Lama Surya Das returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about navigating the battlefield of our interior selves.
Listen to interviews and dharma talks with Lama Surya Das and friend on the Awakening Now Podcast, right here on the Be Here Now Network.
Show Notes
From Me to We (Opening) – How does turning inwards allow us to shift our perspective from “me” to “we?” Lama Surya Das and Raghu take a look at our interior life. They discuss the different ways that we look outward for gratification and affirmation, when all we need to do is look within.
“I am thinking about the lack of interiority today and the extreme materialism – the turning outward for what we think we want or need. The interior self, whether Buddhism says there is no self or not, it’s the better angels of our true nature.” – Lama Surya Das
The Interior Battlefield (12:35) – We examine the interior battle that is constantly raging within and look at how small acts of generosity serve as positive advancements in that war. Lama Surya Das shares teachings from the Buddhist tradition that speak to the essential virtue of generosity.
“Dostoevsky called the spiritual life the interior battlefield. This is something that thinkers and seekers have known for a millennia. It is the only fight worth having if we want to be more peaceful.” – Lama Surya Das
Emptiness and Interconnection (19:00) – By better understanding the Buddhist teachings around dependent origination, also known as interdependent co-arising, we can better appreciate the deeper teachings around emptiness, or Śūnyatā. Lama Surya Das and Raghu talk about the interconnectedness of all things and celebrate the life of LSD’s teacher, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Check out this conversation around interdependent origination and our own wrong knowing on Ep. 266 of the Mindrolling Podcast
Developing Our Interior Selves (36:50) – We look at the inner conflicts, known as kleshas in Buddhist philosophy, that obscure our wisdom and can manifest as unwholesome action. Lama Surya Das shares practices for confronting our kleshas as they arise.
“The point between sensation and judgment is where we bring the wedge of mindful present awareness, so that we don’t just react with knee-jerk habitual reactions and get the same results.” – Lama Surya Das
Co-Meditating (55:30) – We close with a 6-minute meditation around the interconnectivity between ourselves and all things.
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Image via Bruce Rolff