Unfettered Mind : : Ken McLeod's website

While pouring through iTunes last week in search of some new Buddhist podcasts to check out, I happened upon Ken McLeod's "Unfettered Mind" podcasts and was thrilled to see that he is posting his materials online.

As a fan of Ken's book "Wake up to Your Life", I find that his teaching style is very direct and precise. To have the opportunity to hear his talks is very precious.

Check out the link below to listen to the Podcasts and Audio Files available on the website. You'll find many resources available on the Unfettered Mind website such as recommended readings, newsletters, translations and practices.

Introduction to Buddhism - Montreal

For those of you interested in acquainting yourself with Buddhism (of the Tibetan flavour), Nalandabodhi Montreal will be offering a course titled "Introduction to Buddhism: Discovering the Path to Enlightenment" this Fall and I will be helping to co-coordinate it.

For information and registration, please email Jason@nbmontreal.org and let him know that TMcG sent you.

While you wait for this course, check out this little clip with The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Not sure if there will be turbulence in this course.. but we'll see.

BBtv WORLD (Tibet): Inside Lhasa - Boing Boing TV

Quick link time... Summer has gotten to me and I'm trying to keep my digital distractions to an absolute minimum while I gear up to hunker down with some serious study plans this Fall.

Here's a link to a video from Boing Boing's latest episode of their BBtv World video series which offers a glimpse of life around the world.

This clip is shot from Lhasa during the annual Saga Dawa festival.

Enjoy!

BBtv WORLD (Tibet): Inside Lhasa - Boing Boing TV

Meditation is a sacred activity

When a person sits and meditates, it is a special situation; it is a sacred act of some kind. It has been said by Petrul Rinpoche, a great teacher about 100 years ago, that even if you have impure thoughts in the meditation hall, those thoughts are regarded as sacred thoughts. The most impure, most crude or confused thoughts, even those are regarded as sacred thoughts. Along with that, a sense of appreciating the discipline is in itself important, whether you have accomplished the discipline over all or not. If you fall asleep on your cushion, or feel that you haven't actually sat and meditated at all -- as soon as you sit on your cushion, you begin to mentally venture out all over the world, and the only thing that reminds you is when the ending gong sounds and you realize you are meditating, supposedly, physically -- even then, even such daydreams and things like that are important. Meditation is a sacred activity.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche:
From "The First Foundation: Mindfulness of Body," in the 1973 Hinayana-Mahayana Transcripts, page 39

Shambhala SunSpace

From reading the incomparable buddhablog known as The Worst Horse, I discovered that the incomparable magazine known as the Shambhala Sun has recently launched a new online initiative called "Shambhala Sun Space".

They are considering this an 'experiment in progress" and are looking to bring elements such as daily content, adding podcasts and teachings and exploring how to make the site interactive allowing for dharma practitioners to share with one another.

This looks interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing how this evolves.

When I first became interested in Buddhism, I didn't have a meditation center in my hometown. After some time in Halifax and getting to know the Shambhala Buddhist community better, I found that it was so helpful to have a group to sit and connect with.

Technology is really helping with the spread of Buddhism. I absolute love it.

Thin skinned

Reflecting on this increasing longing I have for people to be kind and gentle with one another has sparked the though I need to be kind and gentle with both others and myself.

It's amazing how hectic we as a society are getting. I'm seeing this without the support of a month long retreat and I'm only wondering what kind of transition I would need from such time away from the frantic to and fro of the world.

I'm wondering if these folks from 'I Heart Huckabees' are around for a consult? Maybe they would be able to help me see some of the 'interconnectivity' that I need to be drawing my mind towards !

Kids are the awesomest

I just devoured the most recent issue of Tricycle magazine tonight which has a great section speaking of the next generation of Buddhists and how we can help to encourage them. In the special section, "Bringing up Buddhists" examples are given to various programs out there to inspire and challenge kids on the Buddhist path.

I particularly appreciate the approach taken in that the groups featured in this series of articles all allow for children to engage in self-discovery and inquiry, rather than a "the Buddha taught this so therefore it's true"- method of indoctrination.

Also particularly interesting in this issue of Tricycle is the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's "2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" which paints a portrait of an America in which "the 18-to-29 age group is one of the smallest among Buddhist respondents, second only to the 65+ group (7%)."

I've been toying around the notion of writing more material for this young group as I see the efforts of Noah Levine, Ethan Nichtern and Brad Warner and commend them on their work. Again, I appreciate their lack of talking down to this audience or over-selling the dharma in a manner which comes off too 'car salesman like'

We'll see... We'll see.

Oh the photo you ask? That's just me... being awesome in my cozy terrycloth one piece. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Summer homework - -Nalandabodhi style

Summer is the ideal time for me to be "the worst horse" and coast through with avoiding cushion time. I am however, committing myself to daily re-reading of my Nalandabodhi course notes to prepare for this upcoming Fall session of study. Go 'imputed self'! Yay!

My 'Western mind' is much more suited for study than on-cushion meditation. I think I need to start leaving my books, comics, ipod and computer on my cushions so I'll have no choice but to plop down for a session.

Completely off topic
I would so love to see if Ponlop Rinpoche would like to play 'Rock Band'. I hear from sources he is quite the fan of the Rolling Stones.

I'm such a goof sometimes! No wonder I need more 'time out sessions' on the cushion.

Through the kindness of Wisdom Publications

Not a day after my post reviewing David Loy's book "Money, Sex, War, Karma- Notes for a Buddhist Revolution", I was greeted with a note from Joe from Wisdom Publications (the awesome publisher of Loy's materials as well as such books as: "Hardcore Zen" by Brad Warner, "One City - A Declaration of Interdependence" by Ethan Nichtern, "Dear Lama Zopa - Radical Solutions for Transforming Problems into Happiness" by Lama Zopa as well as many books by the Dalai Lama.

Joe contacted me to thank me for my review of Loy's book and offered up a copy of one of David's previous books "The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons" after my mention in my blog post that I was looking forward to reading it.

How awesome is this?

I think it's pretty awesome. First off, for Wisdom Publications to be listening to the opinions of "Buddhabloggers" is pretty cool in my 'books' (pun intended). Secondly, they are publishing books from and for audiences usually left off the radar (youth, punks, eco-greens, women and interfaith individuals).

I'm looking forward to reading Loy's book (as well as the additional book that Joe sent along by Lama Zopa Rinpoche (which is due out in October 2008).

What a pleasant surprise for a Buddhablogger and book lover. Massive thanks go out to Wisdom Publications.

The Venerable Choje Lama Namse Rinpoche:: in Montreal August

Centre Rigpe Dorje in Montreal will be hosting the Venerable Choje Lama Namse Rinpoche August 15, 16 and 17th who will be giving teachings on the 9 stages of calm abiding meditation (aka Shamatha)

Rinpoche was born in Kham, Eastern Tibet in 1930 and become a monk at fifteen years of age. Since 1981, he has served as the Karmapa's representative in Canada as well as Director of Karma Sonam Dargye Ling, the main location in Canada for the Karmapa.