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LEVEKUNST art of life

TO SEE THE EXTRAORDINARY IN THE ORDINARY

Most of us have experienced extraordinary moments of presence in self-forgetting union with everything in existence and have realized, in that instant, the inexpressible goodness and infinite beauty of being. Such a moment can be so intensely real and enriching that we stop in pensiveness and rest in the reverberations.

PEMA OZER GETS EMPOWERED

A historical fiction about the great female meditation master Sera Khandro, from the point of view of Pema Ozer, a sixteen-year-old attendant, involving being empowered and guided in an intimate atmosphere.

RESTING IN BIG LOVE

Big love is our essence, our natural identity. But due to our upbringing, our fears, attachments, you name it, we cover it up. Big love is like a great bright light which flows into all directions; it is like the sun and moon together.

BOUNCING FORWARD

Most people have heard of posttraumatic stress. Yet, beyond the medical community, few are aware of the evidence of post-traumatic growth. Survivors and experts begin to focus increasingly on the possibility that we could use even the most harrowing experiences for a greater good in our own life and to impact the world.

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTOPHER WILKINSON

We often hear about the debate as to whether enlightenment is a gradual process or an instantaneous realization. It is in these Great Perfection Tantras that we can hear the voices of the holders of the instantaneous approach.

LONGCHENPA’S FINAL INSTRUCTION

Listen here, you fortunate yogis. At present we have achieved the perfect human body of freedoms and riches. We have met the precious teachings of the greater vehicle. We now have the independence to genuinely apply the sacred dharma, so do not squander your life on pointless things.

Gedun Chopel, the author of the song.

MAGICAL DISPLAYS OF THE SINGLE MIND

It was in the early ’90s I first heard of Gedun Chopel. I was immediately fascinated by him and tried to learn all I could about him, especially after I learned that he had spent time in Sri Lanka and actually translated the Dhammapada into Tibetan from Pali, and that his life ended so tragically after the Tibetan government had jailed him.

THE SUNLIT SKY OF TULKU URGYEN RINPOCHE

What is the difference between an enlightenment experience and enlightenment? When after intensive meditation, or unexpectedly, you experience a totally naked state of mind, how do you proceed? What is real progress and what is its main catalyst? You will find the answers to all these questions in the following teachings by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

PLEASE, DEVELOP COMPASSION BOUNDLESSLY

Please, develop compassion boundlessly. This is what my teacher told me once in a private and intimate audience, please, my dear, develop loving kindness and compassion, not only ordinary restricted compassion, please, develop compassion boundlessly for each and every single being.

BE HERE NOW 2.0

Each time I try to grasp the past, present or future, they slip through my fingers as if trying to grasp air. Try it for yourself. Can you find the now? Can you find the present moment? If we really investigate and look closer, we start to see that both the now and the present moment can not be found.

SHINING A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

The shadow holds the wounded and broken parts of ourselves, the failed ideals, the fateful consequences of poor choices. It is the inferior, unprocessed, or undeveloped aspects of our personality that our social mask hides.

THE WIND IN YOUR HAIR

When I was growing up in New Zealand there was a motorcycle advertisement that used to be played a lot on the radio. It was before the days of compulsory helmets for motorbikes and bicycles. I can still remember the tune so clearly and the feeling which it used to evoke.

A RADICAL SHIFT

Our states of mind and actions are what drive systems. If we wish to have economic, political and social systems that reflect love, compassion, care for our environment and overall well-being, we must embody and train in those qualities ourselves. We must begin to shift the focus within our individual lives.

THIS SELFISH LOAD

Philosophy and the Philosopher, Confusion and the Confuser, Words of wisdom, breaths of energy.
Oh! The Philosopher lost within his Philosophy.

WORKING WITH BUDDHA IMAGES

I have used the iconic image of the Buddha as a way to represent both the vast view of ultimate truth and as the container of relative truth along with the inherent qualities of the effect of oil on paper. The paper will age, become fragile.

EMPOWERING CAREGIVERS WITH MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness and meditation is a practice, resting on time-tested three pillars for anything we want to do: patience, persistence and perseverance. It’s about empowerment for ourselves so we no longer will say, I cannot do this because I don’t have it. This in turn will empower our kids. Because we cannot give others something that we do not have. Empowerment ignites empowerment.

HOW TO DIE – A TEACHING FROM THE LOTUS-BORN

How is death experienced on a personal level? What can we do? Is there a set of methods we can familiarize with to such an extent that we are unafraid, confident or at least, without regrets? How do we handle losing everything we know? How can we deal with the intense and vast unfolding of the primal energies of consciousness?