even a VHS movie represents. It’s been hard for both of them.

In the Five Remembrances, the Buddha teaches, “All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.” This sounds pretty ruthless, too. But as one of the inconvenient truths of being human, the Buddha invites us to look at this reality directly instead of shying away from it. And, the Buddha does also offer an alternative to clinging to this loss: “My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.” Would you rather voluntarily give up your precious belongings? How do you go about standing on the ground of your actions?

Time for Practice

Dharma Thoughts

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Karen DeCotis of the Bozeman Zen Group (and the BDC director!).

Our practice is immeasurable and constant; whether on a cushion or chair, washing dishes or paying bills, know that you can always practice. Find your feet, contact your breathing. Practice even when distracted. This way you can maintain a joyful, spacious mind even when confronting difficulty and distress. You are in wonderful company!

Time to Connect

Dharma Thoughts, Non-denominational

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell with the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets every Monday at 7PM.

A friend I’ve known for 35 years, and haven’t seen in 25, still sends me a handwritten letter on actual stationery once a year. And of course I answer her in kind. It’s a sweet form of connection, acknowledging the depth of our first friendship in college, and our continued mutual respect over the arc of adulthood. Writing with a pen, trying to choose my words to avoid cross outs, I’m able to reflect on the essence of my life in the past year in a way that texts or emails don’t invite. Unlike social media, I don’t have to pretend everything is the best ever, or try to measure up to my friend’s experience. What comes out is unvarnished and from the heart — the way we talked when we were housemates so long ago. And as I continue on the Path of Practice,  this pause to write to her feels even more like a sacred space. Who do you maintain a long-term connection with? How is it special and precious?

The Merit of our Practice

Dharma Thoughts, Zen

This Dharma thought offered by Karen DeCotis of the Bozeman Zen Group.

As I write and you read this, we are still in the midst of Covid, severe partisan politics, the aftermath of mass shootings, the war in Ukraine past the one-year mark, and a most devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Difficult indeed to imagine the loss of life, of home, livelihood, security and comfort. And let us not be helpless in the face of tragedy.

May we suffuse love over the entire world, above, below, all around without limit, so let us cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world.

So encourages the Metta Sutta. Offer the merit of your good practice. May we apply our practice diligently; may we also remember that the catastrophic suffering outlined above does not diminish the good efforts we must make to confront our own lives, our families and workplaces, our joys and difficulties – to cultivate self-compassion, energetic discipline and never turn away from our own suffering.