03/30/2017 “What about God???” with Diane Wilde

It seems appropriate to discuss god and its compatibility — or not — with the holiest seasons in the Judeo-Christian calendar approaching in April. In the West, there is a widespread assumption that you can’t be a Buddhist and believe in a supreme being.
At prison, inmates — especially people who are new to the practice —frequently ask about Buddhism and its teachings on god. Underlying this question is a concern about being cajoled to “convert to Buddhism.” (As I have stated numerous times to inmates, the only conversion is the desire to investigate your own mind.) At SIM as well, practitioners often embrace the Buddha’s path and simultaneously maintain a strong allegiance to a belief system which defines “God” as the supreme being. Tonight we will discuss the “gods” that were an important component of the Buddha’s culture, as well as the Buddha’s teachings on god. For many westerners, reconciling a belief in god while following the Buddha’s path of alleviating suffering can cause confusion. For others there is no problem at all, with a comfortable marrying of both.
Should make for a lively discussion!

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March 30, 2017/by Sabitre

10/13/2016 “Better Than, Worse Than, The Same As” with Diane Wilde

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Better than, worse than, the same as…

The habit of fault-finding and comparison is part of a larger pattern of insecurity in which we always feel the need to judge ourselves in regards to other people. It is as though we need to convince ourselves that we are okay, which we can only do indirectly, in comparison to people who we feel are superior, are less okay or just like us.

The point is not to dwell on our own faults—or our own virtues, for that matter. It is to see ourselves and others in a clear and unbiased way. It is to see, but not to dwell on the seeing. The first step in this practice is awareness of what we are doing, actually seeing and experiencing the discontent of the comparing mind! We will discuss the judging mind and the Buddha’s advise on how to abandon it.

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