I am so glad this popped up again in my feed when I had enough time to really read it. How wonderfully and smart you are about this subject. It is endlessly fascinating. I may be a Sapiosexual, a friend suggested. I guess that means that I get sensual pleasure from the intellectual. Nothing has lit my fire more that Tibetan tantric Buddhism. It is everything. Science, philosophy, magic, and pleasure.
This sharing speaks deeply and right on to me. I too came to searching for Buddhism from the neo-pagan, feminist spirituality, earth-based experience of the numinous. It is a testimony wanting a place for our intuitive souls to be accepted and infused into Buddhist practice. For Buddhism to be/become a breathing, open and living philosophy that is more porous, soft-eyed, feminine perhaps… I loved the Karmapa Rangyung Dorje’s prayer, Aspiration! Thank you so much for giving your thoughts and feelings - and mine - voice. Eloquence, thoughtful, embodied and fine.
Hi Robin, I’m happy this spoke to you! I have definitely felt before that my femme sense of self has felt alienated and neglected in Dharma practice and spaces. My experience is that there are quite a few Buddhist practices that feel porous and open and soft-eyed, as you so beautifully put it, but in our culture these often get ignored in favor of the more analytical meditations. I love the Mahamudra Aspiration Prayer because it taps into both analysis and intuition. So brilliant. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I read Passionate Enlightenment almost six years ago on the recommendation of an older occultist who said that to deeply understand magic and foundational practices, read about (and if able, practice) Tantric Buddhism and visualisation, that the understanding of ancient Indian (and then Tibetan) Tantric philosophies, sciences of mind, and practices are the most explored and thorough in regard to magic and visualisation. He then specifically recommended Shaw's Passionate Enlightenment and More than Real by scholar David Shulman to entice the curiosity. Like yourself, I have long been enraptured by animism and paganism and also around the age of nineteen became interested Buddhism. My fascination and admiration has never waned.
Fantastic writing, Sarah. As soon as I saw the title I was ready to drop everything and read it.
Hi Mae, I’m always delighted whenever someone from the Western mystical, occult tradition finds Tantra/Vajrayana enriching to their understanding. I often feel that way when I read Christian mystics and Sufis. Something about a different framework helps put my own into a clearer perspective. And I don’t know what it is about the magic of being 19 but soooo many people I know discovered Buddhism then! Thanks for being here and sharing your thoughts with me.
My Buddhist practices have been collecting dust and I wasn’t sure what exactly broke to cause it, but disenchantment feels high on the list. I needed to read this; thank you for writing it.
I resonate so much with this. Excited to check this out at my library soon! I have found a lot of meaning in tarot and earthy spirituality over the last several years and for the last year have been practicing daily meditation. I’ve really only read thich naht hahn and I find him to be very accessible and intuitive, and my interest and appreciate for Buddhism has grown so much. 💗
Thich Nhat Hahn is incredible. He is so gentle and unassuming that I think sometimes the profundity of his teachings gets ignored. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts thoughts, Lindsey!
I’ve been saving this one, and finally had a clear minute to read it.
Being a Zen person, reason rarely dominates, but formality often does, and maybe takes reason’s place in the story.
When I teach beginning Zen I always show a photo of a very formal-looking Zen group sitting in meditation so that I can let the students know that while Zen is very formal looking on the outside, it is wild and free on the inside.
That’s awesome. I like how you’ve identified formality as a kind of structure in Zen’s story. Reason itself also acts a kind of structure, I think, and the baroqueness of the image in Tibetan Buddhism does something similar. I’ve studied and practiced Zen with a wonderful teacher and sangha in Chicago, and find zazen very similar to trekcho in Buddhism. It’s funny how all these structures—formality, reason, image or the lack of an image—all serve to get us to an unfabricated sense of awareness and freedom. Thanks so much for reading, Sal! I hope I write a book of wild Buddhism too.
Love this, Sarah! I can really relate to the need to bring together philosophy and intuition, mysticism and logic. For me, neither can be abandoned, as they both hold a vital piece of the puzzle. Thanks for diving deeper into this idea.
"We’re doing a disservice to ourselves and to some very profound, very rich traditions if we only consider Buddhism to be an app, or a self-help book, or a scholarly text, or a clinical tool.
It can be all those things. But it’s also so much more."
Yes! Really appreciated this reflection on the multiverse that is Buddhadharma. Yes, there are some "fundamentals" like the Four Noble Truths, but there is so much beautiful leeway in how the teachings are interpreted and the dance between intuition and reason. I believe you're right about how gender roles play into all that, across cultures. Thank you for this great piece, Sarah.
I love this article and so glad to have stumbled upon it. I have always found it is when I let go of logic that texts come alive and I can fall deeply into spiritual practices and mysticism that let me touch and experience something greater. The mystery and magic exists outside of reason and logic and truth arises in paradoxes. At least, that has been my experience. I’ll have to pick this book up!
Love this so much - my experiences within Zen Buddhism have been similar, ie forget the teachings, what does your heart tell you? If there had been more female teachers across the eons, this may have come across more? “The mind of the great sage of India has been transmitted from east to west - now YOU have it. Keep it well”!
I think practise is richer and juicier for including all the sources of wisdom available to us. Glad I found your page.
I am so glad this popped up again in my feed when I had enough time to really read it. How wonderfully and smart you are about this subject. It is endlessly fascinating. I may be a Sapiosexual, a friend suggested. I guess that means that I get sensual pleasure from the intellectual. Nothing has lit my fire more that Tibetan tantric Buddhism. It is everything. Science, philosophy, magic, and pleasure.
Love learning a new word!
Thank you so much for reading, Kara! I’m glad you enjoyed this post and I hope you enjoy this book. It’s such a good history of Vajrayana Buddhism .
This sharing speaks deeply and right on to me. I too came to searching for Buddhism from the neo-pagan, feminist spirituality, earth-based experience of the numinous. It is a testimony wanting a place for our intuitive souls to be accepted and infused into Buddhist practice. For Buddhism to be/become a breathing, open and living philosophy that is more porous, soft-eyed, feminine perhaps… I loved the Karmapa Rangyung Dorje’s prayer, Aspiration! Thank you so much for giving your thoughts and feelings - and mine - voice. Eloquence, thoughtful, embodied and fine.
Hi Robin, I’m happy this spoke to you! I have definitely felt before that my femme sense of self has felt alienated and neglected in Dharma practice and spaces. My experience is that there are quite a few Buddhist practices that feel porous and open and soft-eyed, as you so beautifully put it, but in our culture these often get ignored in favor of the more analytical meditations. I love the Mahamudra Aspiration Prayer because it taps into both analysis and intuition. So brilliant. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I read Passionate Enlightenment almost six years ago on the recommendation of an older occultist who said that to deeply understand magic and foundational practices, read about (and if able, practice) Tantric Buddhism and visualisation, that the understanding of ancient Indian (and then Tibetan) Tantric philosophies, sciences of mind, and practices are the most explored and thorough in regard to magic and visualisation. He then specifically recommended Shaw's Passionate Enlightenment and More than Real by scholar David Shulman to entice the curiosity. Like yourself, I have long been enraptured by animism and paganism and also around the age of nineteen became interested Buddhism. My fascination and admiration has never waned.
Fantastic writing, Sarah. As soon as I saw the title I was ready to drop everything and read it.
- Mae
Hi Mae, I’m always delighted whenever someone from the Western mystical, occult tradition finds Tantra/Vajrayana enriching to their understanding. I often feel that way when I read Christian mystics and Sufis. Something about a different framework helps put my own into a clearer perspective. And I don’t know what it is about the magic of being 19 but soooo many people I know discovered Buddhism then! Thanks for being here and sharing your thoughts with me.
Oh, I'm also fond of spending time with Sufi mystics and gnostics through their writing. :)
19 is the Sun card in the tarot. Aye, I reckon it is a pretty magical number (and age).
Thank you for having me!
My Buddhist practices have been collecting dust and I wasn’t sure what exactly broke to cause it, but disenchantment feels high on the list. I needed to read this; thank you for writing it.
Aw shucks. Thank you for reading and for continuing to practice!
I resonate so much with this. Excited to check this out at my library soon! I have found a lot of meaning in tarot and earthy spirituality over the last several years and for the last year have been practicing daily meditation. I’ve really only read thich naht hahn and I find him to be very accessible and intuitive, and my interest and appreciate for Buddhism has grown so much. 💗
Thich Nhat Hahn is incredible. He is so gentle and unassuming that I think sometimes the profundity of his teachings gets ignored. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts thoughts, Lindsey!
I’ve been saving this one, and finally had a clear minute to read it.
Being a Zen person, reason rarely dominates, but formality often does, and maybe takes reason’s place in the story.
When I teach beginning Zen I always show a photo of a very formal-looking Zen group sitting in meditation so that I can let the students know that while Zen is very formal looking on the outside, it is wild and free on the inside.
I hope you write the book of wild Buddhism!
That’s awesome. I like how you’ve identified formality as a kind of structure in Zen’s story. Reason itself also acts a kind of structure, I think, and the baroqueness of the image in Tibetan Buddhism does something similar. I’ve studied and practiced Zen with a wonderful teacher and sangha in Chicago, and find zazen very similar to trekcho in Buddhism. It’s funny how all these structures—formality, reason, image or the lack of an image—all serve to get us to an unfabricated sense of awareness and freedom. Thanks so much for reading, Sal! I hope I write a book of wild Buddhism too.
Love this, Sarah! I can really relate to the need to bring together philosophy and intuition, mysticism and logic. For me, neither can be abandoned, as they both hold a vital piece of the puzzle. Thanks for diving deeper into this idea.
Thanks for reading and for being here, Allysha! It makes me happy to know this piece resonated with you.
Love what you’re doing, Sarah! 💜✨
Get better
Thanks, Tim! I’m feeling tons better.
"We’re doing a disservice to ourselves and to some very profound, very rich traditions if we only consider Buddhism to be an app, or a self-help book, or a scholarly text, or a clinical tool.
It can be all those things. But it’s also so much more."
Yes! Really appreciated this reflection on the multiverse that is Buddhadharma. Yes, there are some "fundamentals" like the Four Noble Truths, but there is so much beautiful leeway in how the teachings are interpreted and the dance between intuition and reason. I believe you're right about how gender roles play into all that, across cultures. Thank you for this great piece, Sarah.
Thanks for reading and for being here, Maia! Happy New Year!
I love this article and so glad to have stumbled upon it. I have always found it is when I let go of logic that texts come alive and I can fall deeply into spiritual practices and mysticism that let me touch and experience something greater. The mystery and magic exists outside of reason and logic and truth arises in paradoxes. At least, that has been my experience. I’ll have to pick this book up!
I hope you like it! Miranda Shaw also had some great talks you can Google. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts with me, Priscilla!
Love this so much - my experiences within Zen Buddhism have been similar, ie forget the teachings, what does your heart tell you? If there had been more female teachers across the eons, this may have come across more? “The mind of the great sage of India has been transmitted from east to west - now YOU have it. Keep it well”!
I think practise is richer and juicier for including all the sources of wisdom available to us. Glad I found your page.
Thanks for being here, Jenny!