Tag: confidence

woman with yellow eye shadow and blue lipsticks with eyes closed chin up
Student's Question

Striking the balance between feeling good about yourself and the ‘8 worldly dharmas’

This is not to say that it isn’t fun and even meaningful to dress well, to be liked, to be praised for what we do and so on. That could all be thought of as positive feedback that helps us communicate and be effective in the world. But if our confidence depends on things like that then sooner or later we are going to come unstuck Continue reading Striking the balance between feeling good about yourself and the ‘8 worldly dharmas’

Awakened Heart Sangha1 Comment
man in gray long sleeve shirt sitting on brown wooden chair
Student's Question

What’s happening when we experience negative thoughts and a loss of confidence?

Negativity and negative thoughts when we make mistakes or get things wrong is interesting isn’t it? It’s very common – a sub-mandala that feels okay as long as we can feel confident that we are not making a mistake – as long as we feel we are in the right. Continue reading What’s happening when we experience negative thoughts and a loss of confidence?

Awakened Heart Sangha
an afro haired woman sitting on a chair while praying
Student's Question

Do the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas hear us when we pray? What if we feel nothing is happening or changing?

Since we are inseparable from the Awakened Nature of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and their pranidhanas and adhistana [powerful blessing] pervade the Universe and the hearts of all beings – when we pray there is no way it cannot connect to the mandala of Awakening whether that seems to us to be happening or not. Continue reading Do the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas hear us when we pray? What if we feel nothing is happening or changing?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Avidya Ignorance Lama Shenpen Hookham UK Tibetan Buddhist teacher
Lama Shenpen Teaching

The power of Avidya – primordial ignorance – is an expression of the fundamental quality of sensitivity.

You could think of it as a kind of distorted compassion. Having failed to recognise openness, clarity and sensitivity as the true nature of reality, avidya tries to protect a separate individual self from the overwhelming nature of these qualities. Continue reading The power of Avidya – primordial ignorance – is an expression of the fundamental quality of sensitivity.

Loshi
fear and buddhist practice corona virus
Student's Question

Experiencing Fear & Feeling Disheartened

We must cultivate the right kind of confidence in what is real and reliable about ourselves and the world. Otherwise there is always this haunting fear or sense of threat. However disheartened you feel – it is not your Buddha Nature itself that is disheartened. Buddha Nature is always the same. All you need to do is to remember it and trust it and just keep going. Continue reading Experiencing Fear & Feeling Disheartened

Loshi
Student's Question

Questions on Confidence: How does it relate to faith, trust and conviction? What is ego-centred confidence?

In general the English words confidence, faith, trust and conviction can be used synonymously depending on the context… our confidence grows as we gain in experience… ultimately this confidence becomes liberation – liberation from suffering – another name for it is Awakening. Continue reading Questions on Confidence: How does it relate to faith, trust and conviction? What is ego-centred confidence?

Loshi
Lama Shenpen Hookham British female Buddhist teacher
Lama Shenpen Teaching, Video Teaching

Video Teaching: Confidence

Lama Shenpen gave a teaching last Saturday from The Hermitage in North Wales on ‘Confidence’ one of the themes and areas covered in her Discovering the Heart of Buddhism course, part of Living the Awakened Heart Training. Lama talks about discovering the inherent confidence that lies within us all, when we start to uncover and get in touch with our true nature – our Buddha … Continue reading Video Teaching: Confidence

Loshi
Buddhism meditation anxiety lama Shenpen hookham
Student's Question, Uncategorized

Student’s Question: Is confidence being able to acknowledge anxiety and make friends with it?

Can we make friends with our anxiety? Is this having confidence in our meditation practice? “For us confidence would consist of acknowledging our fear and anxiety and turning towards them rather than panicking and trying to run away from our feeling, pretending it’s not there or desperately trying to change it into something else that we think we should be feeling.” Continue reading Student’s Question: Is confidence being able to acknowledge anxiety and make friends with it?

Loshi
Confidence in meditation
Lama Shenpen Quote, Lama Shenpen Teaching, Meditation

The Importance of Confidence in Buddhist Practice

Confidence in needed in order to align yourself with the heart-essence and its three qualities of openness, clarity and sensitivity. Sometimes in Buddhism it is called faith, but really it is a kind of confidence that there is the ‘heart’ of openness, clarity and sensitivity to be discovered in our being. Buddhism teaches that it is there in its completeness to be recognised, and to be relied on. It is something that we can take refuge in. Continue reading The Importance of Confidence in Buddhist Practice

Awakened Heart Sangha