Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment

First, meditation practices that aim at cultivating samadhi, or states of clear, thought-free concentration, all too often end up fostering emotional dissociation and avoidance. Thus, rather than engage and work through the manifestations of fear, anxiety, anger, and self-centeredness as they emerge, meditation can create an oasis or bubble of clar

If we can maintain our ability to just be with whatever happens—even as our mind becomes increasingly swampy, constantly pouring over the past and projecting into the future—at some point the pollution settles and an even deeper clarity than before arises.

As I explored the writings of some of these esoteric schools, including the Mahayana school (Buddhism) and Sufism (Islam), it gradually dawned on me that through interacting with people’s parts in ways that allowed the individuals to separate from their emotions and beliefs, I had accidentally come upon a simple way to help people access the state