Happy

The subject of happy was the theme of the Mindfulness In Healing Sangha on June 22, 2022. It was inspired by this quote: I am happy even before I have a reason. – Hafiz Thich Nhat Hanh says, “We have everything we need to be happy right now!” What do you need to be happy […]

Practice Kindness

One of the many things that you can do for your happiness and the happiness of others is to practice kindness. Kindness has the capacity to spread like wildfire. If you are kind to the grocery clerk who checked you out, he or she will be kind to the rest of the people she serves […]

Include All Things

The insight of interbeing tells us to include all things. This inclusiveness pertains to people, animals, plants and minerals all the way down to the smallest atom (hydrogen) and all the up beyond the visible universe. But this is not a new idea as many think. For example, in my interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson […]

The Goddesses of Knowledge and Wealth

We don’t often think of the Goddesses of Knowledge and Wealth, but when we do, so says Deepak Chopra, we should think of the Goddess of Knowledge, Sarasvati. But from what I’ve seen in his daily emails, is his online programs pay homage to the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi. In these emails, he is ABS […]

Man is Not the Enemy

With lots of unrest in the world and in the United States about the inauguration we have to remember that man is not the enemy. So who or what is the enemy? I would say that greed, aggression and delusion are the enemy – the three poisons taught by the Buddha. For example, in Tanzania, […]

Moving Towards Forgiveness

Moving towards forgiveness is one of the three practices that lead us to a more happy and blissful life. The other two are gratitude and generosity, which you can learn about by clicking on the links. Of the three practices, forgiveness is probably the most difficult for many people. This is because we hold on […]

9 Attitudes for Mindfulness in Daily Life

The following 9 attitudes for mindfulness in daily life are presented in a series of short videos by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Seven of  9 attitudes for mindfulness were presented in the original version of his book, Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. In […]

The Three Poisons

The three poisons or the three roots (of suffering) were the subject of Brother Phap Vu‘s dharma talk on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at the Earth Holder Retreat in the Deer Park Monastery. The three poisons are variously translated as shown in the following table (reading down) desire greed attraction hatred ill-will aversion ignorance illusion […]

Ram Dass on Unconditional Love

Continuing our theme of unconditional love, we can now see what Ram Dass has to say about it. Unconditional love is the love that a mother has for her new born infant. It is love without question, doubt or insincerity. It is love with kindness, compassion, empathy, good will and generosity. It is freely given […]

The Bells of Mindfulness from Mother Earth

The polar ice caps are melting. BONG! The sea levels are rising. BONG! The deserts are expanding. BONG! The temperature is rising. BONG! Species are becoming extinct. BONG! Water sources are depleting. BONG! The rainforests are disappearing. BONG! These  bells of mindfulness from Mother Earth are ringing over and over again. Are we listening to […]