One of the so-called “remembrances” contains the statement, “We cannot escape impermanence.” This is recited daily in monasteries around the world. This article is about the advice that I recently gave to a colleague when she was troubled with the law of change. Consider this wisdom teaching from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from my […]
Non-self
September 7, 2020 by
The Buddha’s original teaching on non-self is based on the five aggregates, skandas, of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. He claims that form in not self, feelings are not self, perceptions are not self, mental formations are not self and consciousness is not self because they are impermanent and they cannot stand by […]
Taking Care of Anger
April 16, 2019 by
At a recent meeting of our Mindfulness In Healing sangha (meditation group) we discussed the Mindfulness Training #6, Taking Care of Anger. This training reads, Aware that anger blocks communication and creates suffering, we are committed to taking care of the energy of anger when it arises, recognizing and transforming the seeds of anger that […]
Everything Changes
November 1, 2016 by
“Everything changes,” says the law of impermanence – one of the major insights of the Buddha. Nothing stays the same, no matter how much we desire it. There is no escaping the fact that everything changes, just like the weather, the tides, the leaves, and other physical phenomena. As summer flows into winter through the […]
The Declaration Of Interdependence
July 4, 2016 by
We, the sentient beings of the third planet (earth) from the star commonly known as the “sun”, declare that all existence is in a state of interdependence. The state of interdependence is a state of interbeing, of interconnectedness. We recognize that people, animals, plants and minerals inter-are and share a single dwelling place on planet earth. […]
Lissa Rankin on Impermanence
June 30, 2016 by
I just received this email from Lissa Rankin on impermanence. She talks about how resisting change as a cause for suffering. Resisting change is just like being hit with a second arrow, as the Buddha put it. He said that the first arrow is the one which causes an injury with its unavoidable pain and […]
15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy
June 7, 2016 by
Here is a list of the 15 things you should give up to be happy from Luminita Saviuc, The Purpose Ferry When she first post this on Facebook, it went viral and she was offered a book contract based on it (see below). She writes: Here is a list of 15 things which, if you […]
Fourteen Verses on Meditation
May 11, 2016 by
These Fourteen Verses on Meditation were written by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and translated from Vietnamese by ChanCo, Maple Village May 2016. I want to express my gratitude to ChanCo who wrote regarding the translation, In my translation, I have considered that these verses are verses of practice so I have tried to make […]
Nurturing Practices
May 3, 2016 by
This article is a summary of a wonderful dharma talk on nurturing practices given by Sister Mai Nghiem, a French nun and Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village Tradition. The dharma talk was given on April 29th, 2016 at the Earth Holder Retreat at the Deer Park Monastery last week. I was especially moved by […]
More on the Teaching of Impermanence
December 23, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from Sam Harris gives us more on the teaching of impermanence. It has to do with how the mind flits from one thing to another in a meditation session – some what like a video game! “Having spent years observing my mind in meditation, I find such sudden transitions from happiness […]
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