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Michael John Smith

Shenpa

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Shenpa is a Tibetan word I came across today in a friend's description of her Tonglen practice. I decided to look it up, as I could see it was important to her and understanding what she was experiencing. Loosely translated it means attachment. But that doesn't go far enough. Our member Dharmavidya has spoken of attachment far more forcibly as addiction, and maybe this is a better word. Some sources, which are rare, describe it as an urge (maybe akin to an urge to scratch as in scabies). It seems to manifest itself as some kind of reaction to a perceived attack on ones ego, as far as I can see, though I must admit I have not meditated on this sufficiently. I intend to start, for it has been said that there is no antidote apart from meditating on it as it arises in the mind. The Tibeten word for purification of Shenpa is Shenluk, which roughly translated is renunciation of shenpa, but really it is something, which needs experiencing, something that needs mindfulness - the mindfulness of our own Buddha nature to really tackle. It is said that often we don't notice it so much in ourselves (although we should) but certainly in others. It is what appears in someone's face and demeanour when we say something they feel threatens them - it is a tightening up. It happens all the time in our everyday life. It's in all our addictions. I am determined to look into this aspect closer. Anybody else know anything about Shenpa? Please look it up on Google, and you'll find some rare teaching on this phenomenon.

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