No Way Out? - Steven Tierney

The Gay Buddhist Forum by GBF

When we feel stuck or overwhelmed by society, how can we find joy and courage?

Steven Tierney asks us to challenge the notion that we are stuck with no way out. He emphasizes that rather than avoid the difficult, we can find a way through by embracing Buddhist teachings and practices.

This can include:

1. Living with Intention:
   • Drawing from Victor Frankl and Thich Nhat Hanh, he underscores the importance of embodying the teachings and living with intention.
2. Joy and Bliss in Buddhist Practice:
   • He examines the concept of the "jhanas" or advanced meditative states that lead to joy and bliss, cautioning against quick fixes or commercialized paths to spiritual fulfillment.
3. Investigation and Self-Understanding:
   • Emphasizing the importance of self-investigation (Dharma Vaya), Steven discusses how understanding our true selves, beyond societal expectations or prohibitions, is crucial for personal growth and finding joy.
4. The Role of Courage:
   • He also highlights the role of courage in living authentically and taking action in the world. Steven connects courage to joy, suggesting that joy naturally arises from deep self-understanding, while courage is needed to express this joy in the face of external challenges.
5. Moving Through Pain:
   • He encourages us to face pain fully, without becoming a victim of it, and move through it as a path to deeper understanding.

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Steven Tierney (Kai Po Koshin) is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Steven has a new Sangha: Oceans Compassion Sangha and also practices with Gay Buddhist Fellowship, Meditation in Recovery at SFZC, Great Spirit Sangha, SFLGBTQA Sangha, and the Hartford Street Zen Center.

Steven believes that we can find wisdom, compassion and awakening wherever good people come together for practice, healing, service and joy. Dr. Tierney is a psychotherapist in private practice and Professor Emeritus in Counseling Psychology at CIIS.

He is a Certified Addiction Specialist and has been named a Diplomate in Clinical Mental Health by the American Mental Health Counselors Association. He is also a certified suicide prevention and intervention trainer, providing workshops, classes, and consultations. Steven can be reached at 415-235-1061 or [e-mail]

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CREDITS
Audio Engineer: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter