Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel’s Tricycle Retreat, “The Power of an Open Question,” is now entering its second week, and if you haven’t stopped by, you’re missing quite a discussion! The first week’s video and discussion are always available free. You can watch the teaching and join the discussion here.
About living with openness “in the center of the human predicament,” one retreatant writes:
Is it easier to live this way when your basic needs are met? When we are searching for security at the most basic level it is difficult to detach from the outcome when the outcome is so essential to our physical well being and sustenance. I do like the idea of being curious and not knowing especially when it comes to creatively finding a way to resolve a problem or to address a conflict in life. Being open to other possibilities brings an openness to other relationships and ways of seeing and being. And how not knowing is part of the adventure of life. Letting go of our need for certainties in life brings a sense of freedom and creativity.
Elizabeth responds:
I really appreciate your comments. I wanted to clear up one thing… when i speak about living in a predicament I am not talking about being detached but rather accepting the unfixable nature of life. So it is more about being inclusive or expanded than detached. This means we have to give up our fantasies about how things ‘should’ be and relate to things as they are. In this way we can engage life more intelligently…even things like sustenance and livelihood, etc… I really appreciate you bringing this up because I always think we should see the dharma in a practical way. I think the purpose of dharma is by nature practical. So thanks!
Read more, and engage directly with Elizabeth yourself, here. To view the Week 2, 3, and 4 teaching and participate in their discussions, you’ll need to be a Tricycle Community Sustaining Member.