July 2008 Issue: Friendship as Practice

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Ask Auntie Suvanna

"My daughter is seven, and the other night I rented The Matrix and we watched it together. She loved it, and wants to see Matrix Reloaded with me too. So I was wondering: Am I a bad father?"

Check out Auntie Suvanna's new column, and tell her your troubles.

Quote of the Month

"If one is estranged from oneself, then one is estranged from others too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others..."
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Lindbergh’s comment reminds Bodhipaksa that being fully aware of others involves awareness of oneself.

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On Practice

Sunada: Learning to receive

To think of generosity only in terms of giving can limit us. Sunada tells of her realization that being truly generous is as much about being open to receiving as it is about giving.

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Justin Whitaker: The art of friendship

Spiritual friendship comes highly praised in Buddhist practice. But why are spiritual friends considered to be so crucial? What are the qualities of a spiritual friend? And do we have to leave our existing friends behind? Guest blogger Justin Whitaker investigates.

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Bodhipaksa: Guided meditations versus "flying solo"

Guided meditation CDs are undoubtedly useful, but can they become a reliance that actually interferes with our practice? Bodhipaksa shares some advice that he’s offered to students over the years.

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A Zen Life: D.T. Suzuki

Avant-garde musician John Cage; Catholic mystic Thomas Merton; Beat writers Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac; psychotherapists Carl Jung and Erich Fromm; Zen teachers Robert Aitken and Philip Kapleau, philosophers Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger: 20th century giants all, and all have one thing in common — they were deeply influenced by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, a gentle scholar-practitioner from Japan.

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Test Drive The Open Circle

If you've been looking for the support and encouragement of a community of like-minded spiritual practitioners, the Open Circle may be just right for you.

The Open Circle is an ongoing discussion forum in which you can explore Buddhist teachings and apply them in your life.

And we're offering a limited number of free two-week trials. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're interested, email newsletter@wildmind.org.

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Book Review

"Hello At Last, Embracing the Koan of Friendship and Meditation," by Sara Jenkins. (Windhorse Publications, November 2007. Paperback, $16.95)

Sara Jenkins was handed a dilemma in the form of two seemingly contradictory teachings: while on retreat, maintain silence and abstain from communication, and at the same time deepen your connections with others. Samayadevi reviews Jenkins' exploration of the creative tension and the vision of friendship that those teachings gave birth to.

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Meditation in the News:
Top Five Stories of Last Month

We've recently integrated our news database into our regular blog. We hope that you like the new arrangement as much as we do.

• Fighting a war against distraction
• Meditation matters
• Buddhist strategies for coping with stress
• Much ado about nothing
• Meditation tips for women on the go