Devotion, Discernment and Cults

By Birrell Walsh (Khandro Rinpoche 8-7-2005 Smiling) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Devotion is essential on the spiritual path, but we must also avoid cults and cultishness. Some points from Khandro Rinpoche are summarized here.

On Self-Remembering

Flower by Martin Sproul

The first in a series of posts about self-remembering and self-recognition. The work of George Gurdjieff, A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali) and Faisal Muqaddam, among others, will be explored. This post contains a poem by Derek Walcott that speaks beautifully to the subject.

Beyond Technique: Trauma Healing, Mediation and Spirituality

Shaking Hands: Mediation Success

A post about the tension between technique and presence during deep moments of resolution in trauma healing, spirituality and mediation. True mastery is not “doing” but wu wei, the ability to act while holding this tension. Draws on Peter Levine’s trauma work, (Somatic Experiencing®), the work of Daniel Stern, the Theory of Holes (A. H. Almaas and Faisal Muqaddam), and the work of J.G. Bennett, as well as Elizabeth Bader’s writings on the IDR cycle.

Peter Levine: Presence in Trauma and Spirituality

Profound words from Peter Levine on the relationship between the presence experienced during trauma and the presence which catalyzes spiritual transformation. Elizabeth’s note on the opening of the heart during spiritual practice and its closing during trauma.

The Superego (Inner Critic) and Mediation

elizabeth bader on conflict

It is a true joy to live life free of a punitive superego (inner critic). In order to do this, though, we have to learn about the phenomenon of judgment, the superego and the inner critic. In a previous post, the basic structure and function of the superego was described. In this post, the superego’s (inner critic’s) relationship to conflict and conflict resolution is discussed.

Beyond the Superego: A Musical Offering

A wonderful video for inspiration, meditation and reflection. Jennifer Berezan and her friends demonstrate collaborative spirituality by weaving their voices together in a spirit of lovingkindness for all.

Tim Hicks on the Neuroscience of Mediation and the IDR Cycle

In this post, Tim Hicks presents his reflections on the neuroscience of mediation, knowing and identity and the IDR Cycle in mediation. He explains that the psychological experience that the IDR cycle theory describes (inflation, deflation, realistic resolution) is well-supported by what we believe to be true of the neurophysiology of learning, knowing, memory, and identity. His commentary ties the three phases of the cycle to some of the basic aspects of embodied consciousness. (For current research on embodied mind, see, for example, work by Don Tucker, Gerard Edelman, Antonio Damasio, Ben Bergen, Lawrence Barsalou, Vittorio Gallese, Mark Johnson, George Lakoff and David Geary ).

Appendix to “Beyond Technique: Trauma Healing, Mediation and Spirituality”

In “Beyond Technique: Trauma Healing, Mediation and Spirituality,” Elizabeth Bader uses several terms from Daniel Stern repeatedly. However, Stern uses these key terms in ways that do not necessarily conform to their obvious meaning or normal usage. For that reason, this post provides those definitions. All definitions are from Daniel Stern’s book, The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life (W. W. Norton & Company, 2004).

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