Meditation Practices for Mindful Eating

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has spoken quite often about the importance of mindful eating. He has, in fact, given us mindfulness practices for mindful eating. For example, in Plum Village or even at retreats in the United States or Canada, every meal is consumed in mindfulness. For the first twenty minutes or more, we […]

Mindfulness Practices of the Three Refuges

For as long as there have been Buddhists, there have been the three refuges, also known as the three jewels. There have also been the meditation practices of the three refuges. Remember – the Buddha was not a Buddhist! When you practice the three refuges, you take refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the […]

Meditation Practices of Zen and Tantra

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was born in 1939 and died in 1987. He started the Shambhala Buddhist community and is well known for his book, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. In another book, The Teacup & the Skullcup:Chogyam Trungpa on Zen and Tantraa, he talks about the meditation practices of Zen and Tantra. The meditation practices of […]

Sister Chan Khong

Sister Chan Khong has been the closest person to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh for more than 50 years! Her role in the Plum Village tradition is so vast that it would be difficult to describe it in hundreds of words. In addition to being an activist and one of the original six members of […]

Mindful Consumption Helps Mother Earth

This quote from the Dalai Lama ties into what Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh had to say about human life on earth. Human use, population, and technology have reached that certain stage where mother Earth no longer accepts our presence with silence. — Dalai Lama XIV You may now begin to see how important it […]

Mindfulness Meditation Practices in Politics

Did you know that there are now mindfulness meditation practices in politics? These three excerpts should demonstrate this fact. Mindfulness Meditation Practices in Politics 1. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh The first is Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s visit to Stormont. He spoke to members of parliament about reconnecting with their spiritual life to create […]

Joy Is The Source Of Your Smile

  Sometimes  your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. – Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation Practices Lead to Mindful Consumption

When I first heard Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh speak about how meditation practices lead to mindful consumption, I made a commitment to engage in this practice. He said, “If the West stops drinking alcohol by 50%, there would be enough food to feed the world.” This really got to me and I have not […]

Engaged Buddhists Develop Wisdom and Compassion

The Dalai Lama and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) have shown that engaged Buddhists develop wisdom and compassion by selfless service to their communities. Both of these great minds have inspired thousands of people to get off of their cushions (or other meditation seats) and go out and serve the people. My teacher, Zen […]

Reformed Buddhists

This cartoon about reformed Buddhists was posted to my Facebook wall by Roshi Joan Halifax. I met her at a retreat with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1997. I’ve been in touch with her ever since and subscribe to her weekly email news letter. Reformed Buddhists These reformed Buddhists are protesting about having to […]