When I was a graduate student in physics at the University of Chicago I met Dr. Eugene Genelin who was a professor of psychology. He was well-known for his discovery of the technique known as focusing, which, in my view is very similar to vipassana meditation. While preparing for a talk for him and his graduate […]
Mother Earth Is Inside Of Us
This quote is a transcription of the first part of a dharma talk by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (know as Thay by his followers). The talk took place in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France on November 29, 2012. The title of the talk is “A New Teaching on the Twelve Nidanas.” The nidanas are the 12 teachings of […]
Everything Is Workable And Lovable
Here is yet another selection of Words of Wisdom chosen by Lama Surya Das. This quote is from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who I met in 1971. Who knew he would become such a driving force in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the west. You can almost fall in love with the universe, with the general situation. At […]
True Giving
I received this quote from Roshi Joan Halifax. She is the abbot of the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM. She sent this to me as part of her holiday greetings. True giving is not an economic exchange; it is a generative act. It does not subtract from what we have; it multiples the […]
Guided Meditation And Mental Fitness
While researching the ideas of guided meditation and mental fitness, I came across an article on the Psychology Today website called, “Three Keys to Optimum Mental Fitness: How to exercise your psychological muscles” by Clifford Lazarus, Ph. D. The article begins with some wisdom that I try to instill on my students: Most people know the […]
Mindfulness and Neuroscience
In a recent post titled The Neuroscience Of Meditation, I commented on an article that my dharma brother, Paul Tingen wrote on the Mindfulness Bell website. Paul’s article was called, “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain.” I responded to Paul though the OI (Order of Interbeing) Yahoo group the same day that it appeared in my inbox. […]
Moral Injury
Today, I am in the beautiful redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Ben Lomond, California. The trees are so beautiful. People know about the redwoods in Muir Woods, and these are just as wonderful. Just a little while ago, I was walking on a path and felt a gentle breeze blowing in the wind. […]
Guided Meditation And Shamanic Healing
Dr. Michael Harner Dr. Michael Harner is the founder and inspiration for The Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is an anthropologist who received his Ph. D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In their book, Higher Wisdom, Roger Walsh and Charles S. Grob say this about Michael: What Yogananda did for Hinduism and D.T. Suzuki did for Zen, […]
The Neuroscience Of Meditation
My dharma brother, Paul Tingen, recently published an article on the Mindfulness Bell website. The title of the article is “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain: How the Insights of Neuroscience Can Aid Our Practice.” It explains Paul’s view on the neuroscience of meditation. By dharma brother, I mean that both Paul and I are members of the […]
In Memory Of My Beloved Teacher, Gabrielle Roth
I am writing this post in memory of my beloved teacher, Gabrielle Roth. She died last night from lung cancer. May her memory be a blessing to everyone she touched. And boy, did she touch me! I spent several years working with her and was with her when she began the Moving Center. Before then, we […]











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