Taking Care of Anger

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 […]

Always Interdependent with Nature

When I first read Naomi Klein‘s interview in Tricycle Magazine, I was stunned by the radical nature of her statement about global capitalism. On second thought, I recognized that she was actually talking about how we are always interdependent with nature. She was expressing the idea that we cannot get away from nature, no matter […]

Remembering Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Today in the United States is a day of remembering Dr Martin Luther King Jr. As portrayed in the movie, Selma, Dr. King was a man who believed in non-violence. He took on the whole country to try to rid us of our  discrimination against people of color. To a large extent, he was very […]

Gratitude for Rain

This gratitude for rain video is by one of my dharma brothers, David Nelson and friends. It it called Rain Gratitude Meditation and is totally appropriate for today, now that the hot weather is here and we did have some rain this week. The extent of drought in California is so severe that it is […]

The Manifesto by Charlie Chaplin

A bowler hat. Baggy pants. A comedic mustache. What’s the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, it’s the comic visionary ­Charlie Chaplin. And although he entertained early movie­ goers in silence… it was his words of wisdom that had the power to inspire. His iconic speech in the movie “The Dictator” is […]

Desmond Tutu Speaks Out For Climate Change

The situation with climate change is getting rather desperate. As shown last Thursday, Harrison Ford and Don Cheadle are also very concerned about climate change. See What Do Harrison Ford And Don Cheadle Know That We Should. Now Desmond Tutu speaks out for climate change. He thinks we need an anti-apartheid style of boycott of […]

Non-Violence

Ahimsa – non-violence, is a common thread in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Christianity and Judaism, we find the commandment, “Thou shall not kill!” We all know about all the religious wars that were fought in the name of God and the violent acts of killing that took place. Ahimsa is a comprehensive principle. We are […]

The Perfection Of Generosity

In the previous post, The Power Of I Am, we saw that giving is one of the keys to experience the embodiment of God using the power of  I Am. In Buddhism, this corresponds to the perfection of generosity. It is one of the six paramitas or the practice of crossing over to the other […]

What Gives Rise To Human Dignity And Nobility?

I just found this interesting book by Venerable Dr. K Sri Dhammananda Thero. He was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar in the Theravada tradition who lived between 1919 and  2006. He lived mostly in Malaysia and Singapore. There are many books to his credit. I stumbled across this one titled, “Human Dignity in […]

Mindful Consumption Can Save Mother Earth

In 1985, I heard Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, “If the West stops drinking alcohol by 50%, there would be enough food to feed the world.” I never was a big drinker, and this statement made sense to me. After his lecture, I no longer shared wine of beer with my 49er or tennis buddies. […]