Welcome to the second installment of Dr. Kelly’s meditative & reflective shows! This week, she reads from and discusses David Nichtern’s influential book, Awakening from the Daydream: Re-imagining Buddha’s Wheel of Life, in honor of Wesak or ‘Buddha Day’.
According to ancient Buddhist philosophy, humans find themselves oscillating between six unique realms which contour our state of mind and existence:
- The God Realm
- The Jealous God Realm
- The Human Realm
- The Animal Realm
- The Hungry Ghost Realm
- The Hell Realm
Dr. Kelly will read from passages and give insight on the psychological qualities of each of these six realms in honor of May 10th’s powerful and clearing full moon.
May 10th marks the powerful full moon of the year for Buddhists, called Wesak or “Buddha Day” to many, this day offers great potential to clear negative energy from the past 12 months, through contemplation, meditation and ritual. Dr. Kelly will start the show by discussing the importance of this full moon, its cultural significance and the types of rituals that one can engage in to clear energy.
In honor of this important theme, Awakening from the DayDream offers a unique fusion of western psychology of the self with Buddhist theory, and has been one of the formative books in Dr. Kelly’s own spiritual journey. She will read some passages on the wheel of life (Samsara, pictured above) and offer commentary and contemplation, including:
- The history of the development of the wheel of life (Samsara)
- The literal versus symbolic interpretations of the wheel
- The Buddha in each of the Six Realms
- Positive versus Negative Emotions & Karma
- The Psychological Qualities of Each of the Six Realms
- How Meditation & Contemplation Can Help Liberate us from Samsara
David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher, meditation guide
and Emmy award winning composer and musician. Beginning in 1970, Nichtern became a student of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and was taught by the founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Nichtern has since become a senior teacher. Nichtern has been the Director of Expansion for Shambhala Training, and co-director of the Karme Choling Meditation Center in Vermont.
