Doug Duncan is a Canadian-born dharma teacher and counselor who has travelled, studied and meditated for most of his life. He has taught and founded centers for awakening in Japan and Canada as well as being a visiting teacher in many other countries.
Known for his direct and compassionate engagement with students, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him a effective catalyst for opening the shadow, for very practical application of the teachings, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life.
He has studied extensively in the Theravadin, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions under the tutelage of Namgyal Rinpoche and other teachers. Doug is also well-versed in the Western Mystery and Kabalistic systems. Doug’s non-sectarian approach features a strong foundation in contemporary psychology, philosophy and science.
In addition he enjoys a good mystery. “Mystery novels are great for dharma study. We’re presented with an innocent victim, with a crime perpetrated by an assailant. To resolve the mystery, the detective must find out the motive, the means and the opportunity, which involves bringing darkness into light, and more importantly, reducing the risk of future recurrences of the same crime,” he says.
“Our transcendent consciousness is the victim, overcome by the suffering of the shadow, as represented by the crime. In order to awaken, our practice must discover where greed, hatred or delusion manifest, which parallels the motive, and how these were shaped by our cultural conditioning, providing the opportunity,” Doug continues. “What’s more, we grow through uncovering how we delude ourselves with the lure of samsara, which represents the whole mystery itself. Doing all this entails uncovering our fears, to ensure the downgoing of suffering.”
The Inner Voice
That’s the voice from the bottom of the well. If the voices are arguing it’s not the voice at the bottom of the well. If there’s a discussion or a debate going on, it’s not the voice at the bottom of the well. The voice at the bottom of the well is the voice that comes up when you get so tired and worn out by all the other voices that you stop listening to them. And then quietly this little voice from the bottom of the well emerges… and that’s the voice you’ve got to listen to. If you don’t listen to that voice, it will disappear back into the subconscious, to the bottom of the well. It’s just a quiet little voice at the bottom. It only speaks when it’s necessary.
more information on Doug Duncan Sensei can be found at Clear Sky Centre: http://www.clearskycenter.org/about-us/doug-duncan-sensei.html