This quote from Karen Armstrong, a noted commentator on world religions, follows on the tail of the recent article, Joanna Macy Talks about The Kingdom of Shambhala. In that article, we learned that we must act as bhodhisattvas and take up the challenge of becoming a Shambhala warrior. Now, Karen Armstrong is telling us the […]
We are Here to Awaken from the Illusion of Our Separateness
March 18, 2015 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (affectionately known as Thay by his followers) says, “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” This quote appeared in a Tricycle.com article by dharma teacher Wendy Johnson. She is the longest-running writer for Tricycle Magazine. Her articles on gardening appear each month and we have been […]
Ambition and Spirituality
March 16, 2015 by
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 […]
Spreading Loving Kindness to All Beings
March 11, 2015 by
Spreading loving kindness to all beings is something we are all capable of doing without much effort. This is especially effortless when we, ourselves feel the loving kindness coming from within. A simple smile can make someone’s day. A helping hand can brighten someone’s life. There are many ways to do this. Mother Teresa says, […]
Critiques of Mindfulness
March 10, 2015 by
I think Andrew Olendzki, PhD is one of the great western Buddhist scholars and teachers of our time. I have read articles by him in Tricycle, Insight Journal, Buddhadharma, Inquiring Mind, and Shambhala Sun magazines. When I see his name as the author of an article, I pay close attention. His writings are always clear […]
The Best Season of Your Life
March 7, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from Wumen touched me the moment I read them. He was the compiler or and commenter on the Mumonkan (The Gateless Barrier) – a collection of 48 koans – stories, dialogues, questions or statements used to trigger enlightenment in Zen Buddhism and Chan Buddhism. This was one of the first books […]
To Desire What You Don’t Have is to Waste What You Do Have
March 6, 2015 by
“To desire what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.” This mantra was repeated over and over to our children as the grew up. They would always want more clothes, more toys, more shiny objects, more chocolate, and much more, as children often do. This was my wife’s favorite saying to calm […]
Kelly McGonigal is Coming to Stanford
March 4, 2015 by
Kelly McGonigal is coming to Stanford on Thursday, March 12. She is giving a talk at CCARE, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She is on the faculty there. In this Ted talk, she talks about how to make stress your friend. Up until now, Kelly has been trying to eliminate stress. […]
Paying Attention to Others
March 3, 2015 by
This lesson from Sharon Salzberg is about paying attention to others. She tells that when people give us a gift or annoy us we do pay attention. In normal circumstances, we listen to each other almost halfheartedly. They fail to make an impression on us and we fail to listen properly. One advantage of participating […]
How to Manage Habit Energy
March 2, 2015 by
Here are a few quotes on how to manage habit energy. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh puts it this way: Concentrating 100% on our breathing or our steps liberates us. We become a free person in just a few seconds, free to transform the habit energies of our ancestors. And Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche has […]
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