Changes in Modern Dharma Training | Planet Dharma

1. The Times They Are A-Changing’: Are You With Us? (Part 1) Shifts and Changes Just 10 years ago this teaching was more focused around meditation and individual therapy, and more yogic, that is, dependent on the student-teacher relationships wherever in the world that might be happening. A mere decade later, we have a cutting-edge 310-acre retreat and learning center (Clear Sky), and a growing virtual monastery (PlanetDharma) allowing us to train our hearts and minds via the internet. We’ve seen our focus shift to include a quadruple bottom line, embracing sangha-centered karma yoga and dharma training as key elements of our path. While most of our practice used to happen in the physical presence of our teacher Doug Duncan Sensei, nowadays our practice takes place with him and Catherine, together with our local sangha, on our own, and virtually with our teachers and other sangha members. In addition to Doug Sensei, Catherine has a prominent role as a dharma trainer, as do a small number of other senior students. The idea is to grow this team of qualified dharma trainers, so that more practitioners can benefit from dharma training, and in turn share those benefits with other beings. Similarly, we (Doug and Catherine) are doing more teaching together, both of us also teach independently, and more of our senior students are also teaching. We envision a growing number of qualified teachers spreading the dharma for the benefit of all beings and the flourishing of the Triple Gem. The Grail: Fuller, more relevant realization The yogic, meditative path has been a wonderful one for us and others, full of profound learning. We’ve also seen that the informality of its structures make it challenging to pay that learning forward to others and future generations. The many benefits were challenging to measure and diffused by the distances between us. Our commitment is to awaken as many beings as possible in this lifetime, and to ensure that both the outer and the inner (guru-yidam-dakini) manifestations of the Triple Gem flourish. Our commitment is to do what’s needed to ensure that others carry these commitment forward into the future. We are thinking about seven generations hence, and beyond. We see Clear Sky as the physical container for speedy unfoldment, a world-class crucible for transformation and manifestation of what awakening looks like on the material plane (hint: it’s innovative, generative and sustainable). Robust Dharma Training, Karma Yoga, and

2. dāna practices are the three pillars that both help us to speedily awaken more fully for the benefit of all beings, and to develop Clear Sky so that as many beings as possible can do this. “Flourishing” manifests in its spiritual, financial, social and environmental aspects in order for this to all work well, now and for future generations. We call this our quadruple bottom line. Source URL: https://www.planetdharma.com/the-times-they-are-a-changin-are-you-with- us-part-1/