DDM Global News
Buddha Heart: A Wise Way to Care for Self and Others
On January 6th, 2023, Dharma Drum Young People Group (DDYP) invited Mr. David Listen, a certified mental health counselor, a Chan/mindfulness instructor, and a former Buddhist monk, to share his unique approach to self-care and caring for others from both the Buddhist and counselling perspectives. Through this talk, Mr. Listen shed light on some practical ways for audiences to not only care for ourselves and those close to us, but also those whom we may not know. Mr. Listen started the talk by introducing the concept of "Buddha Heart," which refers to living in a compassionate way, both towards ourselves and towards others, as guided by wisdom. David emphasized that compassionate intentions without wisdom can cause more harm than good when bringing those intentions into actions.
Wisdom, as Mr. Listen defined, is self-awareness. Being directly and fully aware of our physical and emotional conditions brings an opportunity for us to obtain clarity. This clarity is in terms of what we truly need so that we can best care for ourselves and others. As Mr. Listen put it, if we know ourselves very well, likely we will know or have a sense of what other people may need.
Building on "self-awareness," Mr. Listen introduced the concept of "selfless-awareness," which refers to not being attached to our bodies, thoughts, and intentions. By recognizing that everything, including ourselves, changes in nature, and that we are inter-dependent on each other, we can avoid getting lost in self-centred thinking, which helps us loosen our attachment to ourselves and others. With this, we can help both ourselves and others be relieved from various forms of sufferings.Nearing the end of this talk, Mr. Listen shared with us some basic practices to cultivate wisdom such as mindfulness practice and sitting meditation. The principle of these practices is to train and calm our minds so that we can be clearly aware of our bodies, thoughts, and intentions. On this note, Mr. Listen highlighted that having a balanced and healthy life is the foundation for developing wisdom, as guided by the Noble Eightfold Path.
At the end of the talk, Mr. Listen concluded that wisdom and compassion go hand in hand because in order for us to truly take care of ourselves and others, we must understand how to truly take care of ourselves.
During the Q&A session, Mr. Listen addressed many questions related to meditation practices and how they can be integrated into our daily lives. Some questions around setting boundaries being a form of self-care were also discussed during the sharing session. In response to this point, Mr. Listen stressed, being fully aware of our own conditions is key to determining how to truly take care for ourselves and others, that is, knowing when to draw boundaries and when to be an attentive listener. As the evening drew close to an end, many shared that the talk was extremely inspiring, and brought home many helpful tips from Mr. Listen. Venturing into the new year of 2023, participants are motivated to continue to practice and grow, and to learn what it means to care for self and others with a Buddha Heart.
Written by DDYP 2023.01.13
Photo: Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre 2023.01.13