Tuesday
A Tendency to Tamper
Reflections on our left-brain approach to everyday life and the nature of reality
by Larry Barnett
My seven-year-old granddaughter and I were watching an animated movie about a curious fairy who is told by her Fairy Master not to tamper with Pixie Dust. She does, of course, and an accident caused by one of her experiments wreaks havoc with the Fairy Village.
As we usually do, we talked about the movie. After I picked her up at school the other day, she asked me exactly what “tamper” means. “Well,” I said, “tampering is experimenting with combining or changing things without being sure what will happen. Like when that fairy fooled around with Pixie Dust not knowing what the new Pixie Dust would do.” “You mean like discovering she could make pink Pixie Dust?” she asked. “Yes, exactly” I replied. “Remember when we talked about how a chemist mixes different things to make new combinations? It’s just like that. People tamper with stuff all the time, and sometimes what they discover is good and sometimes bad. They have to know what they are doing. And,” I added sagely, “some things are dangerous and should not be tampered with at all. Understand?” “Papa” she said, and then paused. “You tamper with words.” Continue…
Entries filed under Opinion Pieces
Sit Here Now – HIGHLIGHT
by Anne-Marie Keppel, Montpelier, Vermont My ten-year-old daughter is trying to understand how her mind works. She is becoming curious of her frustrations and anxieties and becoming aware of how they sometimes take over and cause stress and unhappy feelings. Slowly and solidly, she is creating a ... continuePosted September 21, 2012 by
Union of Dharma and Art – HIGHLIGHT
photos and article by Dana Marshall In my last year of high school in Boulder, Colorado (1978), at 16 years old I had completed all the required courses so I had the opportunity to focus on what really interested me which was painting, photography, ceramics and mythology. ... continuePosted May 7, 2012 by
Powerfully, Be Generous – HIGHLIGHT
This article is part three of a series on the practices of generosity by Jonathan Hanna. Click here to read the first article: Simply, Be Generous, and here to read the first article: Practically, Be Generous. Generosity can have two objects, the fields of benefit (sentient beings) ... continuePosted March 13, 2012 by
The Fourth Pillar
by Andrew Forbes There is a void in the Shambhala community. For all the sophisticated practices of meditation, a budding governmental body, and military protection, there is something still missing from the lungta of the developing community. I feel it every time I walk into the Shambhala ... continuePosted February 9, 2012 by
Staying Healthy on Retreat – HIGHLIGHT
A natural approach to wellness while on retreat by Silas Rosenblatt, R Ac Anyone who has spent any time at a group retreat or meditation program is likely to be familiar with one of the many obstacles that arise in practice – getting sick. Back pain, boredom and ... continuePosted January 18, 2012 by
Practically, Be Generous – HIGHLIGHT
This article is part two of Simply, Be Generous, previously posted on the Shambhala Times, by Jonathan Hanna. There are said to be three kinds of generosity: giving material goods, giving protection from fear, and giving the dharma. Throughout the history of buddhadharma the teachings have been ... continuePosted January 9, 2012 by
Simply, Be Generous – HIGHLIGHT
by Jonathan Hanna Within our sangha as a whole, we often struggle with the dilemma of how to be generous in offering the teachings while ensuring the financial solvency of our centers. Individuals grapple with the same challenge, wishing to contribute financially, either for receiving specific teachings ... continuePosted November 18, 2011 by
Protectors of Wealth and Wisdom – HIGHLIGHT
by Judy Bond Last March I wrote an article for the Shambhala Times about drilling for shale gas, which is a new technology that allows the mining of natural gas from shale formations, often thousands of feet within the earth. Such formations are widespread and ... continuePosted August 29, 2011 by
Artfully Wedded in Britain – HIGHLIGHT
Jennifer Holder shares her cross-national perspective on watching William & Catherine’s Royal Wedding live. As the royal wedding proceedings rest for photographs and inner-sanctum formalities, electricity is surely surging across Britain as everyone flips the switch on their kettles for tea. I myself flipped the switch, but ... continuePosted April 29, 2011 by Jennifer Holder
Natural Gas in Nova Scotia: What’s best for all? – HIGHLIGHT
By Judy Bond Last week Nova Scotia accepted bids from companies proposing to develop onshore natural gas reservoirs from shale deep under the province. Natural gas is cleaner burning than coal and oil, creates less global warming, and is locally available. But what are the pros and ... continuePosted March 30, 2011 by
How is the oil spill affecting you? – HIGHLIGHT
By Bill Scheffel, writing from New Orleans. Three of my walks in New Orleans took me into the Ninth Ward and the Lower Ninth Ward, the primary neighborhoods that delivered pictures to the world of people left behind, stranded on their roofs in the floods ... continuePosted June 15, 2010 by
Inseparability of Donating Time and Money – HIGHLIGHT
By Gordon Shotwell For several years now, I have staffed Sun Camp. But last summer I had to leave early because I had started working at a bank and didn’t have enough vacation days to staff the entire program. Leaving early was a heartbreaking, and for a ... continuePosted January 9, 2010 by
Service & Shambhala Households – HIGHLIGHT
By David Whitehorn Contemplating the Sakyong’s talk on Shambhala Households, I found myself thinking about the practice of service. Service is such an integral part of Shambhala that it is often taken for granted and not recognized as the profound practice that it can be. Hearing the ... continuePosted January 4, 2010 by David Whitehorn
Kitchen Shrine at Dorje Dzong
Phyllis Segura offers recommendations for a kitchen shrine, inspired by our recent interview with Sangyum Wendy Friedman and Kusung Dapon Noel McLellan on Shambhala Households. Click on images to enlarge: The offerings here are a rice paddle and chopsticks. The shrine should also contain a rice offering ... continuePosted January 2, 2010 by Phyllis Segura
Apology to the Dot
The Shambhala Times offers its apologies to the editorial staff of the Dot, Shambhala’s former community newspaper, for posting material that included inaccurate information and may have unintentionally caused harm. continuePosted June 3, 2009 by
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