Forget the wolf at your door -- remember the two inside!

There are some perks to living in the Bay Area, and one of the best for me is living within what might be called the American hub of Buddhist practice.  Yesterday (Memorial Day) I  took a day trip to Spirit Rock Meditation Center where they have Monday evening "Dharma Talks," which if you're unfamiliar with them are a great reason to get together with a bunch of people and talk about why we're all here on this planet and come away feeling really good -- with no drugs involved! (But usually, some really yummy vegetarian organic food to be had, courtesy of their resident chef, Dennis.) The scenery alone is enough to bring your blood pressure down a few notches, and if you take a hike up the hill on the property you can see for miles as far as the Pacific amidst sage and "amber waves of grain" (not sure what the amber-colored grass is, but I digress...)

The featured speaker, Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist who wrote Buddha's Brain among other works, that explore the connection between brain, mind and spirit. The topic last night centered around fear-- how fear, an innate human emotion responsible for survival, operates as a key catalyst for conflict in the world, whether a large-scale conflict like war, or a conflict between neighbors.  Because my work of late has centered around behavior change related to violence prevention, I was especially interested in hearing what he had to say. He brought up the Cherokee fable of the two wolves.   A grandfather tells his son-- there are two wolves battling inside him, a good wolf, who is full of love, and a bad wolf full of hate. "Which wolf will win?" the boy asks.  The grandfather responds: "The one I feed."  A simple premise that everyone understands, but easier said than done, especially in a world where we are constantly told to be fearful, and when we, as animals, are frightened or threatened, instinctively lash out with hate, not love.  It may be easier to learn how not to fear others, that is how to see others not as "them" but as one of "us," than it is to see ourselves as someone who might be feared ourselves, to see ourselves as the "them" to their "us."  Huh, you ask? Rick explains this fascinating connection much better, I assure you. 

He talks about how we as individuals, can lead a more peaceful existence, and in turn, create a more peaceful world.  If you'd like to listen to his complete 50-minute talk, you can download it here.  Peace!