I woke up some time ago with the realization that like any body of work and thought that begins to take on a life of its own, I needed a framework, a container for what continues to be a deep calling for me to find ways in which to thread together the apparently universal truths about the frailties and triumphs of this journey we share in called being human.
new Dharma is an unfolding vision of practical, liberating spirituality, grounded in meditation and finding its best expression in the experiential practice of everyday living. It’s ongoing training and cultivation of our Warrior-Spirit: the fierce intention to live, love, lead and protect from the deepest place: the infinite wellspring of compassion and love.
In a nutshell, if your practice—the way you’re living your life—doesn’t bring about transformation in the way you breathe and share space with others, if it doesn’t deepen your relationship with the spirited wisdom of love, peace and authenticity, you need to change your practice. As I said to a friend one fine day, “I bow at the altar of authenticity.” And that altar, alone.
new Dharma isn’t sticky and sweet…it’s raw and real. Like life itself: fresh, dynamic, and most often, deliciously unpredictable. It requires the intention to pay attention. In return, it offers the potential to meet our truest selves face to face along the Way. But more on that later…
A primary intention of new Dharma is to bring forth, in a respectful way, those teachings and practices of our collective wisdom traditions that are most accessible and practical for the lives we are living today. This wisdom draws from what some Native American peoples call the four colors of people: African (black), Asian (yellow), Native/Indigenous (red), and European (white). Along with many of my Native brothers, sisters and elders, I am convinced that our destiny as the 1 Big Race is inextricably linked. We need all elements: Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.
The essence of teachings that speak so completely to our fundamental nature as human beings, that they transcend the religion, culture, geography and time from which they come, is Dharma: Universal Truth or the basic principle that governs life itself.
To distill them a way that maintains their rich heritage and depth of meaning, while assuring they are available to serve their foremost purpose: imparting seeds of wisdom to the many, beyond dogma, is New.
