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 […]
The Path of Awakening…
October 26, 2015 by
The path of awakening is not an easy path, as I have been finding out over the past 40 years. Truly, there have been wonderful moments of awakening, but then I would fall back into the pursuit of money for the support of myself and my family. After a while, I caught myself and began […]
Bring Your Mind Back to the Present Moment
October 21, 2015 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is well known for saying things like, “Bring your mind back to the present moment.” Thay, as he is called by his followers, consistently tells us to say hello to our thoughts and feelings, embrace them with compassion, and let them go to return to the present moment. He teaches […]
Happiness Boosters
October 20, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from Tal Ben-Shahar, an American and Israeli author and lecturer. He talks about happiness boosters, which are moments of instant gratification that inspire him to carry on with his life. “In the past, I often reached a point where I felt depleted, when I had little enthusiasm for work (and sometimes […]
Teachings of the Buddha
October 19, 2015 by
In today’s lesson, we learn some of the teachings of the Buddha that have come to me from generous dharma teachers, Zen masters, and other resources. The first is from Roshi Joan Halifax: What the Buddha Taught The Buddha taught that we should practice helping others while cultivating deep concentration, compassion, and wisdom. He further […]
Genes do not Necessarily Determine Behavior
October 15, 2015 by
In this quote from Richie Davidson, we learn that genes do not necessarily determine behavior. They are like a switch that can be turned on and off, depending on causes and conditions in our lives. “These were the first hints that our emotional and psychological fate does not lie solely within the twists of the […]
Mindfulness in Daily Life
September 29, 2015 by
These words of wisdom for Zen Master Eihei Dogen teach us about mindfulness in daily life. This is actually quite a universal teaching these days by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Phillip Moffitt, and many others. The idea is to take your mindfulness into your life in order to enrich your everyday experience. […]
Faith in Buddhism
September 28, 2015 by
The idea of faith in Buddhism was very confusing for me until I realized that it was faith in my own ability to awaken. This is the faith that we all have inherent Buddha nature (bodhicitta) – the compassion for ourselves and other beings to live in happiness and avoid suffering. The Buddha, himself, never […]
Always Interdependent with Nature
September 23, 2015 by
When I first read Naomi Klein‘s interview in Tricycle Magazine, I was stunned by the radical nature of her statement about global capitalism. On second thought, I recognized that she was actually talking about how we are always interdependent with nature. She was expressing the idea that we cannot get away from nature, no matter […]
Meditating with Emotions
September 14, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from Pema Chodron teach us about meditating with emotions from her book, How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind. Read this quote and then see what Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (known as Thay by his followers) has to say about meditating with emotions. Get Dirty […]
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