Episode 113: Comfort Isn’t Everything Artwork

Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

DHARMA GLIMPSES is an introduction to The Profound Treasury teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, taught by Judy Lief. In these short, accessible talks, Judy invites listeners to explore the subtleties and delights of the Buddhist path of meditation and insight. She introduces listeners to some of the key ways that mark Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's unique and brilliant exposition of the dharma in the context of contemporary Western society.

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Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

Episode 113: Comfort Isn’t Everything

March 11, 2025 • Judy Lief

[This episode originally aired on March 21, 2023] The teachings of the Buddha are often divided into three components: intelligence or discriminating awareness; discipline; and meditation • there can be so much emphasis on sitting practice that there is less discussion of the importance of cultivating knowledge and discipline — what it actually takes to put the teachings into action in our everyday life • being able to observe what is going on with some precision and insight is extremely important; this includes ordinary knowledge, self-knowledge, and psychological knowledge • Trungpa Rinpoche pointed out the difference between discriminating awareness and comfort-seeking mind • he talked about the earthy quality of discriminating awareness, in contrast to the dreamy quality of trying to escape and go somewhere else • we have all sorts of ways to try to make ourself cozy and comfortable, but they are missing the point; comfort-seeking mind is not about enhancing the clarity and precision of our awareness, but about blanketing it in a kind of cozy cocoon.