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 […]

The Eightfold Path

These words of wisdom come from the Tricycle Daily Dharma for January 30, 2014. They talk about the eight steps in the Eightfold Path of the Buddha. These steps have been the subject of many articles in these pages and it is always good to gain another perspective. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is a well-know Sri […]

Right View

These words of wisdom came to me from the Tricycle Daily Dharma for January 17,2014. They come from an article by Mark Epstein. Dr. Epstein is an American psychiatrist trained at Harvard who has been a practicing Buddhist since his early twenties. He is a frequent contributor to Tricycle Magazine. The quote from his article, […]

The Perfection Of Diligence

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 […]

Wholesome States Of Mind

In my previous post, The Four States of Mind, you’ll find the following quote from Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos: “Notice when flow happens and change your life to make it happen more.” If you haven’t heard this before, you might think that Tony Hsieh had an original thought. The Buddha taught the same thing. […]

Foundations Of Buddhist Thought – The Eightfold Path

In the previous segment of the Foundations of Buddhist Thought, we learned about The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is the fourth noble truth of the Buddha. The elements of The Eightfold Path can be characterized in three groups, which serve as the cornerstones of Buddhist practice. The first group is […]

Practicing Right View – Thich Nhat Hanh

The following quote is from my teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He talks about practicing right view in order to relieve our suffering. Right View is one of the elements of the Eightfold path along with Right Speech, Right Thought, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. As the first […]