During this week of talking about the 6 paramitas, Bhikkhu Samahita sent me an email with the subject line, “How to give with good and Joyous Result 🙂 .” You may recall that generosity is the first paramita. This what he sent: There might be the case, where one gives wealth, but without joy! Then, […]
The Six Paramitas
October 26, 2013 by
After almost two weeks of articles about giving and the six paramitas, we come to a great video by Pema Chodron from a retreat she led in 1999 called, “Awakening Bodhichitta.” Bodhichitta literally means “heart-mind,” and is refers to awakening the mind of love, compassion, and awakening. The subject of the retreat is the training […]
The Perfection Of Concentration
October 24, 2013 by
The perfection of concentration is the next paramita in the series of articles on the six paramitas taught by the Buddha. Paramita is a Sanskrit word meaning “crossing to the other shore.” By practicing the paramitas of generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom, we cross over to the other shore from ill-being to well-being, […]
The Perfection Of Diligence
October 23, 2013 by
According to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, the fourth paramita is the perfection of diligence. In previous articles, we learned that the Sanskrit word, paramita, means, “Crossing over to the other shore,” from ill-being to well-being. Perfection and completeness are also acceptable translations. The traditional way of talking about the perfection of diligence is to […]
The Power Of I Am
October 19, 2013 by
Drew Heriot, James Twyamn, Hay House House Films, and others present this video on the power of I-AM. In this video, you can learn to use the most powerful words ever spoken! I am that, I am is the code to harness this power. [Note the comma!] I am every that that there is. This […]
Another Take On The Bodhisattva
May 31, 2013 by
Roshi Bernie Glassman delivered another take on the bodhisattva at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat from May 6-12, 2011. He delivered a dharma talk on “Becoming a Mensch.” What is a mensch? My dad used to point out that this person was a mensch. What did he mean? It was a person with the qualities of loving kindness, […]
Gratitude Is A Meditation Practice
May 18, 2013 by
Our students at Mindfulness in Healing, are often assigned a task to write down something that they are grateful for each day. In this way, they learn that gratitude is a meditation practice. Gratitude, along with generosity, patience, and other qualities are natural developments from regular meditation practices. Gratitude is a feeling of thanksgiving for […]
Shake It Off!
April 26, 2013 by
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his […]
True Giving
December 1, 2012 by
I received this quote from Roshi Joan Halifax. She is the abbot of the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM. She sent this to me as part of her holiday greetings. True giving is not an economic exchange; it is a generative act. It does not subtract from what we have; it multiples the […]
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