Ambition and Spirituality

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 […]

Critiques of Mindfulness

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

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

“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

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

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

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 […]

When Life is Over

Mary Oliver wrote this poem about when life is over. This poem arrived yesterday from Zen Master Cheri Huber in her daily Peace Quote email. When it’s over, I want to say: All my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms – Mary Oliver […]

Engaging in Deep Listening

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are all well and warm on this winter morning. I know that with all of the hatred, anger and violence that is manifesting in our world, we are all looking deeply at how to engage effectively so that we can be of some help.  I would like to […]

How Do We Make the New Future

Stephen Batchelor is one of my favorite Buddhist teachers. I like the way he presents “Buddhism without Beliefs.” I think he is now teaching at the Upaya Zen Center near Santa Fe, New Mexico. This quote is definitely in line with his stand on being a Buddhist atheist! He answers the question, how do we […]