…married life …

…Married Life–why I write…

Loving, Impermanence and The Illusion of Self…

August 1, 2010 by Anjuelle Floyd

I recently read he 20th century Tibetan Buddhist master, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s commentary on Lama Mipham’s The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies Mental Activity.

Khyentse Rinpoche writes in the commentary, “Instead of being convinced that there is a self-entity, we realize that self is a mere concept.“

His words immediately drew me in.

A psychotherapist, I am forever pondering notions of self and other, phenomena, as Khyentse Rinpoche urges are but constructions of the mind in it, and our feeble efforts to understand and navigate the world, life and loving.
But there I go again, linking the mind, my thoughts and feelings to me, and who I really am.

Khyentse’s commentary, listed in the Summer 2010 Issue of the Buddhist Review, Tricycle, followed a brief article by Jakob Leschly, wherein Leschly describes his 16-year experience, starting in 1975, of studying with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche along with many others who were students of the meditation master. Continue Reading »

Posted in Marriage | Tagged marriage, love, self, Tricycle, Buddhist Review, Lama Mipham, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Jakob Leschly, The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies the Mind, meditation, Buddhism, Tibetan master, transitory, life, death, living real, substantive, impermanence, change, ego, other, world | Leave a Comment »

…Married Life–why I write… Read More »

Loving, Impermanence and The Illusion of Self…

I recently read he 20th century Tibetan Buddhist master, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s commentary on Lama Mipham’s The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies Mental Activity.

Khyentse Rinpoche writes in the commentary, “Instead of being convinced that there is a self-entity, we realize that self is a mere concept.”

His words immediately drew me in.

A psychotherapist, I am forever pondering notions of self and other, phenomena, as Khyentse Rinpoche urges are but constructions of the mind in it, and our feeble efforts to understand and navigate the world, life and loving.
But there I go again, linking the mind, my thoughts and feelings to me, and who I really am.

Khyentse’s commentary, listed in the Summer 2010 Issue of the Buddhist Review, Tricycle, followed a brief article by Jakob Leschly, wherein Leschly describes his 16-year experience, starting in 1975, of studying with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche along with many others who were students of the meditation master.

Loving, Impermanence and The Illusion of Self… Read More »

Of Senior Pictures, Former Eastern Block Countries, and Forgotten Anniversary Cards…

The summer has whisked by. One day it was May 31st and our middle was finishing what had been their eleventh grade year–they were a high school junior–and two days later we were listening to a message left by the school photographer stating that senior pictures would be made the following week and leaving the

Of Senior Pictures, Former Eastern Block Countries, and Forgotten Anniversary Cards… Read More »

Our Greatest Fear, Our Earnest Hope: To Love and Be Loved…

Love strengthens and transforms. It also frightens.

Experiencing love, true unadulterated and unconditional love, freely given soothes us in places long hardened over time by insults and wounds inflicted in the flesh and to our character and emotions.

Love and acceptance despite and because of who we are, faults, shortcomings, warts and all exhumes not only our previous injuries, but lifts our vulnerabilities to the surface.

The frightened girls and boys that our hard exteriors have hidden over the years are summoned forth.

We descend to our knees in the face of an eternal truth.

Our Greatest Fear, Our Earnest Hope: To Love and Be Loved… Read More »

Marriage, Terror, and Seeing into the Choreography of Souls…

So much of marriage is about seeing the other, your spouse, and allowing your true self to come through, i.e. being seen yourself.

My novel, “The House,” chronicles the experience of a woman, Anna Manning, during the last 3 months of her marriage wherein her husband, Edward, has withheld aspects of his true nature from. Throughout their nearly thirty-three years of marriage has been unfaithful Edward, involved in 3 longstanding affairs of which Anna knew.

These affairs, horrible as they were stemmed from vulnerabilities and emotional injuries rooted in Edward’s childhood, and of which he never discussed with Anna.

Marriage, Terror, and Seeing into the Choreography of Souls… Read More »

Of Cinco de Mayo, an iPad and Mothering…

Friday afternoon I felt as if I would crack. Each one of my children, ages, 11-years-old to 23 years needed me for emotional support as they struggled to attain their goals. My eldest was working hard on a paper search for a 15-page graduate research paper she must write.

Our 11th grader needed guidance on how to organize her study and tutoring sessions for her Chemistry and Algebra finals along with preparing an outline for her 3rd and thankfully, last term paper. And our youngest, having been home for the holiday in observance of honoring Cinco de Mayo, simply wanted to go out.

Having had a strenuous week of trying to play catch-up on my writing–I had spent last weekend helping our middle edit the first two term papers 12-15 pages each–I was scoured with fatigue.

Dinner with my husband at our favorite restaurant down by the water in Berkeley would have been a godsend.

Of Cinco de Mayo, an iPad and Mothering… Read More »

Of Fear, La Petite Mort, and the Transforming Power of Love…

I named my publishing company, NOJ Publications, after my husband, his named turned backwards.

I write about love, committed and constant, persevering and sustaining, which he has given me.

My stories and novels express what I know and have learned in relationship with my husband.

Love holds a most transforming power.

It dispenses hope beyond our wildest dreams.

Of Fear, La Petite Mort, and the Transforming Power of Love… Read More »