Tag: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

  • LET’S DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

      Question: How does one stop making the story real? Sometimes I feel the story, my narrative is so crystalized and I can watch a pattern happen again and again and it’s frustrating to continue repeating the same hurtful patterns. I am interested in learning to keep my heart open, even though it’s scary. Dear Friend,…

  • Faith and Doubt: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

    The path begins with an investigation of the unreliability of things. Sometimes when we contemplate impermanence and the unreliability of things we feel afraid or insecure.   Question: In my mind my primary deity, Guru Rinpoche, is the only reliable refuge. Is there any difference between Guru Rinpoche and the outer refuge you describe in…

  • Depression

    Question: My question is about practice & how, when doing one’s ngondro for example, many difficult things can come up. Recently I remembered your description of being on retreat, and not being able to move because of depression (how something was expressing itself at the time). How possible is it to lead a daily life…

  • The Sangha: Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel

    Looking for a Spiritual Community Jun 7th 2014 Elizabeth responds to a friend who is looking for a practice community or “sangha.” She suggests that searching for a spiritual community is similar to looking for romance: you can’t avoid the challenges, and yet there has to be chemistry too.   Question: Dear Elizabeth, I have…

  • DHARMA IN THE WEST by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

    WHY DO BUDDHISTS PRAY? When we recognize how lost we get in the habitual momentum of our thoughts and emotions, we realize how little strength we have to move in the direction of sanity. This can inspire us to understand and appreciate the power of prayer. Prayer cuts through the wild and discursiveness activity of…