Judith's dharma talks

I'm listening to Judith Ragir's Dharma lectures again. I first listened to them about two to three years ago. It took me about a year to listen to all of them. This time, because I know more about Buddhism, I'm catching more of what she says.

Today, I listened to her lecture on Practicing in all Circumstances from her 7-28-06 lecture.  Her main theme was about pivoting. When you find yourself in a habituated pattern, you pivot to the "now," trusting the teaching. For example, when I get caught up in one of my 1000s of fantasies, I pivot to the "now." I'm either listening to a lecture, typing, washing dishes, sweeping the floor. Whatever I'm doing, Judith says, stay with the "now" and practice realization.

The practice of realization is important. If we stay in the moment we are able to hold the moment in a vast way. It's the truth of impermanence, the ups and owns of life, that we are a grain of sand on the beach. We are one star in a countless number of stars. In this perspective, our storyline becomes smaller. Judith says that is enlightenment.

Pivoting is the practice of returning to the moment and realizing the universal perspective is in each moment. Judith mentions that we are training ourselves with repetition, in the same manner we would train a dog. We do the training moment by moment, in the now.

Each moment is an opportunity to pivot and make changes. Every event when we catch ourselves in an old pattern, we have a opening for pivoting toward change.

What do we do with the moments we don't like? Judith says to work with uncomfortableness. Turn towards the uncomfortable parts of life. Be more interested in awareness and the activity at the moment than building a comfortable nest and being in denial about uncomfortable place.  This is difficult for me when I hear an insult. I feel uncomfortable, even angry, but I'm supposed to pivot to the moment.  Hmmmm.  The Dalai Lama teaches to be compassionate at these moments.  Guess this will take much practice.

She also teaches us to turn compassion toward the fear and emotion. Then those fears become a doorway to enlightenment. It's freeing because we interrupt the storyline and remembering it's only the present moment, not what happened 30 years ago.  The promos is, as I develop my capacity to trust, then I'm able to go through the situation with more ease.

For her, "returning to the moment is a refuge, a release. You can't do it unless you trust that something larger than you is taking care of things."

We are to bring our habituated pattern to the forefront once we notice it. We are to practice pivoting daily. I've been working on this for some time. Right now, I'm releasing all fear.  When I find myself fearful, I trust, have faith, and remember that God is with me. I can bring in all that fear with the black smoke of tonglen, and release it with the image of the moonlight of compassion to myself and to all people who suffer from fear.

Another point Judith makes is it's none of my business how things turn out. That's taking refuge in the Buddha, in the teaching.  That's trusting in a Higher Power, God, Alla,  the Dharma, the Universe, or whatever you choose to call it.


"What you plant in the present moment is what you will receive in the future. It causes you to discern  what is wholesome and what is non-wholesome."
--Judith Ragir

Abide without praising, with the mind inwardly at peace.

May I avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive abiding with equanimity, mindful and fully aware.

 At first the eyes ears nose tongue and body cause suffering but then they become the seeing of the miracle of the garden of suchness.