People talk about “good” karma versus “bad” karma, or “your” karma versus “mine.” But despite the term’s popularity, it seems like everybody has a different idea about what it actually means. If karma is truly one of the Buddha’s most important teachings, as he emphasized, then to follow in his footsteps, we need to be clear about its definition.
Published in Elephant Journal
Published in Elephant Journal
The first year I was married, I did my annual, month-long meditation retreat. Like all retreats, it had its difficulties, but overall was deeply rewarding. I ended the retreat with a wonderful sense of clarity, peace, and ease as well as insight into my own psyche, as well as the dharma.
Attention, Awareness & How to Meditate Successfully
Published in Elephant Journal
“Pay attention to what’s happening in your mind. Remain aware of the breath as it enters and exits the body. Gently bring your attention back to the breath whenever you get distracted, without judgment—just remaining aware of each moment.”
These meditation instructions should sound familiar. They seem simple and direct. However, their simplicity glosses over a significant issue: What do we mean by attention and awareness? If we want to work skillfully with the mind in meditation, then we need a clear understanding of these terms—how they differ and how they work together.
Death at Diamond Mountain When a New Religious Movement becomes a Cult
Published in University of California Press
For the past five years, I have engaged in fieldwork and filming a documentary about Diamond Mountain, a community of Western converts to Tibetan Buddhism in southern Arizona under the leadership of Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally. The latter was retreat master and, along with her husband Ian Thorson. When McNally stabbed Thorson, the Diamond Mountain Board asked both to leave. Feigning departure, the couple sneaked into a small cave just outside the Diamond Mountain property, where two months later Thorson died of dehydration. Stories of scandal, cult and death flooded the media.
A Sociology of No-Self: Applying Buddhist Social Theory to Symbolic Interaction
Published Wiley Online Library
Although fraught with complexity, the self is a central phenomenon of discussion and analysis within sociology. This article introduces the Buddhist ideas of anatta (no-self) and prattyasamutpāda (interdependence) as analytic frameworks to deconstruct and rethink the self within sociology. We argue that the sociological self, most clearly articulated by symbolic interactionism, is premised on a self-other dualism. This dualism leads to a conceptualization of the self as constantly threatened and anxious.
Realizing Awakened Consciousness
Published in Academia
Buddhism has been increasingly appropriated by the field of psychology in the West. We live in a psychologically oriented culture, so no real surprises here. But asa sociologist and someone also immersed in the thought-world of this diverse tradition,I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with this psychological appropriation and dis-appointed that sociologists aren’t more engaged with Buddhist philosophy and practice. There are so many areas of confluence between the two, so much rich material for intercultural theory-building, and so many ways the liberating potential of sociology and Buddhism could be in conversation.
Meditation in Higher Education: Does it Enhance Cognition?
Published in Springer Link
We predicted that students in a sociology course that included contemplative practices (i.e., mindfulness meditation) would show an increase in performance on higher level cognitive abilities (executive functions) over the semester compared to a control group of students. The findings provide preliminary support for benefits of meditation for students’ higher level cognitive abilities.
Visualizing Charisma: Representations of the Charismatic Touch
Published in Taylor & Francis Online
Although sociologists regard charisma as a social construct, few studies look at the explicit interactions that create and maintain this type of authority. This article examines social interaction between leader and follower – the charismatic touch. The charismatic touch is a semi-formal interaction in which leader and followers exchange mutual recognition through verbal, visual and physical touch.