...has a nice ring to it :)

Bob Thurman is a fantastic--and funny--teacher!  Here is a quick clip from his podcast describing some issues with theism.

From NPR.org:

Morning Edition, May 27, 2008 · The Karmapa, one of the most important leaders in Tibetan Buddhism, is visiting the United States. Some think the young lama will succeed the Dalai Lama as the next spokesman for Tibetan Buddhism and Tibet.

Co-host Renee Montagne talks to Robert Thurman, professor of Buddhist studies at Columbia University, about the 22-year-old Karmapa.

Listen at NPR.org...

I try to take risks In almost all parts of my day-to-day life.  It's easy and comfortable to not take risks.  I can get up in the morning, clean up, pour my coffee, run the usual storylines of the day in my head, drive to work, do the work, drive home, internet, TV, read, sleep--and squeeze in eating of course.

Taking risks for me is when I pause and see through these habitual patterns and allow some space to truly experience what is going on.  In Shambhala Warriorship, this is considered "daring".  It's a commitment to be willing to feel a little uncomfortable outside of our cocoons.  I take risks when I pause from my routine of telling--and I do mean telling--someone, "How's it goin'?"  The pause allows me to actually listen to their answer and have a genuine human interaction.  For someone who has lived a life with perpetual anxiety, these genuine "daring" moments have been huge.  A breath of fresh air.

A few years ago I began going to the Shambhala Medtiation Center of San Antonio.  Studying Shambhala Buddhism and living Shambhala Warriorship has had a tremendously positive effect on my life.  So much so that I will be going to Sutrayana Seminary this Summer at the Shambhala Mountain Center.  This is to make a stronger connection to the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and to eventually become a teacher in the sangha.  As part of my preparation for this seminary, I have been contemplating a set of slogans by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of the lineage.  I thought some of you Gaians might be interested in these, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on these slogans regularly in my blog.  If interested, you can receive these slogans weekly from OceanofDharma.com.

TO EXPERIENCE FEARLESSNESS, IT IS NECESSARY TO EXPERIENCE FEAR

When I first began studying Shambhala Buddhism, I found it interesting that the term "fearlessness" was used to describe a warrior as opposed to "fearLESS".  Why would the goal not be to be completely absent of fear? 

We experience fear every day.  It can be fear of death, fear of change, fear of boredom, or fear of the present moment.  Some fear is good, such as fear of being eaten by a bear or fear of being hit by a flying baseball bat, but we deal with most fear negatively by developing cocoons or masks.  As soon as something feels uncomfortable, we either push things away or cling to something else.  This has been the story of my life.  I would carry around a mask for almost every situation.  A mask for work, a mask for home, for girlfriends, family, etc.  These are created because of a fear of what is happening at the present moment.  It's as if I was trying to outsmart a moment by pretending to be something else.  After slowing down my mind through meditation, I began to notice my aversion to these situations and how it was causing me to miss what was truly going on around me.  A simple email from my boss asking to meet with me instantly triggered the creation of a cocoon to protect me.  My mind would race of thoughts of what could happen, mistakes I likely did to merit the meeting, and many other story lines; anxiety flared.  In reality, my boss could simply have a question, wanted to pat me on the back, or in fact did have a problem with my performance.  But allowing space for the situation to arise gives me the opportunity to fully address her concern and--if at fault--fix the problem.  This is fearlessness. 

Being a Shambhala Warrior doesn't destroy fear or see no need for it, but it creates confidence to face the present moment.  Our cocoon and other armor is dropped.  Experiencing the fear that arises in myself gives me a taste of what my life could be without its stranglehold.  In Buddhism, this would be similar to how experiencing samsara--cyclical suffering--motivates our search for liberation.

So, I've been searching on the web for a neat place to place my music for people to hear in full quality for free, and Last.fm seems to be the perfect place. Check out my artist page there to listen to the music from my latest album for free! Below is a track from that album that I have yet to feature at Gaia. It's a Philip Glassish/Elliot Goldenthal ditty.

Phil Castillo – Logic of Love: Red Room

One of my favorite bands just released a new album.  If you haven't heard Elbow before, definitely check them out.  Great stuff.  Below is their song Grounds for Divorce:

Besides my teaching gig, I'm also the Communications Director for the Shambhala Meditation Center of San Antonio.  Below is a video slideshow I put together of several activities we've had in the past year or so.  If you're not fortunate enough to live in San Antonio :) you can find a Shambhala Center near you here.

From Amnesty International USA: