When you love someone, you think it will be the same all the time and last forever, but we know that all conditioned things are impermanent, so nothing can stay the same. The best we can hope for is that our love continues to grow as we get older together. The other day, I was […]
Become the Change You Wish to See in the World
July 27, 2016 by
A lot of spiritual teachers and climate activists advise us to become the change you wish to see in the world. This includes the “The best known life coach in America” according to Psychology Today, Martha Beck. We must chart a course through conditions as fluid as water, in such a way that we not […]
9 Attitudes for Mindfulness in Daily Life
July 21, 2016 by
The following 9 attitudes for mindfulness in daily life are presented in a series of short videos by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Seven of 9 attitudes for mindfulness were presented in the original version of his book, Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. In […]
Beauty of the Nameless
July 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The beauty of the nameless is exactly what I would call the pictures of the natural world that I have been collecting over the years. I fail to try to identify the types of birds, bees and flowers that I photograph. Even the names of the cities and towns that I’ve visited in foreign countries […]
Meditation and Acceptance
July 12, 2016 by
These words of wisdom from Sam Harris talk about meditation and acceptance. Acceptance of what is in the present moment is the key to liberation and happiness. The past is gone, the future has not yet come. We only have the present moment and accepting it just as it is can change our lives in […]
Can You Hear Mother Earth?
July 7, 2016 by
In this special message from Sister Chan Khong, she asks, “Can you hear Mother Earth? In this excerpt from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, we learn of the desperate situation we are in. Please wake up, my children, and see what you are doing. Your atomic bombs have laid waste to billions of precious lives, […]
Lissa Rankin on Impermanence
June 30, 2016 by
I just received this email from Lissa Rankin on impermanence. She talks about how resisting change as a cause for suffering. Resisting change is just like being hit with a second arrow, as the Buddha put it. He said that the first arrow is the one which causes an injury with its unavoidable pain and […]
The Rhythms of Life
June 29, 2016 by
According to Martha Beck, the rhythms of life can be described in two phases, “rest” and “play.” However, we often find ourselves unable to either rest well or play to our hearts’ content. This is because we spend a lot of our work time neither resting nor playing! We don’t enjoy our work, yet, when […]
The Goal of Meditation
June 16, 2016 by
Many people think that the goal of meditation is to achieve a state called “enlightenment,” nirvana, the ultimate dimension, the other shore, or God. In actuality, many of the states are not achievable when we are caught in our thoughts, feelings, emotions, plans, dreams, fantasies, and memories. However, there is a state of well-being that […]
Your Brain at Work
June 15, 2016 by
Your Brain at Work is the title of David Rock’s book that presents strategies to overcome distractions, regain focus, and be smarter all day long. One of the most successful strategies is the reappraisal of anything external that causes distress. Like the Buddha‘s teaching of the The Second Arrow, the pain caused by the distress […]
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