Summary: In this talk, Sensei Monshin discusses the Yogacara or “Mind Only” teachings of 5th century Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu. Central to Vasubandhu’s teaching is the idea that we create separateness with our minds. “Whatever is out there that we’re agitated, angry, or overwhelmed about is a projection, a projection influenced by our karmic tendencies.” With this understanding, we create space to see our conditioned and habitual reactions. We may begin to loosen our grip on a rigid sense of a separate self and wake up to the profound mystery of our experience, including our deep connection with everything. These teachings are difficult, but they’re worth it, she emphasizes. They empower us and “help us see we are not helpless victims of our karmic tendencies. . .and neither are we helpless victims of apparent external phenomenon”. They point us to the power of our choices and our actions. When we take responsibility for our own mind, Monshin teaches, we can “enact with skill and love [our] responsibility toward others, who aren’t really other anyway. . .this is the power of each moment of intentionality.”<br> <br>
