In this episode Elizabeth reflects upon the provocative poem composed by the renowned contemporary teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, entitled, “Looking Into the World.”

“It’s not a cozy poem,” says Elizabeth, “It’s a reflection on loneliness. It is an incantation to distrust. It is a tribute to the freedom and confidence that comes from standing on our own two feet.” Put your familiar and conventional views aside for this wonderful exploration.

In Episode 504, Elizabeth explores devotion, one of the many aspects of faith. Through stories and inquiry, she brings us through various meanings of devotion. Elizabeth examines devotion as an experience, along with cultural and interpersonal challenges that can arise through misunderstanding the teacher/student dynamic. When understood more clearly, devotion hastens the process of spiritual awakening for the student.

All great spiritual lineages point us back to that which defies concept and language. Authentic practitioners describe awakening as being touched by a sense of awe, overcome by the beauty, fierceness and power of being. To be in AWE is a natural human experience. Ironically, so is the discomfort that leaves us restless with the experience, making it almost impossible to bear. Our inability to bear the ineffable gives rise to dualism and our conflict with faith.