ORDINARY LIFE - Thoughts and Ideas to Help You Live a Happier Life

* * *

Summary for June 12, 2016

* * *

Dear Folks -

I had written and was not aware at the time I gave this talk of the horrible mass shooting - yes, yet another one! - that had taken place in Florida in the early hours of Sunday morning. Ironically, I refer to the fact that one of the true heresies of our time is the fact that we, as a culture, pour attention to minor issues while ignoring the weightier matters that are causing so much dysfunction in our society and world.

In Buddhism what we know as the “ego” is referred to as “the hungry ghost.” People and groups of people feed this hungry ghost all sorts of junk food in an effort to quiet it down. This never works.

In this talk I gave a brief summary of my current understanding of how we get separated from our “true selves.” It is in a misguided effort to fill up what we think are empty spaces in us that we participate in two great heresies: silliness and certitude. The title of the talk is -

“Starving the Hungry Ghost"

That is the gist of the talk offered in Ordinary Life this week. The audio version is different than the written text. You’ll find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and audio version using the links below.