Author: zenzdragon
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Celebrating A Buddhist Thanksgiving (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I read a passage from the Ornament of Realization Sutra and discuss how it relates to Thanksgiving. In the end, I show how traditional Thanksgiving practices like sharing food and spending time with family help us cultivate the wholesome Dharmas of generosity and gratitude. If you enjoyed this Dharma talk, you’ll…
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Society is a Shared Hallucination (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I discuss a teaching from Vasubandhu’s “Treatise on the Three Natures”. I use his description of reality to explain how societies are created, and the circumstances under which we should opt-out of societal norms. …
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Decent ordinary life
If you follow the national and international news, you may be forgiven for concluding that current political, economic, and military developments are the most important things in this turning world. Next to them, the ordinary activities of daily life may seem slight, undramatic, and banal. But two paintings, both of them focused on everyday life,…
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The Mystery of Consciousness 1/2 | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ The Mystery of Consciousness 1/2 – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ In this section, we dive deeper into the topic of consciousness and its relation to awareness (which has its own dedicated section following this one). A good way to start would be to say that as we begin…
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The Mystery of Consciousness 2/2 | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ The Mystery of Consciousness 2/2 – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the nature of consciousness, one can pose a question: Do animals have consciousness? Do plants? To which the answer can be given: as the nature of consciousness is very much…
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Will You Choose Enlightenment (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I discuss Bodhi Day celebrations and the story of Buddha’s enlightenment. More specifically, I discuss the primary lesson we should take from his journey to liberation, and how it can influence our own practice. …
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Only Two Things Matter in Life (Dharma Talk)
I explore the age-old question, “How Should I Spend My Time?” and discuss the two most important items on everyone’s to-do list. …
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Two Fingers Pointing to the Moon
A complete grasp of non-duality is beyond limited beings such as ourselves. This is why Dōgen wrote “when one side is illumined, the other is dark.” Even in satori, we only have hints at and intimations of the undivided wholeness that we call “reality.” There is always a greater understanding of that undivided reality to…
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Panpsychism – An Easy Escape From the Dilemma of Consciousness | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ Panpsychism – An Easy Escape From the Dilemma of Consciousness ~ ∞ ~ To further our discussion about consciousness, it is imperative to briefly dip our toes into something that may or may not shed some light on the complexity of understanding consciousness, and why consciousness is so difficult subject matter, especially…
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Living Consciousness – Vibrant Interconnected Reality | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ღ ~ Living Consciousness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ Vibrant Interconnected Reality ~ ღ ~ As an extension of the previous chapters, this chapter expands upon the information on consciousness and its relation to awareness. In this chapter, we will take a dive into the deeper waters of consciousness – it goes in tandem…