Stories

Be Nobody

Here is another poem from William Menza. He is a lay dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Be Nobody Work to be nobody, But a humble unknown sage, Silently helping others, As best as you can. And like a bird Flying through the sky Leave no tracks, no […]

The Ancient Practice Of Awakening Your Heart with Mindful Breathing

I was surprised to receive an email from Omvana, a product of Mindvalley about the ancient practice of awakening your heart with mindful breathing. The video is from the public talk in Vancouver, Canada in August 14, 2011, after the retreat at the University of British Columbia called Awakening the Heart. I attended the retreat, […]

Teachings on Mindful Consumption

Tricycle.com titled this daily dharma post, “Concentration and Meditation,” as you can see below. However I think these words of wisdom are teachings on mindful consumption. This is because Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede is telling us concentration and mindfulness can bring us back to our true home and away from the shiny objects and entertainment videos […]

Second In Command In Plum Village

Sister Chan Khong has been the second in command in Plum Village since its founding in 1982 and been Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh‘s collaborator and best friend for more than 50 years. Now that Thay, as Thich Nhat Hanh is know by his followers, is in the hospital, we are all looking to Sister […]

Your Life Is Your Message

Eknath Easwaran was an Indian spiritual teacher from the last century. He knew Gandhi and was his contemporary. Eknath Easwaran wrote a book about Gandhi called Gandhi the Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World. Gandhi was known for having days of silence. Here is a story about one of those days. […]

I Like This – Healthy Cells Grow All By Themselves

[Editor’s note: Peter Cutler, a dharma brother, fellow Order of Interbeing (OI) member, and cancer survivor responded to my poem (see Walking Meditation For Healing) with this statement: ‘Thank you, Jerome. I like this: ‘Healthy Cells Grow All By Themselves.’” This was on two threads of the OI community Yahoo group called, “Practicing with ALS” […]

The Self Never Did Exist Says The Dalai Lama

This quote teaches us that the self never did exist says the Dalai Lama. He is saying that we need to identify something that is nonexistent as nonexistent. Selflessness is not a case of something that existed in the past becoming nonexistent: rather, this sort of “self” is something that never did exist. What is […]

It is Time to Put the Show on the Road

On Sunday evening, March 22, I was invited to a party to celebrate the launch of our book, I Am with You: Love Letters to Cancer Patients. The party was offered by one of my co-authors, Dr. Leslie Purchase, M. D. at a parlor in San Francisco. I brought my wife, son, and daughter-in-law elect. […]

The Sound of the Bell in Plum Village

This video presents the sound of the bell in Plum Village, the home of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The images of the trees in the forest of Whittle Dene in Northumberland complement the sound of the bell. In Plum Village, the bell is invited many times during the day. It is invited to awaken […]

Anna Halprin Came to Our Shabbat Sangha

Last Friday, Anna Halprin came to our Shabbat Sangha. My good friends, Maryanne and David, open their homes on the first Friday of the month for a group of us to come together and build a community. We gather in the kitchen around 6:45 PM and set out our delicious plates to share with each […]