augmented illusions

See you on Quatorze Juillet.

Well, it seems I’m off to Sweden at the end of this week to be with T., and C., and F. So much is coming together in our joint work. I’ve always been of the opinion that if the dharma is to flourish in the west, the tradition must be authentic in its inner workings. Yet, interpretation is necessary for it to be understood to the level of enlightenment. The thing is, not only are the languages different, not only is there a completely different cultural context to the dharma in its vajrayana guise. Concepts that are easily understood by Tibetans are almost impossible to take at face value for us, here. Their model of the universe, the tibetan cosmology, the asian concept of time. It’s easy to say, “oh, their understanding of time is cyclical, and ours linear.” But what does it mean, in terms of practice here, in this culture, in this time? It’s why it’s so vitally important that the dharma is taught authentically where it concerns its mechanisms, but within our time and culture where it concerns its external application. Continue reading »