by
Phil
I have really enjoyed the monastery every Thursday morning. It is a nice respite from daily life. Everyone is so friendly. I find the morning mediation very calming. I also really enjoy the class. You do a great job conveying foundational ideas and concepts clearly and simply with good visuals and illustrations. I like that there is no talk of “god.” I like that I am free to ask questions, and I have appreciated the answers. I appreciate the emphasis on mindfulness, being kind and compassionate, not being too attached, accepting impermanence, and the way of nonviolence.
I really like the phrase “form is emptiness and emptiness is form.” I don’t know why I like it so much, but I do. It tickles my philosophical funny bone.
I have a difficult time accepting certain assertions if they lack evidence. For example, I am not convinced by any evidence that karma is real or that we have past or future lives. To me, suffering and pleasure can sometimes be earned, but not always; sometimes they occur for no real reason at all. Some people experience a lot of suffering while others experience much less, and while this reality is sometimes justified or explicable, other times it is neither. But I don’t need to resolve any of these things in order to focus on being mindful, compassionate, nonviolent, and not being too attached.