Stories We Tell Ourselves

SharonSalzbergcolor

This quote is from Sharon Salzberg, a renowned teacher of vipassana meditation and co-founder of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies with Joseph Goldstein. She is especially known for her teachings on loving kindness meditation. Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that [...]

Vows of the Bodhisattvas

Avalokiteshvara

Vows of the Bodhisattvas Creations are numberless, I vow to free them Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to transform them Reality is boundless, I vow to perceive it The awakened way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it A bodhisattva is an enlightened being who has forsaken final nirvana in order to help save all [...]

Embrace Your Anger

angry_mind

For several months now, I have been encouraging you to learn how to embrace your anger. What does it mean to “embrace your anger?” When anger arises, you almost always have the urge to launch out at what you conceive to be the cause of your anger. This only creates more suffering. A better plan [...]

Mindfulness Is Not Just Bare Attention

Poep Sa Frank Jude

Poep Sa Frank Jude is an OI1 member and a dharma teacher. He joined the conversation we had about the Boston bombings a couple of weeks ago. For example, see Don’t Despair – Take Action, All You Need Is Love, We Need To Root Out Seeds Of  Anger, and A Marine And An Army Veteran. I’ve been meaning to [...]

Don’t Despair – Take Action

Thich Nhat Hanh Walking Mindfully with Monks and Nuns

The response to Peter Cutler’s article about the bombings in Boston repeated in All You Need Is Love have sparked another very interesting set of comments from other OI members. In particular, Mitchell Ratner, posted an article on the website of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center in Washington, D. C. His article, Despair Is the [...]

In Praise Of Mother Earth

Deer Park Monastery

This poem came to me by email from the monks and nuns at the Deer Park Monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in honor of Earth Day. IN PRAISE OF MOTHER EARTH (written by Thay, Thich Nhat Hanh)   Homage to you Refreshing Earth Bodhisattva Mother of this world with its many species. We want [...]

Mindfulness In Health Care

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is now in the process of having top level discussions with political leaders in the UK about mindfulness in health care. Dr. Kabat-Zinn is the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts in 1979. The article in The Guardian dated April 7, 2013 by Madeleine Bunting states, …Kabat-Zinn has a [...]

The Milkweed Cure For My Skin Cancer

Euphorbia peplus

Since I had cancer in 1997, I’ve learned that healthy cells grow all by themselves if we let them. We can help them by being mindful of our breathing and being mindful of our body. Mindfulness in healing, along with exercise, proper nutrition, and sound sleep are splendid ways to keep your body in top [...]

The Kingdom Of God – A New Interpretation

Jesus Lives

Many of us have heard the saying of Jesus in the bible, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” What does this mean? Research into the subject produced only conflicting and contradictory ideas. It seems that Christian scholars don’t know what it is. Perhaps they actually do and desire to keep it a secret from us. Perhaps [...]

Wedding Dream

Wedding Dream

In May 2009, I went to Israel with my family. Rachael was already there on a work-study program in architecture and Jessica was on a Birthright trip. Two of my nieces got married, Naomi on May 31 and Aviva on June 4. Aviva invited me to speak at her wedding, which I accepted. I knew [...]