The World Needs You!

In celebration of the 71st continuation day of Roshi Joan Halifax, I offer this quote from her. I received this in an email today and was touched by its simplicity. Roshi Joan Halifax is a Zen Master and founder of the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I first met her at a […]

Impermanence Is Everywhere

These words of wisdom presented here today were written by Lama Surya Das in an article in Tricycle magazine. Normally, I post these types of quotes directly on Facebook. However, the weekly words of words of wisdom chosen by him have not been available recently, so I chose these instead! Impermanence is one of the […]

Golden Light – Lux Aurumque

Lux Aurumque is a wonderful video of singers around the world conducted by Eric Whitacre. There are 185 voices from 12 countries. The music is awe-inspiring! Lama Surya Das wrote, Check out the power and blessings of voices raised together in spirit in this  magnificent musical sangha effort, which uplifts and edifies the mind and […]

Each Other Doesn’t Make Any Sense

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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 […]