Keeping vows is not a one-time thing. Though we may mark our first commitment to a vow, it’s important for us to keep finding moments for aspiration. In our daily lives, how can we remember the vows we’ve taken? One suggestion is to take a moment…
Tibetan Buddhism reminds us that aspiration is never only personal. We benefit from the aspirational vows others make, too. Which is why aspiration and connection are so closely linked together. In the last post, I shared 3 levels of personal aspiration: outer, inner, and secret. Tibetan…
Lama Surya Das describes three levels of aspiration, or pranidhana. These outer, inner, and secret levels can teach us how to cultivate spiritual aspiration more fully in our lives. The outer, external level of aspiration is behavioral. At this outer level, we recognize the importance of…
The Dalai Lama begins every day with this aspiration below, written by Shantideva. It comes from Shantideva’s famous sixth century text, The Way of the Bodhisattva. The Dalai Lama says this prayer gives him strength and enthusiasm to serve the world well. And, of course, that’s…
Here’s something beautiful about aspiration: when we do it right, it brings us such joy! When we desire to grow in a certain way, and when we get motivated and excited about that, it’s so contagious. Aspiration is joy. And joy can fuel and foster…
When practicing pranidhana, we can easily slide into achievement-focused success. But aspiration is not achievement. And it’s imperative for us to know the difference. We live in a society where our thirst for achievement can really hinder the spiritual practices we attempt to embody and create.…
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and…
The eighth paramita, pranidhana, generally means aspiration. More specifically, it means spiritual aspiration. It is a sense of spiritual resolve or commitment. So pranidhana is often described and lived into through vows and prayers. It makes sense that the Tibetan word for this paramita is monlam,…
When we practice upaya, or skillful means, it’s a lot like tending to a garden. Each seed or plant has different needs- some need full sun, and some wither in full sun. Some love lots of water, and some just want a few drops. I have…
One simple way to describe skillful means is to say it is the art of being compassionately appropriate. Over the weekend, I attended an intensive training weekend for my spiritual direction program. And wouldn’t you know it, skillful means continually resurfaced as a huge part of…
