Rumi was a 13th century Sufi mystic. His ability to open our hearts helps to dissolve religious, social, economic, and personal boundaries. His poetry inspires us to consider friendship and connections with others to be sacred activities. Rumi spoke his poetry in beautiful words and images in such a way that I’m sure he recognized […]
There Is Beauty In Extreme Old Age
July 16, 2013 by
There are a few lines from the Mikado, a opera by Gilbert and Sullivan from 1885 that go like this, There is beauty in extreme old age. Do you fancy you are elderly enough? Information I’m requesting On a subject interesting: Is a maiden all the better when she’s tough? This refrain occurs because Ko-Ko, […]
Evidence Based Religion
July 11, 2013 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, known as Thay by his followers, was interviewed by Jo Confino, and executive editor of the Guardian on December 22, 2011 in Plum Village, Dordogne, France. The interviewer asked, “One of the things that you said in your talk is that the Earth, planet Earth, Mother Earth is not the same […]
Is Global Warming Real?
July 6, 2013 by
Is climate change real? Is global warming something that humans are responsible for? I keep asking myself these questions, especially when friends suggest that climate change is a scientific hoax. Last week, I watched an amazing film by photographer James Balog called, “Chasing Ice“. This is an effort by an artist to show the world that climate […]
Foundations Of Buddhist Thought – The Eightfold Path
June 26, 2013 by
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 […]
Foundations Of Buddhist Thought – The Four Noble Truths
June 25, 2013 by
The foundations of Buddhist thought begin with the Four Noble Truths. These truths came to the Buddha after six years of ascetic practice when he sat alone under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. The first noble truth is known as the truth of suffering. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh likes to refer to it […]
The Five Remembrances
June 24, 2013 by
The Five Remembrances help us to embrace the realities of life. We all will grow old, get sick, and die. There is no escape. When we contemplate them daily, we get a perspective on life that is skillful and wholesome. Many versions exist. This version is from the Plum Village Chanting Book by Zen Master […]
Practicing Right View – Thich Nhat Hanh
June 22, 2013 by
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 […]
Eight Ideas About Mindful Weight Loss
June 18, 2013 by
A few days ago, I wrote about how mindful consumption can help us rejoice in what we do have. In today’s article, I want to expand a bit on on mindful consumption and how it applies to mindful weight loss. Mindful consumption is one of the core teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and one of […]
Pearl Of Wisdom
June 13, 2013 by
This pearl of wisdom was written by Tao-hsuan in the early part of the seventh century. He was an important Chinese Buddhist scholar and the founder of the Lu-Tsung disciplinary school of Chinese Buddhism. One of the major teachings of the Buddha was written down as the Vinaya, which are the rules of conduct monastics living […]
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