Daily Practice

I want to share with you the details of my daily practice. These practices nourish me year after year and continue to be the source of my health and well-being. After I awaken, I log on to Insight Timer and begin my morning practice. I often listen to guided meditations to help me become centered and […]

American JuBu

In the current issue (Spring 2020) of Tricycle Magazine, there is a review article about Emily Sigalow’s new book, “American JewBu: Jews, Buddhists, and Religious Change.” I was deeply moved by this review to the extent of making a comment. Here is what I wrote: I was brought up in a conservative kosher home in […]

Happiness is the Normal State

One of the most memorable teachings of Father Eli is that, “Happiness is the normal state of a healthy, well-adjusted individual.” Another one of his interesting ideas about happiness is that “Happiness is a state of mind in which our thinking is pleasant a good share of the time.” He says that happiness is not […]

What is a Hero?

What is a hero? Do you really know? Is it someone strong and vibrant who goes off and slays your enemies and upholds your friends? Or is it a football quarterback who wins the Super Bows in the last second with his “hail Mary” throw? Christoper McDougall doesn’t think it is any of these.   […]

5 Rules of Mind-Body Healing

The 5 Rules of Mind-Body Healing: How To Regain & Maintain Perfect Health is title an article I just read on Soulvana blog. The article begins with this statement: Science has suggested that it’s possible to accelerate physical, emotional and spiritual healing with the sheer power of your mind. In this lesson, learn the 5 […]

Treat Meditation Like Music You Can Dance To

These words of wisdom from the great Alan Watts teach us to treat meditation like music you can dance to. Almost all of us like music and, if you are like me, you love to dance. We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike […]

How to Recover from Distractions in Meditation

These words of wisdom from Sharon Salzberg (again) teach us how to recover from distractions in meditation. I like the way she tells us to begin anew, as if we are beginning to meditation again for the first time. So, beginning again: your attention will go somewhere eventually, one breath, two breaths, ten breaths later. […]

Ambition and Spirituality

Ken Wilber teaches us how to reconcile ambition and spirituality in these words of wisdom in his essay on “Egolessness” from his book The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader. I’ve been admiring his work for more than twenty years now and find his wisdom very palpable. I have listened to the audio recordings of […]

Anna Halprin Came to Our Shabbat Sangha

Last Friday, Anna Halprin came to our Shabbat Sangha. My good friends, Maryanne and David, open their homes on the first Friday of the month for a group of us to come together and build a community. We gather in the kitchen around 6:45 PM and set out our delicious plates to share with each […]

How to Visualize Uncle Monk

On Saturday night, I returned home from a short trip to New York to celebrate my son’s engagement and attend his last cabaret performance before he and his fiance move back to the Bay Area at the end of December. While meditating on the plane, I figured out how to visualize Uncle Monk, Zen Master […]