Zenkondo : Living from a Place of Primordial & Boundless Compassion
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Zenkondo - Gianmichael Salvato
ZENKONDO
LIVING FROM A PLACE OF BOUNDLESS & PRIMORDIAL COMPASSION
About the Author
A person taking a selfie Description automatically generatedGianmichael Salvato (Philadelphia, PA) is an Author, Naturopathic Physician, Anthropologist, Witch, Alchemist, Intersectional Feminist, Luciferian Chaos Magician, Herbalist/Rootworker, Sorcerer, and Shaman. He’s also the face and mind behind the Inner Alchemy Movement and The Collective.
As a lifelong hereditary Witch, drawing on more than fifty years of personal study and practice, Gianmichael’s practice draws deeply from the well of Sacred Wisdom of the Ancestors and Spirits beyond the veil, as part of the Sicilian Craft of the Wise.
Gianmichael strives to live by these simple principles: personal responsibility, claiming his Power, speaking his truth (at all costs), living his truth (no matter the cost), following no creed, and always maintaining and respecting individual Sovereignty.
DEDICATION
This work would not have been possible without the patient support, encouragement and love of my companion, partner and husband, Craig Daube. It is also dedicated to those who love me; those who call me teacher; and those who make up my Tribe.
Each of you has taught me immeasurably, as have those who have chosen to walk out of my life over politics, religion and mental illness. Although you may not be named here, you occupy a place of profound gratitude in my heart and mind.
ZENKONDO
LIVING FROM A PLACE OF PRIMORDIAL & BOUNDLESS COMPASSION
By
Gianmichael Salvato
Morningstar Mediaworks & Publishing
Harrisburg, PA
Zenkondo : Living from a Place of Primordial & Boundless Compassion
Copyright © 2009 by Gianmichael Salvato. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage or reproduction, without express written permission from Morningstar Mediaworks & Publishing, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, research, and reviews.
FIRST EDITION
First Printing, 2019
Cover design by Morningstar Mediaworks & Publishing
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Salvato, Gianmichael, author.
Title: Zenkondo : Living from a Place of Primordial & Boundless Compassion / by Gianmichael Salvato
Description: First Edition. | Harrisburg : Morningstar Mediaworks & Publishing, LLC | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers:
ISBN (alk. Paper) 978-0-359-93523-9
ISBN 9ebook): 978-0-359-94016-5
Subjects: 1. Buddhism | 2. New Thought | 3. Folklore – Buddhist | 4. Philosophy - Buddhist | 5. Esoteric Thought
Table of Contents
About the Author
DEDICATION
Introduction
CORE UNDERSTANDINGS
THE THREE INESCAPABLE FACTORS OF EXISTENCE
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH... THE EXISTENCE OF SUFFERING
THE SECOND NOBLE TRUTH... THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
THE SIX PERFECTIONS
THE PERFECTION OF GIVING
THE PERFECTION OF MORAL DISCIPLINE
THE PERFECTION OF PATIENCE
THE PERFECTION OF ENTHUSIASTIC EFFORT
THE PERFECTION OF MENTAL STABILITY
THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM
PRAJNAPARAMITA SUTRA
THE HEART OF WISDOM SUTRA
ENTERING THE DHARMA STREAM
TAKING REFUGE IN THE BUDDHA
TAKING REFUGE IN THE DHARMA
TAKING REFUGE IN THE SANGHA
TAKING VOWS
FINDING A PATH THAT WORKS FOR YOU
THE BODHISATTVA PATH
WISDOM AND THE PATH OF EMPTINESS
LOJONG - UNDERSTANDING THE EIGHT VERSES ON TRANSFORMING THOUGHT
MAKING IT REAL... REFLECTIONS FROM DIVERSE SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS & PERSPECTIVES
ITALIAN FOLK MAGICK
BENEDICARIA
SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT
THE MATERIAL
Conclusion
Introduction
In Tibetan, the word for compassion is nying je, which literally means sovereign heart
-- a reference to the view that compassion is the foremost disposition of the human heart-mind.
Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama writes, in Ethics for the New Millennium:
As such, our innate capacity for empathy is the source of that most precious of all human qualities… while generally translated simply as
compassion, the term nying je has a wealth of meaning that is difficult to convey succinctly, though the ideas it contains are universally understood. It connotes love, affection, kindness, gentleness, generosity of spirit, and warm-heartedness. It is also used as term of both sympathy and of endearment. On the other hand, it does not imply
pity as the word compassion may. There is no sense of condescension. On the contrary, nying je denotes a feeling of connection with others, reflecting its origins in empathy.
It’s important, I think, that we recognise that Tenzin Gyatso’s own duplicitous and disgraceful behaviour toward the devout practitioners of the Shugden Sadhana lacks any semblance of compassion or tolerance. And I find that behavior to speak directly to the evidence that one can simultaneously be very learned, and lack the spiritual maturity to put that wisdom and knowledge into practice.
It was into the spiritual lineage of Tenzin Gyatso that I was ordained in Tibetan Buddhism, and it was his behavior toward those of us who practice the esoteric Shugden Sadhana that I disavowed that association, walking away from institutional Buddhism with the same disgust with which I abandoned all religion.
I have, learned much from the experience, and perhaps the most relevant lesson to this book is if there were a common theme found in the messages of the great spiritual masters, philosophers and teachers of the past several thousand years, it would unquestionably be the call to compassion, service and kindness.
It was to this universal call that a group of four contemplative monks chose to commit themselves, in 1983.
Their way of life, which would later come to be known as the Dharma of Boundless Compassion
, would grow into a grassroots movement, and eventually include a monastic and contemplative spiritual community.
That movement, and the intentional community of esoteric contemplatives and monastics, were entrusted to my care for almost thirty years.
As a Buddhist monk, shaman, and former bishop (in the autocephalous, Eastern Catholic Church), my objective was to break with the religious traditions, dogma and doctrines that cause so much division and pain in the world, and to guide others to discover a new way to experience the world -- a way that is focused on relieving suffering for all beings, including ourselves.
That desire to carve out space in our world for such an intentional community remains as strong today, as it was in 1981, when three of my companions and I began talking about it.
Back then, I realised that making such a radical departure from the more traditional religious approach expected of monks and bishops might make for a bit of a challenging road, but sincerely believe that the solution to suffering in the world required more than religion or philosophy could offer.
Of course, I believed that we could, if we were willing to shift our perspectives, and let go of some of the obstacles that prevent us from finding common ground with one another, then our individual spiritual traditions and religious paths could inspire a more courageous approach to life.
The Tibetan word for Buddhist means insider.
I knew that as a Buddhist monk, my responsibility lie in sharing with others the insider's way
-- a reliance on that which is within each of us, instead of seeking external answers, external sources of happiness, external rescuers or saviours.
This understanding was something that was reinforced by my experience as a contemplative monk, in the tradition of the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers of Egypt.
In October 2006, I formally withdrew my association with the world of institutional religion. I resigned my position as the senior spiritual advisor and exarch over the Esoteric Franciscan Contemplatives and Benedicaria in North America.
I separated myself from the national association of independent Catholic bishops. I formally withdrew from the various Buddhist organisations and communities who turned to me for spiritual direction, as someone they regarded to be a revered lama.
From the time I was sixteen, I've considered myself to be a disciple of the Buddha and of the Christ. I've never found it necessary to consider the spiritual narratives surrounding Buddha Śakyamuni or Rav Yeshua ben Yosef as being historical or literal accounts, any more than I had the oral traditions of the streghe (Italian folk-magick practitioners) into which I was born.
In fact, it didn't matter to me whether there ever were real, historic persons named Jesus or Guatama; nor did it matter to me if the stories found in the religious texts really happened to them.
I am a disciple of the Common Way or Path, and that spiritual path doesn't rely on religion, doctrine, faith or fundamentalism, but instead, on a commitment to loving-kindness, compassion, equanimity and altruism.
Some of those who read this book might believe in a lieteral or personal God/Goddess, others might not. It doesn't matter.
Some will believe that the stories about Buddha or Jesus are true; others will not. It doesn't matter. This is not a religious book, nor is the Dharma of Boundless Compassion (Zenkondo) a religious path. It is a way of life that is consistent with the ancient teachings of the Perennialist Masters.
In this book, you will not find my theories on the origins of the universe, or speculation on the merits or demerits of any particular religion, philosophy or belief system.
Instead, the purpose of this book, which is the result of my decision, in early 2007, to put into words a simplified guide to the way of life shared by members of the Contemplative Order of Compassion, and embraced by the thousands of