Milarepa, Tibet’s Greatest Yogi and Poet

When I am in retreat in my mountain cave, in the high Himalayan wilderness above the snowline, clad only in pure white Indian cotton robes and samaya vows, warm with the heat of samadhi, My Father-guru Marpa the Translator and all the root and lineage gurus, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are with me. In spiritual practice […]

Compassion Meditation Research

Compassion meditation research is progressing today at a phenomenal rate. One of the leading researchers in this field is Dr. Richie Davidson, founder of the discipline of affective neuroscience. His involvement with the Dalai Lama and the Mind and Life Institute provide inspiration for fulfilling his life purpose. I am totally excited that Dr. Davidson is coming to Stanford! […]

Richie Davidson Is Coming To Stanford

Dr. Richie Davidson is one of the most successful and brilliant researchers in the field of neuroscience of meditation. He is especially interested in how meditation affects our brains. He has spent much time with the Dalai Lama discussing his research and taking the Dalai Lama’s ideas for research into practice. He has been a featured […]

Three Frames Of Insight From Zen Master Albert Einstein!

I bet you didn’t know that Albert Einstein was a Zen Master! How did I come to this conclusion? Buddhists talk about two broad types of meditation: samatha (calming) and vipassana (insight). One develops samatha and that leads to vipassana. The insights in these frames can be the results of insight meditation. They came naturally […]

Mill Valley Honors Two MaryKnoll Sisters

In a matter of a week or two, Paula Carvey managed to fill the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley, California to capacity for a fundraiser for the MaryKnoll Sisters World Wide Ministries. Prior to the interview with Sister Mary Reese and Sister Rosalie Lacorte, comedians Mark Pitta and Dana Carvey performed for about an hour […]

Quote From Gandhi

I have always been touched by this quote from Gandhi. The wisdom of my forefathers was, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!” You’ve probably heard that before. Gandhi’s version makes more sense to me. What do you think?

Love Is A State Of Being

When I met Rajneesh many years ago, he gave me the name, Swami Deva Ninad, which means “Divine sound of the waterfall.” Many friends still call me, “Ninad.” Like the flowers in this quote from Osho, the water in the waterfall keeps on flowing, no matter who observes it. Love Is A State Of Being […]

The Tripple Truth of the Buddha

Just saw this quote courtesy of Roshi Joan Halifax: Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. —Buddha

Doing Nothing!

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh hold question and answer periods at most retreats. During one of these question and answer periods, this was asked: Question: I feel guilty when I’m not occupied. Is it okay to do nothing? Answer: In our society, we’re inclined to see doing nothing as something negative, even evil. But when […]

Eudaimonia Or Nirvana: Which Do You Prefer?

Have you ever heard the word, eudaimonia? I hadn’t heard the word until I listened to Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama for about the third time. During this summer, I am making my way through the 13 tapes of the recording of the book by Daniel Goleman. When Owen Flanagan, a […]