Intentions

This article is based on a talk on intentions that I gave on June 15, 2022 to the Mindfulness In Healing Sangha. It was inspired by a quote from lay dharma teacher, Dr. Larry Ward: The work we are required to do is the same no matter who wins. To heal and transform and create […]

RAINS Meditation for Happiness

On October 21, 2021, I introduced this RAINS Meditation for Happiness to my colleagues in the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and I am offering a version of it tonight for my class in How to Use Mindfulness to Be Happy. The acronym RAIN has been used by […]

Self-Forgiveness

Self-forgiveness, like self-compassion can often be very difficult. If we remember what Jack Kornfield said, “Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a better past,” we can begin to forgive ourselves and other people in our lives. In my way of thinking, forgiveness, like gratitude and loving kindness, are clear paths to inner peace and […]

A Song For All Beings

Last Saturday night, I attended a performance of A Song For All  Beings to a packed house. Composed and produced by Jennifer Berezan and friends, A Song For All Beings is based on the Buddhist practice of metta and the four immeasurable minds or Brahma Viharas (divine abodes) of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and […]

Mindfulness Meditation is Now Mainstream

Mindfulness meditation is now mainstream. What began as a small movement in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s has reached a global community. YouTube has many videos from many people including Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, and many more including The Honest Guys. Here is what they had to say about […]

When Life is Over

Mary Oliver wrote this poem about when life is over. This poem arrived yesterday from Zen Master Cheri Huber in her daily Peace Quote email. When it’s over, I want to say: All my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms – Mary Oliver […]

Take One Seat by Ajahn Chah

This wonderful quote, Take One Seat by Ajahn Chah sounds a lot like Zen. But Ajahn Chah was a teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was the root teacher of Jack Kornfield and many other Western teachers looked up to him. Just go into the room and put one chair in […]

Forgiveness Training with Jack Kornfield

Happy New Year! Since this is the last day of the year, it is a great time to think about forgiveness so we can enter the new year with joy and happiness. The subject of this video is a forgiveness training with Jack Kornfield. It was presented at the Greater Good Science Center in Berkeley, […]

The Importance of Faith in Buddhism

Sharon Salzberg is a frequent visitor to these pages. She is one of the original founders of the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, Massachusetts, along with Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield. I think her major contribution to Buddhism in the West is the way she writes about and teachs metta (loving kindness) practices. In these […]

Loving Kindness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

It is with great pleasure that I present this Loving Kindness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal. The text is from his book, The Issue at Hand. The book is offered as a gift to the community. It is freely given and available online. I found this to be so instructive that I want to share this […]