Dalai Lama Turned 80!

The Dalai Lama turned 80 yesterday and the whole world is celebrating. Roshi Joan Halifax sent out an announcement saying, “Yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama—great model of compassion—turned 80. Join us in wishing him a happy continuation!” I’m glad to see that Roshi Joan wrote “Join us in wishing him a happy continuation” because […]

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 […]

The Search for Happiness

Matthieu Ricard has often been called “the happiest man in the world.” I tend to agree with this statement based on my limited encounters with the man through Tricycle, Buddhadharma, Shambhala Sun, and other articles; Ted Talks, Google Talks and other videos; audio recording and books. Whenever I see his name arise in an email […]

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 […]

Clouds Do Not Change The Sky

Lama Tsultrim Allione is one of the many Tibetan Buddhist teachers that I read regularly in Tricycle, Shambhala Sun, and Buddhadharma magazines. Her writings are as clear and easy to understand as the cloudless sky. According to the Tara Mandala website, she was one of the first American women to be ordained as a Tibetan […]

5 More Reasons to Meditate

In a previous article, we learned 5 reasons to meditate from Brian Johnson. In today’s article, we are going to learn 5 more reasons to meditate from Pema Chodron. These are more like qualities we can develop in our meditation. Brian taught us these 5 reasons to meditate: strengthen your  mind, build willpower, optimize you […]

How To Live With Uncertainty

Pema Chodron teaches us how to live with uncertainty. In these words of wisdom from Tricycle Magazine, Pema Chodron tells us, “Our discomfort arises from all of our effort to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness.” Pema is one of the most popular teachers in the Wsst and certainly […]

A Poem Called Love

This poem was written by Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz. I found it in an old issue of Shambhala Sun. I have never been good at reading or understanding poetry, but this one registered deep in my heart. Love Love means to learn to look at yourself The way one looks at distant things For you are only one […]

Compassion Research Has Gone Mainstream

CCARE –The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University was founded in 2005 by Dr. James Doty. This organization demonstrates that compassion research has gone mainstream.The premise of CCARE is that compassion and altruism are innate qualities that all people (and animals – see photo!) share. Their research is totally endorsed […]