About ten days ago, Rachael and I completed a six week course on the Kabbalah at Chabad House in San Rafael, California. Kabbalah is school of Jewish mysticism. The course was called The Kabbalah Of You: A Guide To Unlocking Your Hidden Potential provided by the Jewish Learning Institute and Rabbi Yisreal Rice. When I was growing […]
The Unexpected Journey Taken By The Hobbit
December 14, 2012 by
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens today. As you probably know, the movie is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel, The Hobbit or There and Back Again. The books was first released in 1937 to rave reviews and re-released in 1966 with illustrations by J. R. R. Tolkien (see below). The story in the book is […]
The Search For Consciousness
December 10, 2012 by
When I was a graduate student in physics at the University of Chicago I met Dr. Eugene Genelin who was a professor of psychology. He was well-known for his discovery of the technique known as focusing, which, in my view is very similar to vipassana meditation. While preparing for a talk for him and his graduate […]
Mother Earth Is Inside Of Us
December 5, 2012 by
This quote is a transcription of the first part of a dharma talk by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (know as Thay by his followers). The talk took place in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France on November 29, 2012. The title of the talk is “A New Teaching on the Twelve Nidanas.” The nidanas are the 12 teachings of […]
The Neuroscience Of Meditation
October 27, 2012 by
My dharma brother, Paul Tingen, recently published an article on the Mindfulness Bell website. The title of the article is “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain: How the Insights of Neuroscience Can Aid Our Practice.” It explains Paul’s view on the neuroscience of meditation. By dharma brother, I mean that both Paul and I are members of the […]
Active Visualization Can Change Your Life
October 22, 2012 by
Best Meditation Videos has page by the same name as this post, Active Visualization Can Change Your Life. This is not a coincidence. I found an article titled, “Active Visualization Can Dramatically Improve Your Future,” which is the subject of the article I see very little semantic difference between these two titles, so we must be covering the […]
The Tripple Truth of the Buddha
September 4, 2012 by
Just saw this quote courtesy of Roshi Joan Halifax: Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. —Buddha
Loving Speech
August 20, 2012 by
Loving speech is the subject of the fourth mindfulness training taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. An older rendition of this training reads: Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and […]
Wishing Happiness for Others
June 25, 2012 by
Shantideva was an 8th century Buddhist scholar. The story goes that he was, like the Buddha, born into a princely life. And, like the Buddha, he gave up his kingdom to become a monk. He couldn’t be bothered with politics and court proceedings. As a student, he was known to avoid his fellow monks. He […]
Christian Wisdom From Meister Eckhart
June 24, 2012 by
Meister Eckhart was an influential fourteenth century Christian mystic. His given name was Eckhart von Hochheim. He lived in Germany and was a member of the Dominican Order. He was kind of a revolutionary for his time, He was tried as a heretic by the inquisition led by Franciscan monks. No verdict seems to have […]
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