How to Invite the Bell

I go to many Buddhist events and everywhere, someone becomes the bell master and invites the bell. I listen to many dharma talks by many different dharma teachers and they often invite the bell. However, I have never come across another teacher who is as wonderful a bell master as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. […]

Gratitude is Passive Energy

These words of wisdom from Masaru Emoto teach us that gratitude is passive energy, while love tends to be more active energy. While gratitude is one of the cornerstones of our practice, love is the foundation. We experience love for the Buddha – the one who shows us the way in this life. We experience […]

Joy is Great for Your Happiness

Did you know that joy is great for your happiness and health? That’s right! According to Dr. Lissa Rankin, MD in her book, Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, people who experience a lot of joy in their lives tend to be happier, live longer, and be in better health than […]

Wash the Dishes to Wash the Dishes

Shunryu Suzuki Roshi is famous for his quote from Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, “Wash the dishes to wash the dishes” – see 6 Mindfulness Practices For The Holidays. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says the same thing: “If while washing dishes we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us… then we are […]

The Theory of Relativity According to the Dalai Lama

These words of wisdom express the theory of relativity according to the Dalai Lama. He is actually talking about what people get wrong about the present moment, but it cannot exist without the past and the future. He says, “This moment.. relatively speaking, we can call it present. But if we look at the watch, […]

The Healing Power of Sangha

This article on the Healing Power of Sangha1 is a follow up of the previous article on Building a Beloved Community. It is based on one of the Seven Principles of Mindfulness in Healing and the research of Dr. Lissa Rankin, M. D. from her book, Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal […]

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 […]

Building a Beloved Community

For the past six years, I have been building a beloved community. The community is the Mindfulness in Healing sangha which meets on Wednesday nights at the Pine Street Clinic in San Anselmo, California from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. This beloved community has changed a lot over the years. My original concept when it began […]

The Great Bell Chant

This video of the Great Bell Chant featuring the voice of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most moving videos I have ever watched. Brother Phap Niem’s lovely voice sings out through the cosmos in Vietnamese. Thay, as Thich Nhat Hanh is known by his followers, narrates his poem in English. The […]

The Kingdom of God is Now or Never

This lovely video, with its beautiful lotus flowers and plum blossoms, comes from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the nuns of Plum Village. The chant reminds us that the Kingdom of God is now or never! We may think that the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land of the Buddha is something in […]