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The Buddha teaches us to see the world as it is, without the overlay of our egos or prejudice. Like how a detective views a crime scene. With an open mind, properly sniffing out clues and avoiding delusions.
How does one open their mind? These are the lessons of the Six Realms of Tibetan Buddhism. The Hell Realm teaches us to cope with confusion and anger. The Hungry Ghost Realm helps us overcome greed and feelings of inadequacy. The Animal Realm teaches about our ignorance and self-obsession. The Human Realm steers us from being guided solely by our passions. The Realm of the Warring Titans confronts our jealousy, while the God Realm teaches us compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves.
Each Lama Rinzen Mystery begins with the lama being reborn in Colorado into one of the Six Realms. The lama must learn the realm’s lesson in order to progress into the next mystery and into the next realm.
How does Lama Rinzen learn? By solving a murder, which gives a glimpse into his own suffering. While chasing down the killer, Rinzen himself is killed. If he has learned the lesson, he will then progress toward enlightenment. If not, he is condemned to yet another rebirth into the very realm he is trying to escape.
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A guide for deepening your meditation practice
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During our everyday meditation, thoughts arise. These can be the seeds of insight, if only we are aware of them. Some say thoughts during meditation are impediments. This is true, they can be. Thoughts can arise either with our being aware or not being aware of them. To reconsider things, it is not the thought […]
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Trump’s losing at politics, ignoring democracy, declaring an emergency where no emergency exists. Like it or note, we’re getting a lesson in fascism. I’m reading Madeleine Albright’s Fascism: A Warning. No, it is not a Trump-bashing tell-all. It barely mentions him. But like the title says, it warns democratic countries to learn from the mid-20th […]
This Christmas Eve is a Bardo day, and particularly festive for me and my old buddy and Tibetan Terrier Teacher, Rascal. You may know, Rascal died November 5. I was with him, and felt his moment of passing. Very real. Very immediate the way a spirit lifts and leaves. My teachers say 49 days after […]
This is not a Koan…
Writing Like a Buddha is a blog for writers. It includes thoughts, meditations and writing exercises to help authors see the world anew.
In Buddhism, every moment is a rebirth. A step outside of the normal into a burst of reawakening. We call these bardo moments—time in between past and future, between where we’ve been and where we are heading.
That is what we do as writers. Reimagine the ordinary as something new. Writing Like a Buddha is meant to help us experience the world fresh, and not as we already know it. Whether you are a poet or prose writer, a fiction or non-fiction writer, I invite you to engage in the exercises, offer comments, ask questions, and contribute ideas. Let’s create a mindful exchange of tips and practices to benefit us all.
WLaB Lessons
