While being on solo retreat can bring profound depth and strength to my practice, there is a different type of power that comes from group retreat,” writes Robbie Rettmer. “When we practice alone, it can be easier to get up and walk away from the cushion. Meditating, chanting, and singing with our teachers and sangha friends brings a potent energy, reminding us to stay and continue the practice.
When we let go of our self-centered attitude and enable a softer, kinder, gentler engagement with the world and each other, Christian Scott points out. What if we look at the world “from a wider perspective than just our own little bubble”?
One of our beloved translators offers her insights in both English and español. “I have no issues with taking refuge in the Buddha, the teacher, the human being who showed us the path to enlightenment . . . nor with taking refuge in the dharma, the Buddha’s teachings,” writes Adela Iglesias. “But the process is not always that straightforward when I try to connect to the sangha.”
The five treatises of the next Buddha Maitreya are crucial and celebrated because they provide a comprehensive overview of all the essential elements of mahāyāna motivation, view, meditation, conduct, and fruition in a very concise form. This overview was translated by Mitra Karl Brunnhölzl.
Mind Without Borders is a prison dharma program founded in 2006 by Nalandabodhi’s New York City sangha. We provide Buddhist study through correspondence courses, dharma pen pals and practice instructors. You can help by becoming a pen pal, sending books and magazines or making a donation.
We receive the recipe of enlightenment and integrate the living starter dough into our lives,” Nick Vail writes, comparing our Buddhist lineage with a treasured family recipe. “We are nourished when we experience the true nature of mind, and then we lovingly share the dharma without compromise.
