According to David Loy, growing up in our contemporary culture, there’s no escaping them. “The issue is only whether they affect us unconsciously, in which case we tend to become compulsive, or whether we understand what motivates us, which grants us some freedom and wisdom about them.”

David Loy is a prolific author, professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David travels nationally and internationally speaking primarily on the encounter between Buddhism and modernity, offering great insight into how these teachings relate to our everyday lives.

We are so happy to have him join us at SMC this May 24–26 2013, for a weekend of: The Karma of Money, Fame and Sex, as well as his evening talk that will be held in Denver May 18th as part of the “Shambhala Mountain Center in The City” series. We were able to ask him a few questions about his upcoming events:

SMC: Why have you chosen this specific topic to teach?
DL: It’s important for Buddhist teachings to connect with what’s actually going on in our daily lives, especially the values and intentions that affect what we do. For changing the quality of our lives, understanding and directing our motivations is the most important thing of all.

SMC: How does our relationship with Money, Fame and Sex affect our lives?
DL: The sense that ‘something is wrong with me’ is the shadow that haunts our sense of being separate from others. But usually we don’t understand the source of that feeling, so we project it outward, and try to acquire external things that we hope will fill it up. But that doesn’t work, because those preoccupations are only symptoms of the real problem. You can never be famous enough if fame isn’t what you’re really seeking.

SMC: How does the feeling of lack affect us as a society?
DL: Our individual senses of lack also affects the values and preoccupations of our society, because we tend to respond in similar ways—after all, we are conditioned in similar ways. We learn from others how to fill up our sense of lack. So lack is not only where we get stuck personally, it also reveals where our society is stuck!

Click here for more information about the upcoming program at SMC May 24–26 2013: The Karma of Money, Fame and Sex
Click here for more information about the upcoming program in Denver May 18th 2013: The Karma of Money, Fame and Sex| Denver