Resources for the Heart
This page will provide resources from contemporary western culture that help us feel or experience the dharma. For many of us the intellectual credibility and coherence of the dharma are what bring us to it. However emotions are what move us (the latin root of ‘emotion’ is ‘motere’ which means ‘to move’) and so these resources for the heart are to help our practice deepen and flourish in a felt way to keep us moving on the path.
This will be a dynamic and evolving list. As suggestions are made and reviewed, they will be added to the site. Please contribute suggestions using the form at the bottom of this page. Note: suggesting a resource does require a little bit of thinking about which dharmic themes are most relevant (there are 15 of them listed in some detail). We see this as a way that our community can be generous to itself to help ensure this resources page is both moving and on-theme.
Thank you in advance for taking the time and care to submit your suggestions. As we start to gather a few resources in a few categories we’ll publish the list (coming soon).
RESOURCES BY THEME
Click on the title to see the resources for that theme. There are 15 themes and they are added as people suggest resources under that theme.
THEME 1: Embracing dukkha.. Fully acknowledging and experiencing our pain, unpleasantness, suffering, loss and difficulty (the inevitable difficulties of our human condition) rather than avoiding these things by covering them up, distracting ourselves from them or wishing they weren’t true.
THEME 2: Dependent arising… The dynamic, changing nature of ourselves and our world: things are always changing, moving, flowing depending on the various forces that are present at any time. There’s nothing solid, reliable, permanent or that exist independent of other conditions.
THEME 4: Not-self…. Letting go of ego, of the sense that we are a unified, enduring, consistent, independent identity that doesn’t change with circumstances. Letting go of the idea that there is a fixed ‘me’ that needs defending and promoting and that will endure, even after death.
THEME 9: Friendliness, care and good will….Often called ‘loving kindness’ – shown towards other people and all beings.
THEME 10: Compassion….for ourselves and others: understanding, empathy and good will together.
