Finding a Modern Way

Juniper’s work involves how that insight and tradition of inner development might take shape in modern times. With almost unparalleled access to the core of Tibetan Buddhist thought, we have spent over six years developing the means to integrate Buddhist methods of inner development into modern life. Our work began in 2003 with a thirty-day retreat to examine the scope of the task. We looked at the differences between Eastern and Western culture, the impact of modern discovery on spiritual practice of all kinds, the challenges of Western dharma centers, and what it would take to extract the essence of Buddhist training from the cultural wrapper in which it comes to us.

We have been implementing our findings ever since. We have reviewed many Buddhist texts and commentaries to discern which elements represent the essence of Buddhist thought and which elements are culturally based. We have examined physics, biology, neuroscience, and contemporary philosophy to see where classic Buddhist ideas about the mind and the universe might be updated. We have experimented with different styles and methodologies to see what might work the best, and we have kept careful record of our findings and captured them in our written works.

We do not see ourselves as inventors of something new but as stewards carrying into our own culture and time an extraordinary methodology for inner development. It will take more than the five Juniper founders to bring this work to fruition, and we look forward to others joining our efforts to create in modern culture an authentic tradition for training the mind.