When we met here in Stockholm you said "I try to teach peace to people who are not peaceful". Who are they? How did you become their teacher? How do you teach them?

I have taught peace in major centers of Buddhism in America. I have also been active in Christian and secular communities. My work in prisons, mental institutions, and locked psychiatric facilities represent a certain level of activity within institutions. But I've also worked with severally mentally and homeless on the streets of America cities.

Over the past few years I've been exploring the experience issue of angry black men. This includes gangs, hate groups, and disgruntled individuals who see themselves at odds with their family, community, workplace, or country. I've found that working with institutions and peace organizations is very important but there are many people who need help outside the scope of these groups. It may be possible that the people who need teachings on peace are not institutionalized nor are they members of spiritual and peace communities.

When I entered serious Buddhist study I began to see Buddhism as an international mental health program. I understood the Dalai Lama's work as a mental health advocacy program for the Tibetan people. His stance on peace has quelled the rising tide of destructive emotions within his people, and has served as an excellent example for all of us.

For example, I was once in a small store in southern California when a man burst through the door and attacked the cashier. My first instinct was to duck and hide, but then I thought about how I would feel if someone were attacking me where I worked. I changed my mind and stood up. I yelled at the attacker and told him to stop and leave before the police came. He thought about it, then stopped and ran out the store. I consoled the cashier, who was grateful for my decision to engage rather than hide. He decided not to call the police.

In this example, all three of us-- the attacker, the victim, and myself-- engaged in teaching each other about the limits of desperation, courage in difficult moments, and forgiveness. I think teaching humanity in this way, extrapolating insight out of a range of situations, can be as effective as a formal relationship between a teacher and student.

Listening was the key word when you talked about your work and "Listen" is the center of your website. Why is this verb so important?

Feminine deities often hold the stems of effulgent flowers in their left hands as a symbol of receptiveness. The yoni in Hinduism as well as them feminine concept of Shakti, respected by the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, represents access to transformative experiences through active engagement.

Buddha statues all over the world have elongated ears. The elongation of the ear represents Buddhism's emphasis on listening. In Tibetan Buddhism the iconic representation of the great teacher Milarepa is often shown with his hand touching his ear.

These symbols of human capacity to receive information and transform negativity into positive constructive permeate the Buddhist peace pantheon. Listening is the quintessential skill of transformative awareness. The human mind can become wildly destructive when it refuses to hear ideas to the contrary. This is why listening is so important in resolving problems.

The center of my website is literally called the Listening Room and the image of Milarepa pointing to his ear greets everyone who visits the site for the first time.

You told me about the philosophy of "teacup listening" which is such a wonderful picture. Would you please share and explain this to our readers?

"Teacup listening" is an advisement on the proper way to listen. The ritual of drinking tea is a Buddhist representation of civility so the teacup is referenced literally in situations where people are talking about peace over a cup of tea. There are three examples of "how not to listen," in the advisement:

First, one should not listen like a teacup with a hole in the bottom that accepts tea while also spilling it through the bottom. This kind of teacup is incapable of retaining what it has been given. It is useless although it appears to be open and receptive.

The second reference is to a teacup that is upside down on its saucer. This represents a person who has come to the situation already opposed to what might be said. Although they appear to be capable of listening they are closed from the beginning and have no intention of being open. Nothing can be said to this person because their mind is positioned against change.

The third advisement represents the teacup with a bit of poison in it. The poison represents anger, greed, resentment and so on. This person will combine everything you say with their personal discontent. They will hear you and yet interpret everything that is said through a negative filter. No matter what you say they will fault and blame you for disturbing their mind even though it is they who put the poison in their own teacup.

People who are new to this teaching usually make the mistake of thinking about people that they have seen do one or more of these obstructed ways of listening. But the teaching is not about others; it focuses on one's own listening habits. It is more accurate to consider what others would say about trying to deal with you when you are upset or angry. It is a reminder to those who are present in the moment of having tea together. They must release themselves from bad listening habits if peace is truly their objective. This is the key point in understanding the meaning of Teacup Listening.