• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Elaine Yuen

Contemplative Chaplaincy – Buddhist Chaplaincy

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contemplative Chaplaincy
    • Contemplative Chaplaincy
    • Articles
    • Powerpoints
    • Guided Meditations
    • Videos
  • Art in Everyday Life
    • Art in Everyday Life
    • Space, Form and Energy
    • Kintsugi
    • From Knitting to Sitting
  • Workshops and Classes
  • Blog
  • Contact
Not being caught in the trap of doubt

Not being caught in the trap of doubt

July 10, 2020 By Elaine Yuen

I’ve been thinking about how we are trapped – not only by doubt, but by so many other aspects of our life.  Of course right now there’s the physical claustrophobia of being in lockdown, and how to “open up” – and not to go too quickly. There’s the trap of our expectations there – that things could go “back to normal” – whatever we might have in mind for what that is. Then there’s the hesitation, the fear, that comes along with that – is it safe to go out? What have the medical experts have to say? The push and pull of the health and the economy, as it is described in the daily news cycle.

Then of course we might be stuck in another way – trapped in expectations about what practice may have to offer us, and perhaps what teacher or teacher(s) we should follow, listen to, practice with. So in contrast to a definitely held physical limitation (such as social distancing and staying inside all the time) we might be trapped, stuck, regarding how to proceed on the path.

These are just two ways we might be stuck, trapped. So, now let’s think about the idea, or actuality, of a trap. Thinking about bear traps, or animal traps, they’re something that is set to surprise the animal (or us in this case) – an often hidden hole, or spring loaded clamp that unexpectedly comes to limit us.  There’s the quality of proceeding ahead – with our life, with our path – and then something unexpectedly springs up – or springs out – to stop us. And we may feel stuck.

In the Shambhala teachings, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche teaches that the trap of doubt occurs “halfway through” – in other words, when we have had a glimpse of sanity, basic goodness. Our Shambhala vision asks us to proceed – and sometimes we are “caught” in doubting the reality – or perhaps simply the breadth – of this basic sanity.

 

Basic goodness seems like a good idea, I can experience it sometimes, maybe with my dog or my potted geranium plant, but when I look out to the chaos of the world, or even of our community, I’m not so sure.” It’s the doubt that wisdom exists intrinsically within each and every sentient being.

Our connection to the path has shown a glimpse of that basic goodness, but sometimes the daily grind of this life diminishes it. And we waver.

Doubt, that kind of questioning that sometimes takes us away from commitments to a personal as well as societal practice. Maybe we feel stuck and watch a lot of YouTubes or listen to the news online. I’ve been known to read Facebook a lot, or surf the internet for the latest knitting patterns.

This brings me to think about Patience Paramita. The principle of patience seems to apply to our physical “opening up” post lockdown, as well as, on a more person level – how to proceed in terms of my Shambhala practices and commitments to community.

Patience the third of the six paramitas, has been traditionally taught as the ability to forebear difficult circumstances which include situational as well as personal injuries and affronts from others, while on the bodhisattva path. Most interestingly, it also includes the ability to experience emptiness, space, without “fear or apprehension.”

Working with anger has been also taught as a way to uncover patience Paramita – as anger is often the result of unmet expectations, our mind closing in on how we want the fruit of our actions to be. While our intelligence may be pointing to details of a situation – a remedy is often close behind. And, sometimes that remedy is unmet. So instead of seeing space around our thoughts and expectations, there is the rush for solution, resulting in anger and frustration.

I myself experience this dynamic when considering the mental and physical traps I’m experiencing these days – the quarantine, the ambiguity around teachers and devotion in our community. I want there to be more clarity around when and how I could go out and travel again. I also want there to be clarity around how our Shambhala lineage(s) might be transmitted and held.

Yes, many details to pay attention to – and also a yearning for resolution. But, what seems more important is to be able to feel the space – shunyata – around these thoughts and desires. And to remember that the glimpse of BG remains, and supports that ability to rest in the moment to moment ambiguity of it all brings both challenge – to be able to rest there – as well as relief. Then, we can proceed through our life with patience, the elephant’s walk. It has mindfulness, and also heart.

Having the elephant’s walk may calm us, brings us to the simple present. But – what do we find there? That’s when the third aspect of patience Paramita – an ability to experience space ‘without fear or apprehension’ comes into play. For, what we find in this present moment is uncompromisingly awake in itself. It is the warrior of Shambhala’s courage to be able to acknowledge and participate with that wakeful space.

This is a poem that we often read at Naropa from Timely Rain:

In the jungles of flaming ego
May there be the cool iceberg of Bodhicitta

On the racetrack of bureaucracy
May there be the walk of the elephant. 

May the sumptuous castle of arrogance
Be destroyed by vajra confidence

In the garden of gentle sanity
May you be bombarded by coconuts of wakefulness 

Elaine Yuen
May 18, 2020

From the Blog

The Power of Prayer

We’re familiar with the words of prayer - the supplications and rituals that are used to soothe and comfort. But, where within those words lies the power of prayer? Today is Martin Luther King Day, and a time of remembering how we gather as a ...

Read More →

Upcoming workshops and classes

So, What’s It Like To Be Asian In The Shambhala Community?

Shambhala_Online/ElaineFla.JPG

Date: Sunday, February 6, 2022 (3 PM EST or 15:00 -16:00)
Patron Price: $20.00

I’ve been in the Shambhala community since the early 1970s, but recently, in the midst of current conversations around race, ethnicity, and belonging, took some time to consider my Asian American identity, and how it “shows up” in different contexts. What are the cultural and political differences, and how do I “belong” to diverse social/community groups? Using a personal lens as a starting point, I would like to invite you to join me in considering how our experiences of culture – learned from birth as well as from current contexts – intersects with behaviors and stances that variously evolve into group belonging or political activity. Of particular interest is how Shambhala practices and teachings of meditation and warriorship might support this contemplation.

calendar-details – Shambhala Online

***********************************

Being Tara

Interested in visualization practice?  Tara practice encourages us to tune into her quality of compassion that protects from obstacles to health and supports long life.  This talk will explore how Tara practice works with our thoughts, emotions and sense perceptions to create a field of kindness, clarity, and power.  I hope to see you there!

January 9, 2022 at 11 am EST – White Tara Practice (Online) with Dr. Elaine Yuen | Shambhala Meditation Center of Philadelphia

********************************

The Buddhist Journey: An Overview of Teachings and Practices

Part I:  First Turning Teachings – September 16 – October 21, 2021

Part II: The Mahayana Path – November 4 – December 16, 2021

Online from 7-9 pm Eastern Standard Time

Register and info here: The Buddhist Journey: An Overview of Teachings and Practices Part I (Online) with Dr. Elaine Yuen & Thomas Berthoff | Shambhala Meditation Center of Philadelphia

This two-part course will explore the transformational aspects of teachings and practices of the Buddhist Path within the context of Buddhist history, texts and traditions.  Beginning with insights into how humans generate confusion and habitual patterns, we will explore how those insights become the foundation for compassion and skillful means to work with others in contemporary contexts.

Part One: First Turning Teachings will outline historical as well as psychological aspects of early Buddhism found in the Abhidharma.  Buddhist articulations on the nature of mind, along with important practices, will be included in Part One.

Part Two: The Mahayana Path will explore how compassion is engendered, and the path of the Bodhisattva (Awake Being).   An overview of Vajrayana perspectives and practices, such as Dzogchen and Mahamudra, will be included.

Although Parts One and Two are best taken as a sequence, Part One is not a pre-requisite for Part Two, and they may be taken separately.

***************************************************

Finding Balance in Challenging Times

I’m on a panel with my colleagues in India and Thailand – check it out at  https://www.buddhistdoor.net/news/deer-park-institute-announces-webinar-finding-balance-in-challenging-times

Saturday, 27 February, 19:00–21:00 (New Delhi)
Saturday, 27 February, 08:30–10:30 (Montréal, New York)
Saturday, 27 February, 05:30–07:30 (Los Angeles, Vancouver)

The event is open to everyone and is free of charge. To register, email: info@nulldeerpark.in

*******************************************************

Friday Night Talk: Cultural Humility: Opening the Heart and Listening to Basic Goodness with Elaine Yuen | Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston

January 29 at 7 pm Eastern time, 8 Atlantic, 4 Mountain, 5 Pacific time

Especially these days, genuine communication and connection with all people and their manifestation of basic goodness is key.  Cultural humility is a practice that encourages respectful partnerships through the exploration of similarities and differences between the histories, priorities, goals, and capacities of these groups, and is a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique that supports cultural difference. This presentation will explore how we might open our hearts to others, as well as listen and allow for conversation, longings and desires.

*******************************************************

Mindful Communication in Modern Times / October 4 and 18 

In October, I’m zooming in with young folks at Dharma Drum Mountain in Los Angeles.  Contact me if you’re interested!

 

 

*******************************************************

Contemplative Caregiving / October 29 / 7:00-8:30 pm EST / Philadelphia Shambhala Center

In this program, we will discuss specific ways that our Buddhist understandings of suffering and basic goodness directly inform caring for self and others in contemporary times.
For more details and to register: https://philadelphia.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=463743

 

Join me on social media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Join my mailing list!

Contact Elaine Yuen • elaineyuen@aol.com