What does this mean? And how can we break free?

Even in good states, we work mostly on autopilot. We’re making decisions that come from our mind, emotions, memory, or from a sense of “worldly” practicality. Or perhaps we close our eyes and hope that things will work out. Mostly, we act from the idea that our worldly lives are fundamentally “real,” something we need to control or to fix. By putting this view first, however, we’re basing our decisions and actions on the influences of our society, family, and changing states or emotions. So what’s the alternative?

A Weekend Experience

In these two talks, Dharma teachers Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat will propose that to get wonderful results from life we must start with questioning and adjusting this view. Without the right view, our conduct cannot possibly flow in a wholesome, generative way.

[Note: Video recordings will be available to those who are unable to make the live teachings starting on the evening of Sunday, July 26th. They will be accessible until end of the day Friday July 31st. You must register before the event in order to access these recordings.] 

What is the view?

The teachings show us that the ego is not real, that nothing is permanent. Hence, our first goal is to learn to dwell in a spacious clarity that is not dependent on conditions.

While such fundamental truths are hard (for our egos) to grasp, let alone keep in the forefront as we go about our daily lives, we must nevertheless work from this understanding if we’re to hope for wonderful results.

As we learn to change the view to support the transcendental, we also learn to be less affected when we don’t get what we want. In other words, as we put the correct view first more and more, it creates a shift in our judgement of how things are going. Instead of seeing the details of what we did or did not get along the way, we instead begin to monitor how well our conduct is supporting and in alignment with what is most important to us.

To learn more about how this looks, and for specific tools and techniques you can apply day to day, join Doug and Catherine for these online talks: 2 Steps to Freedom.