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Open Awareness (OA) is an expansive perception that promotes a resourceful state and the following qualities: Introspection – metacognitive awareness in which we can mindfully observe mental activities, emotions and somatic  experience. Outrospection – heightened awareness of others and the ways that we relate to them, which cultivates empathy and  compassion. Envirospection – broad awareness of the space around us which connects us to everything in the environment and the  cosmos. SOURCE

  The Buddha taught that to realize enlightenment, a person must develop two qualities: wisdom and compassion. Wisdom and compassion are sometimes compared to two wings that work together to enable flying or two eyes that work together to see deeply. In the West, we're taught to think of "wisdom" as something that is primarily intellectual and "compassion" as something that is primarily emotional, and that these two things are separate and even incompatible. We're led to believe that fuzzy, sappy emotion gets in the way of clear, logical wisdom. But this is not the  Buddhist understanding . The Sanskrit word usually translated as "wisdom" is  prajna  (in Pali,  panna ), which can also be translated as "consciousness," "discernment," or "insight." Each of the many schools of Buddhism understands prajna somewhat differently, but generally, we can say that prajna is understanding or discernment of the Buddha's teachin...

  When the Dharma moves in you good things begin to happen. With practice inner peace, serenity, and happiness begins to grow in you and the world you live in, as well as all things in it, take on a new perspective.  Ridding oneself of focus on self interest, often at the expense of others, and turning to compassion and love for all fellow beings has profound effects on a person. When one becomes less selfish amd more selfless the world becomes a warmer, better place for us all. We are, in fact, all brothers and sisters. The first "human couple" is responsible for the life of every human breathing and walking today. Yes or no?  So, seeing we all share the same "original ancestors" it should be easy to see that we are all interconnected as well as interdependent on other beings. We always have been. Even given the west's fixation on fierce individualism and self interest.  Perhaps it's time (it's really past time) for folks in the US of A to reevaluate th...

 

Lions Roar  - Link Tibet House  - Link   The Dalai Lama Global Vision Summit: The Power of Compassion  is one week away.   The summit starts next week! We're delighted to have you among more than 40,000 people who have already signed up for this momentous event.   There's only a week to go until the start of this landmark event! We're bringing together 20+ teachers to explore the transformative power of compassion, the quality at the centre of The Dalai Lama's vision for a better world. You can look forward to sessions featuring:   Sharon Salzberg  | Robert Thurman |  Tara Brach   Rick Hanson |  Amishi Jha  | Daniel Goleman Jan Willis  | Anne Lamott |  Wasfia   Nazreen Thubten Jinpa |  Marina Abramovic  | Mark Epstein and many more...  Click here to view the full schedule including the five daily themes and 20+ presenters . Surrounded by news of injustice and crisis, w...

Paul Condon draws on traditional Buddhism and Western psychology to show how the act of taking refuge is available to us in every moment, wherever we are. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I love you.” My grandma Corriene died in January 2018 after suffering from dementia for years. My last visit with her was an awkward, failed attempt to interact. But as I said goodbye, something shifted, and there was an effortless, joyful, simple connection as she said those words: “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I love you.” We resonated for a moment longer, maybe not even for thirty seconds. In my mind, I can still picture her presence and how I felt as she beamed at me with love and curiosity while I put on my winter coat and hat. Years later, I realized that this simple moment of care could be the basis for meditative practice. To take up the Buddhist path begins with taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the accomplished sangha—other people and beings who embody qualities o...