What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma? - Discussion
What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Sam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent Posts
I searched on here and only found mentions of it. Last night I listened to some dharma talks but came away with nothing. Can anyone please define/explain the soulmaking dhama and what its used for?
Zero, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 39 Join Date: 2/21/18 Recent PostsSam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsZero:
Did you listen to the new Deconstructing Yourself Podcast?
Siavash, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1237 Join Date: 5/5/19 Recent PostsSam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsSam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsSiavash:
I will listem to these talks but I can't help noticing the warning:Please Note: This series of teachings is from a retreat for experienced practitioners led by Rob Burbea and Catherine McGee. Although they attempt to outline and elaborate a little on some of the basics of Soulmaking Dharma practice, still the requirements for participation on the retreat included some understanding of and working familiarity with practices of emptiness, samatha, metta, the emotional/energy body, and the imaginal, as well as basic mindfulness practice; without this experience it is possible that the material and teachings from this retreat will be difficult to understand and confusing for some.
I wonder if they define terms like soul, which are quite problematic in Buddhism, soulful, and so forth
Siavash, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1237 Join Date: 5/5/19 Recent Posts
This is what I would do:
I would listen to them but I'd keep the warnings in mind, to manage my expectations!
If after listening to several hours of them, I still see that they are not interesting and helpful, I'd probably stop listening and stick to my current practices.
I would listen to them but I'd keep the warnings in mind, to manage my expectations!
If after listening to several hours of them, I still see that they are not interesting and helpful, I'd probably stop listening and stick to my current practices.
Lewis James, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 155 Join Date: 5/13/15 Recent Posts| I wonder if they define terms like soul, which are quite problematic in Buddhism, soulful, and so forth |
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on Rob's teachings. But my takeaway from reading and listening to his work is that one can take the core "not-self" insight and creatively flip it on its head: yes, there is no essence/soul/self to anything, yet we have this dependently arisen creative power, anything that seems like it may be a soul/self/essence is created, so why not take the reigns and create something beautiful, knowing that it isn't truly self gives you that power, but you have to train the skills to be able to create it skilfully.
Sam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsLewis James:
| I wonder if they define terms like soul, which are quite problematic in Buddhism, soulful, and so forth |
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on Rob's teachings. But my takeaway from reading and listening to his work is that one can take the core "not-self" insight and creatively flip it on its head: yes, there is no essence/soul/self to anything, yet we have this dependently arisen creative power, anything that seems like it may be a soul/self/essence is created, so why not take the reigns and create something beautiful, knowing that it isn't truly self gives you that power, but you have to train the skills to be able to create it skilfully.
Beautiful. Nice and consise. Now I'll listen to the recordings.
Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 5375 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
Rob Burbea and Catherine McGee are not the only ones to use the term soul with regard to Buddhist practice. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche does too, and he is very well respected among Tibetan traditional practicioners. Soul as used in Tibetan Buddhism doesn't have the connotations of some eternal essence, but refers to something that we create here and now, for instance by working with the elements and the energy body. Having realized emptiness, we may still be alive and want to be able to benefit and live in harmony with others. We may also want to integrate out realizations and work on the "emptiness is no other than form" part.
Sam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsLinda ”Polly Ester” Ö:
Rob Burbea and Catherine McGee are not the only ones to use the term soul with regard to Buddhist practice. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche does too, and he is very well respected among Tibetan traditional practicioners. Soul as used in Tibetan Buddhism doesn't have the connotations of some eternal essence, but refers to something that we create here and now, for instance by working with the elements and the energy body. Having realized emptiness, we may still be alive and want to be able to benefit and live in harmony with others. We may also want to integrate out realizations and work on the "emptiness is no other than form" part.
That's useful to know Linda because I place a lot of emphasis on what Tibetan elders say.
Tim Farrington, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 2460 Join Date: 6/13/11 Recent Posts
hey sam,
Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma comes from his later years (he died in May of this year, after living with pancreatic cancer for years), and is accessible right now almost entirely through his recorded talks, although there is a devoted project of transcribing the talks in progress. His best known work is presented in his book Seeing That Frees, which is an exploration of "emptiness," very strong dharma and very lucid. So he begins from there: a strong "foundation" in emptiness. I see the later stuff in terms of the Zen ox-herding cycle: there is the nothing step, the zero, and emptiness, the blank page; and then there is "returning to the city with bliss-bestowing hands." I think Burbea is working on articulating a vocabulary for that return, seeking a way to talk about bliss and bestowing, giving, offering, and the hands involved in that: metta in action. His talks on the Soulmakining presuppose "some understanding of and working familiarity with practices of emptiness, samatha, metta, the emotional/energy body, and the imaginal, as well as basic mindfulness practice." The "imaginal" is one of his new concepts, but you will probably be familiar enough with the other practices.
He talks very slowly, gently, and thoughtfully, so the time and patience commitment to listening to his talks is substantial. I sort of like the music of him, this dying man talking like he has all the time on the world. He is very lovable. He's moving toward manifestation from emptiness, toward compassionate, loving, creative activity, as I understand it. He's working on a vocabulary for Bodhisattvas, maybe, a way of talking about creative metta, fully engaged "in the city." But he's coming from emptiness every step of the way.
Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma comes from his later years (he died in May of this year, after living with pancreatic cancer for years), and is accessible right now almost entirely through his recorded talks, although there is a devoted project of transcribing the talks in progress. His best known work is presented in his book Seeing That Frees, which is an exploration of "emptiness," very strong dharma and very lucid. So he begins from there: a strong "foundation" in emptiness. I see the later stuff in terms of the Zen ox-herding cycle: there is the nothing step, the zero, and emptiness, the blank page; and then there is "returning to the city with bliss-bestowing hands." I think Burbea is working on articulating a vocabulary for that return, seeking a way to talk about bliss and bestowing, giving, offering, and the hands involved in that: metta in action. His talks on the Soulmakining presuppose "some understanding of and working familiarity with practices of emptiness, samatha, metta, the emotional/energy body, and the imaginal, as well as basic mindfulness practice." The "imaginal" is one of his new concepts, but you will probably be familiar enough with the other practices.
He talks very slowly, gently, and thoughtfully, so the time and patience commitment to listening to his talks is substantial. I sort of like the music of him, this dying man talking like he has all the time on the world. He is very lovable. He's moving toward manifestation from emptiness, toward compassionate, loving, creative activity, as I understand it. He's working on a vocabulary for Bodhisattvas, maybe, a way of talking about creative metta, fully engaged "in the city." But he's coming from emptiness every step of the way.
Olivier, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 731 Join Date: 4/27/19 Recent Posts
Hi guys,
As for the origin of the term : https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6503372-call-the-world-if-you-please-the-vale-of-soul
As for the origin of the term : https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6503372-call-the-world-if-you-please-the-vale-of-soul
Sam Gentile, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1072 Join Date: 5/4/20 Recent PostsTim Farrington:
hey sam,
Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma comes from his later years (he died in May of this year, after living with pancreatic cancer for years), and is accessible right now almost entirely through his recorded talks, although there is a devoted project of transcribing the talks in progress. His best known work is presented in his book Seeing That Frees, which is an exploration of "emptiness," very strong dharma and very lucid. So he begins from there: a strong "foundation" in emptiness. I see the later stuff in terms of the Zen ox-herding cycle: there is the nothing step, the zero, and emptiness, the blank page; and then there is "returning to the city with bliss-bestowing hands." I think Burbea is working on articulating a vocabulary for that return, seeking a way to talk about bliss and bestowing, giving, offering, and the hands involved in that: metta in action. His talks on the Soulmakining presuppose "some understanding of and working familiarity with practices of emptiness, samatha, metta, the emotional/energy body, and the imaginal, as well as basic mindfulness practice." The "imaginal" is one of his new concepts, but you will probably be familiar enough with the other practices.
He talks very slowly, gently, and thoughtfully, so the time and patience commitment to listening to his talks is substantial. I sort of like the music of him, this dying man talking like he has all the time on the world. He is very lovable. He's moving toward manifestation from emptiness, toward compassionate, loving, creative activity, as I understand it. He's working on a vocabulary for Bodhisattvas, maybe, a way of talking about creative metta, fully engaged "in the city." But he's coming from emptiness every step of the way.
Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma comes from his later years (he died in May of this year, after living with pancreatic cancer for years), and is accessible right now almost entirely through his recorded talks, although there is a devoted project of transcribing the talks in progress. His best known work is presented in his book Seeing That Frees, which is an exploration of "emptiness," very strong dharma and very lucid. So he begins from there: a strong "foundation" in emptiness. I see the later stuff in terms of the Zen ox-herding cycle: there is the nothing step, the zero, and emptiness, the blank page; and then there is "returning to the city with bliss-bestowing hands." I think Burbea is working on articulating a vocabulary for that return, seeking a way to talk about bliss and bestowing, giving, offering, and the hands involved in that: metta in action. His talks on the Soulmakining presuppose "some understanding of and working familiarity with practices of emptiness, samatha, metta, the emotional/energy body, and the imaginal, as well as basic mindfulness practice." The "imaginal" is one of his new concepts, but you will probably be familiar enough with the other practices.
He talks very slowly, gently, and thoughtfully, so the time and patience commitment to listening to his talks is substantial. I sort of like the music of him, this dying man talking like he has all the time on the world. He is very lovable. He's moving toward manifestation from emptiness, toward compassionate, loving, creative activity, as I understand it. He's working on a vocabulary for Bodhisattvas, maybe, a way of talking about creative metta, fully engaged "in the city." But he's coming from emptiness every step of the way.
Tim, thank you very much!
Noah D, modified 4 Months ago.
RE: What is Rob Burbea's Soulmaking Dharma?
Posts: 1143 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
There's also the 2 emerge Daniel Thorson interviews where rob explains it somewhat. Also the Reddit SE wiki has select rob talks.