4 Favorite Dynamic Dharma Teachings

I met the Buddha in Mountain View, California, in the autumn of 2003.

I had achieved my dream of moving from the Lone Star State to the Golden State. I’d been practicing yoga on and off for a decade but had never really delved into meditation outside of my yoga practice.Shortly after relocating to the Bay Area (also known as the land of endless holistic health opportunities), a simple flyer prompted me to show up to the Mountain View Zen Center group sit one evening with an authentic beginner’s mind.I sat on a black cushion facing the wall in a quiet room with about 20 other people sitting on black cushions facing the wall. I had no idea what to do, other than sit there and breathe. There was no technique given, no guided meditation or direction, no incense or music.I remember finding it exceedingly weird to be just sitting and breathing and staring at the white wall. I remember stifling the urge to giggle at times. I remember the near constant stream of thoughts: What am I doing here? How long has it been? How much longer? What if I fart? What am I going to eat for dinner after this? Am I doing this right?

Without further ado, here are a few of my most beloved and life-altering gems of dharma wisdom. May they be of benefit!

1. Life is suffering. Suffering results from clinging. There is a way out. Mindful awareness of the eternal now is the way to peace, wholeness, and bliss.2. All we need is metta.Metta is the practice of sending love, friendliness, and kindness to all beings without exception.May we be safe. May we be happy. May we be healthy. May we live with ease. May we be free.3. Let go like a warrior.Spiritual practice is all about letting go of our tendency to constantly dwell in the past and/or the future—and instead, fully embracing the present moment (in which, sometimes, we are recalling memories of the past or making plans and projections for the future).“Training yourself to be a warrior is learning to rest in basic goodness.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa4. Reconnect with awareness in every step.Gratitude is the strongest and most durable foundation for our lives—remembering that each breath is a gift. Life is not about eternal happiness. It is about being real, being here, witnessing and holding space for all that arises. Reflecting, growing, modeling health and genuine humanness. It’s doing the inner work each day so that our light can shine out and benefit others.“You have to remember one life, one death—this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment, whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the in-breath or out-breath, requires only a moment, this moment. And along with it all the mindfulness we can muster, and each stage of our ongoing birth, and the confident joy of our inherent luminosity.” ~ Stephen LevineRead the full version on elephant journal