Judy Lief

Buddhism – Shambhala – Profound Treasury – Making Friends with Death

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Blog 24: Change Your Attitude, But Remain Natural

September 2, 2014 By Judy Lief

 24. Change your attitude, but remain natural.
What attitude is this slogan talking about, and why should we change it? What is an attitude anyway? It seems to me that an attitude is our customary way of thinking about things, which is usually reflected in our actions. An attitude is a kind of mental container that shapes and colors whatever is put into it. Your attitude not only colors what comes into the mind, but leads you to attend to some things and be completely oblivious of others. It affects what comes into your head as well as what happens thereafter.

This slogan targets one attitude in particular: the attitude that you yourself are more important than others. The attitude that you come first and others come second. It is rather embarrassing, but crude as it may sound, most of us carry this attitude or assumption with us all the time. It is definitely our default position, and deeply ingrained.

Mind training is all about changing that fundamental stance. The practice is to make an effort to care for others as much as you care for yourself. Even more radically, it is to shift your attitude so that your concern for the welfare of others actually pops up first, rather than a distant second.

This kind of attitude adjustment seems like a pretty big deal, heroic even. But according to the slogan, it is important not to get caught up in the big-dealness. The slogans altogether have an odd way of combining radical challenges with the suggestion just to relax. There is absolutely no room for exhibitionism or spiritual posturing. Slogan practice is not focused on grand gestures. Instead, the idea is to make small but consistent moves in the direction of awareness and loving kindness. And then…get over yourself and just relax!

Today’s practice

When you notice your attitude turning inward, fixating on yourself, give it a gentle nudge and turn it outward to include other beings. Don’t punish yourself for your selfishness or give yourself a gold star for your altruism. Simply apply the slogan and move on.

Upcoming Events: Profound Treasury Retreat

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8th Annual PROFOUND TREASURY RETREAT at Saco, Maine 

June 12-24 at Ferry Beach Conference Center, Saco, Maine

 

Living Dharma: The Joy and Challenge of Joining Practice and Action

 

 

“Mindfulness practice is not just about what is happening to you individually and personally—it is about how much you are going to transmit your sanity and your insanity to the rest of the world.”—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

 

“If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”  Charlie Parker

 

Living Dharma

The Joy and Challenge of Joining Practice and Action

 

In these times of turmoil, it’s important to reflect on ways to bring our lifestyle and our actions into greater accord with the dharma.   If your life does not reflect your practice, what is the point of meditation and study?

 

The time spent in sitting meditation is much less than the time spent going about our everyday lives. Therefore, postmeditation practice is essential. The combination of meditation and postmeditation makes our practice complete—running through our entire life rather than something we turn on and off.

 

In this class, we will focus on the challenges of living a dharmic life, and how they are addressed in the three stages of the Tibetan Buddhist path.  We will work with the foundational or hinayana guidelines for living life with simplicity and contentment. We will study mahayana teachings on how to activate compassion and benefit others. Finally, we will explore vajrayana teachings on how to engage more freshly and spontaneously by cutting hesitation and fixed views.

 

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Topics include:

The three essentials: discipline, meditation, and wisdom

Refraining from harm: working with the five precepts

Being of benefit: practicing the paramitas

Overcoming hesitation: engaging with the four karmas

Obstacles, mistakes, and fresh starts

 

From Judy’s Blog

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Judy Lief • 802-598-5832 • judy@judylief.com