In our culture, we have “stand your ground” laws that cultivate fear and separation. How do we stand our ground in the dharma?
One of the best-known stories in the Buddhist tradition is the story of the Buddha, at the moment of his enlightenment, repudiating Mara by touching the earth. Surprisingly, the story is found nowhere in the early canon. And yet so many statues and images of the buddha across many cultures depict the Buddha demonstrating the “earth-touching” gesture. This week, Steve brought forward a consideration and short scholarly exploration of the origins of this fascinating iconography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAdalN_se68
We then embarked on a mini-retreat with Kittisaro and Thanissara, founders of the Sacred Mountain Sangha in California and co-authors of the book, Listening to the Heart, a Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism. You can listen to this talk (and the subsequent chants) below:
