The Importance of Gratitude

If you have been following this blog for very long, you know that one of the main teachings here is the importance of gratitude. You may recall that as my children were growing up, my wife used to say to them when they wanted something they couldn’t or shouldn’t have, “To desire what you don’t […]

The Importance of Love

The following invocation is an expression of the importance love and gratitude. We chant this at the beginning of our Mindfulness In Healing meditation group on Wednesday evenings: This life is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, and many generations. May be live in mindfulness in order to enjoy the wonders […]

Tomorrow’s Child

This poem, called Tomorrow’s Child, was read by Ray Anderson in his Ted Talk on the business logic of sustainability. After presenting his idea to make his company rely on renewable resources and a goal to achieve a zero carbon footprint in a company that relies heavily on petrol, he read this poem from one […]

Thoughts on Climate Change by Matthieu Ricard

In this video, we learn about altruism and thoughts on climate change by Matthieu Ricard. The video is from a Ted Talk from last October that was posted recently. He says, It is all the more important to foster an altruistic motivation rather than a selfish one… We are now the major agent of impact […]

How to Build Self Confidence

This video is from another Ted Talk. This time we hear from an athletic coach, Dr. Ivan Joseph, the athletic director the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University, on how to build self confidence. You might think that athletics and meditation practices have nothing to do with each other, but please, think again. Think of […]

Dan Gilbert, The Guru of Happiness

Dan Gilbert is the guru of happiness. Some people say that he is the world’s foremost expert on happiness. Then why is he talking about the psychology of your future self in this Ted Talk video? He come right out and asks, “Why do we make decisions that our future selves often regret?” He tells […]

The Power of Introversion

This Ted Talk video is about the power of introversion. The speaker is Susan Cain. She says, “When it comes to creativity and to leadership, we need introverts doing what they do best.” Did you know that one-third to one-half of the population are introverts? Introverts feel more at home in a quiet, low key […]

Other People Are Like Us

The Dalai Lama teaches that other people are like us. They, too, want happiness and avoid suffering. Recognition of this is really important to inspire us to take effective altruistic actions such as feeding the homeless, relieving hunger, stopping global warming, eliminating malaria and other dreadful diseases, and so much more. Many other people are […]

The Master Of Self Compassion

The master of self compassion is Dr. Kristin Neff. She is an innovator in the field of research in self compassion. Dr. Neff is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture in the Educational Psychology Department of the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin is also one of the contributors to the Sounds True series […]