“Everything changes,” says the law of impermanence – one of the major insights of the Buddha. Nothing stays the same, no matter how much we desire it. There is no escaping the fact that everything changes, just like the weather, the tides, the leaves, and other physical phenomena. As summer flows into winter through the […]
The Pale Blue Dot
Last night, I saw a remarkable image of the pale blue dot (planet Earth) as viewed from the Cassini spacecraft during an eclipse of the sun by Saturn. The image was shown on the California Academy of Sciences Planetarium at the Dean Lecture on astronomy by Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini Imaging Team Leader from Boulder, […]
Practicing Loving Speech
The Fourth Mindfulness Training is concerned with practicing loving speech and deep listening. A practitioner commits to speaking from her or his heart with complete honesty, sincerity, and authenticity. In these days when we have an absence of loving speech from many political candidates and people in charge of hiding the truth of what happened […]
The Holy Life
What does it mean to live the holy life? According to David Brooks, it means to live a life of purpose. It means to live a life with moral values. It means to live a life with a sense of gratitude and tranquility and also helping others to do so. “We don’t live for happiness, […]
Empty of What?
When Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the Buddhist concept of emptiness, he always asks the question, “Empty of what?” Much of the time the answer is “Empty of a separate existence.” This means that nothing exists in isolation without interaction with everything else. If something did, we would never be able to access […]
Bounce Back Big in 2016
These words of wisdom from Sonia Ricotti can be found in her eBook, Bounce Back BIG in 2016. Surrender to “what is” Recreate your reality Listen to the whispers To surrender to “what is” takes you to a place where you can contemplate how you got there and what you can do about it. We […]
The Paris Agreement…
The Paris agreement on climate change has produced a few results – some remarkable and some not so great. Scientists and climate action groups such as the Buddhist Climate Action Network (BCAN) and Earth Holding Sangha have been pushing for no more than a 1.5° centigrade increase over the pre-industrial levels. The agreement stated, “Holding […]
The Contemplation of Values
In Kelly McGonigal’s book, The Upside of Stress, she reported on a study from the 1990’s about the contemplation of values rather than good times. The study took place during a break n the school term and many students participated. HOW TO DEAL W/ STRESS BY CULTIVATING A MINDSET OF MEANING “A classic study from […]
In Greed We Trust
Our global economy seems to be rooted in greed. It seems that the United State dollar bill should read, “In Greed We Trust.” There is no more trust in god, a supreme being, the creator of all there is, or our very own buddhanature. We seem to be consumed by greed. We can begin almost […]
Five Climate Ease Mindfulness Trainings
These Five Climate Ease Mindfulness Trainings were authored by Dharma Teacher, Heather Mann. They are related to the Five Mindfulness Training. Five Climate Ease Mindfulness Trainings Protect Life Aware of pain caused by the extinction of human and non-human communities, I will protect and dwell in harmony with Great Earth’s ecosystems so all species may […]
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