Links to Michael's recent classes
Mar 3, 2025 - Living Your Dharma Audio (Finding Sanctuary Within)
Feb 10, 2025 - Living Your Dharma (audio with focus on deepening your practice)
Audio & Video
The Three Jewels and Human Flourishing
A Short Talk (4 min) and Guided Practice (20 min) by Michael Lee at IMC Senior Sangha CA on July 18, 2024
Katie Olsen Interviews Michael on the essence of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
A short 30-minute class with Michael for Rest and Renewal.
Recorded Classes - Living Your Dharma, PRYT Yoga and Meditation with Michael
1. Guided Meditations led by Michael for the Trauma Research Foundation TRF Tuesdays (3 recordings)
More classes, talks, guided meditations
Michael's YouTube Channel - please subscribe when you visit.
Compassion
Gratitude to friend and mentor David Cohn of IMC's Senior Sangha for sharing this.
“I think our journey is about healing ourselves and healing each other in our own special ways.” Ram Dass
'Put the fearful mind in the cradle of lovingkindness.’ Chogyam Trungpa
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them we cannot survive.” Dalai Lama
““The most noble type of heart is a profound experience and expression of connectedness, completely unencumbered by attachments or conditions. A simple, more direct term for this nobility of heart, so basic to our nature, is love.” Tsonkyi Rinpoche
Compassion is a lot tougher than loving kindness. It takes courage and fearlessness to be willing to feel our painful feelings, but without drowning in them.
When there are difficult feelings we get entangled with the storyline - obsessed with worry, roiled up in anger, wallowing in inadequacy - anything except to feel the rawness of them. We keep busy, distract ourselves, deny - but they don’t go away. They haunt us like ghosts.
There is an alternative. We can begin by being willing to not believe this intense, bitter storyline is true. We don’t need to drown in this dream that makes us feel bad about ourselves. We can experience the rawness of whatever suffering is manifesting as being cradled at the same time. Chogyam Trungpa called this cradling - cradling the rawness of our fear, our loneliness, resentments, inadequacy - in compassion. It doesn’t need to go away, but it has a whole different flavor when it is held in warmth, kindness and understanding. Soon it will dissolve into space on its own.
When I was child my dog would frantically lick my face when I was crying, (and I would start laughing, which only made him lick more). He was not afraid of my pain. He jumped into the middle of it with a powerful love, only wanting to soothe. We can be like this with ourselves and with others.
Pema Chodron calls compassion the fast track to happiness. How joyous - our natural good heart can remain calm and open when inner conditions are unpleasant as well as pleasant, which means all the time. We are Bodhicitta, a warm-hearted openness to whatever is happening. What a worthy and fruitful practice - to spend the rest of this very short lifetime just returning over and over to our open heart.
Warmly,
David
Gratitude to Pema Chodron, whose inspirational teachings are woven through this letter.
For your contemplation, and for sharing your thoughts in our group discussion:
Over the next few days please notice how you relate to your own pain, such as feelings of anxiety, fear, inadequacy, resentments, and addictions?
Is feeling your own pain part of your practice? How does that help?
What have you learned from your own pain?
Ram Dass said our journey is about healing, healing ourselves and healing each other in our own special way.
What is your special way of healing yourself and others?
How do you practice self compassion?
After a powerful awakening experience, Mingyur Rinpoche observed that when we connect with compassion we become more empowered. Usually we are empowering our habitual patterns. Does compassion empower you? In what way?
He also said that compassion diminishes isolation.
Does compassion diminish feelings of isolation in you? How so?
In what ways does connecting with compassion benefit you?
If you feel so inclined you could try this exercise::
Set an intention in the mornings for the next few days to recognize that those you are close to wish to be free of stress and suffering today.
Second, set the intention to be aware of your wish to be of benefit to them.
Finally, whenever possible, act on this intention and support them in whatever way you can.
(You could also try this with neutral people, and difficult people.)
What was your experience?
How can you be of benefit to yourself and to others today?
The Four Bows - A Daily Practice for Connecting and Grounding
by Michael Lee
This is a practice that I learned at the Won Dharma Center in Claverack NY, which I attend frequently. I found this practice helpful so sharing it here with you.
Four Bows - engage your body with each in bowing any way that works for you
I bow in gratitude to the Grace of Heaven and Earth, honoring the infinite beneficence of nature and the universe.
I bow in gratitude to the Grace of Parents, honoring the beneficence from parents, ancestors, and all those who have had a nurturing role in my life.
I bow in gratitude to the Grace of Fellow Beings, recognizing the truth of interconnectedness.
I bow in gratitude to the Grace of Laws, which guides us, protects us, and promotes justice.
You Can Get There From Here
by Mark Herrick
There is an old expression that says “you can’t get there from here,” meaning you can’t get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re starting from. You need to know two things to go anywhere: where you are now and where you are going.
Nichiren taught that our defilements lead to awakening. This idea was so central to his ministry that it frames the daimoku, the title of the Lotus Sutra, Namu Myohorengekyo—on every mandala he ever inscribed.
The defilements (Sanskrit: kleshas) are mental states that disturb the mind and give rise to unwholesome actions. They arise from the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, and are a natural part of life. Klesha can also be translated as “affliction.”
Some think Buddhism’s goal is to eliminate defilements because they function to obscure our buddhanature, but the Lotus Sutra, which is the basis for Nichiren Buddhism, states that there is no difference between our defilements and awakening. Though they seem to be opposites, they are simply different sides of the way things are. Awakening is not the eradication of defilements but a state in which we are fully aware of all aspects of our lives, good and bad. The Lotus Sutra refutes the doctrine that the purpose of our practice is to transcend life, to escape samsara, to “reach” nirvana, thereby confirming Buddhism as a positive, life-affirming religion; one whose objective is liberation through engagement.
As Robert Frost wrote, “the best way out is always through”—in other words, we learn from dealing with the difficult things. Defilements then become the motivation to seek awakening, the fuel to spur us to practice with confidence and trust in the universal process-flow of buddhanature. Rather than seeking to get rid of our defilements, all our characteristics and qualities become the focus of our meditation practice. We accept ourselves fully as we are, good points and bad points included, without rejecting anything in order to go someplace other than where we are right now.
Awakening is not the eradication of defilements but a state in which we are fully aware of all aspects of our lives, good and bad.
The Lotus Sutra states that “even without extinguishing their defilements or denying their desires [people] can purify all their senses and eradicate all of their misdeeds.” It also teaches us that awakening does not lie in subjugating delusions one by one in order to attain enlightenment. Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra tells us that “ordinary mortals, just as they are, are buddhas. . . . We burn the firewood of defilements and behold the fire of enlightened wisdom before our eyes.”
Our destination is our vow to do good, to do no harm, and to seek awakening for ourselves and others. Our starting point is accepting and embracing all of our qualities, good, bad, and neutral. We won’t arrive at our destination by denying or suppressing anything—that never works. Things always pop up again and again, usually in the most unpleasant ways and at the most unfortunate times.
The Lotus Sutra says, “Good people should enter the abode of the Tathagata.” This abode is the four brahmaviharas: lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. We hold everything in and around us, even the most embarrassing and terrible things about ourselves, even our defilements, with the same lovingkindness and compassion that a parent would have for their crying child.
We begin our journey of awakening by observing all our characteristics, patterns, and behaviors just as they are. We accept that we are not perfect and, frankly, may never be perfect. But we try our best. And when we fail, we notice it, accept it with a smile, and without self-criticism simply begin again, and again, and again. We can get there from here.
From Michael
The rewrite and editing process of my book "Turn Stress Into Bliss" first published in 2005 is well underway. And I've decided to share some bits and pieces with the members of our Let's Flourish Community as it progresses
First up, here's the title and subtitle. The title is the same. The subtitle has changed.
Turn Stress Into Bliss
Life-changing strategies for finding meaning, purpose,
and fulfillment through the 8 pillars of Transformation
And here is a part of the Introduction.
In a world where stress seems omnipresent, understanding its impact is crucial for reclaiming serenity, joy, and balance in life. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines stress as a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from demanding circumstances. Stress can manifest in several ways: physically, emotionally, and behaviorally, presenting as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and changes in appetite or sleep patterns.
However, through my work with Yoga Therapy over a career spanning four decades, I’ve discovered something extraordinary: that amidst the negative impacts that stress places on us lies the possibility of transformation. By acknowledging stress as a natural response to life's demands and learning to engage with it effectively, we can cultivate a sense of serenity and resilience. In fact, we can shift from merely coping with stress to thriving in its midst. In this journey, the key lies in recognizing that stress is not our enemy, but rather, a signal to reconnect with ourselves and embrace life's ebb and flow with greater ease and serenity.
And here is a little more...
Constructing Your Pillars
Building a life of high-level wellness takes time and relies on certain foundational conditions. In both ancient and modern contexts, the importance of pillars in supporting structures is evident. Similarly, in our lives, creating a foundation of stability and serenity amidst life's uncertainties is paramount. We need strong “pillars” and we need to build them one brick at a time.
Drawing from my own life experiences and professional journey, I've come to believe that such pillars exist and can be cultivated. In this book, my aim is to explore these with you and provide support as you embark on your own journey of creating a life of serenity and fulfillment. You need not be a victim to the stress and anxiety that has crept into your everyday routines, sapping your energy and leading you to feel overwhelmed. YOU are the architect of your life, with the power to shape it according to your true nature. May you choose to build a life that resonates with harmony and authenticity.
There is an important distinction to make in this process and I want to be clear with you up front. This book is not intended to provide a “quick fix” that will magically dissolve all of your problems and worries away. Your success in creating more serenity in your life is directly related to how much effort you are willing to put towards this process. It is all about those “pillars” and putting them in place in your life, and it’s a never-ending process that gets easier the longer you make it a focus. The pillars are the foundation of your serenity. When they are strong and supported, more moments of serenity, fulfillment, and satisfaction that you are living in accordance with you true nature will be self-evident. You will have to chase after nothing. It will simply be there for you. All you have to do is build the pillars, one brick at a time.
More to come.....
