Today, I am in the beautiful redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Ben Lomond, California. The trees are so beautiful. People know about the redwoods in Muir Woods, and these are just as wonderful. Just a little while ago, I was walking on a path and felt a gentle breeze blowing in the wind. […]
Guided Meditation And Shamanic Healing
November 7, 2012 by
Dr. Michael Harner Dr. Michael Harner is the founder and inspiration for The Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is an anthropologist who received his Ph. D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In their book, Higher Wisdom, Roger Walsh and Charles S. Grob say this about Michael: What Yogananda did for Hinduism and D.T. Suzuki did for Zen, […]
The Neuroscience Of Meditation
October 27, 2012 by
My dharma brother, Paul Tingen, recently published an article on the Mindfulness Bell website. The title of the article is “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain: How the Insights of Neuroscience Can Aid Our Practice.” It explains Paul’s view on the neuroscience of meditation. By dharma brother, I mean that both Paul and I are members of the […]
Healthy Cells Grow All By Themselves
October 17, 2012 by
Lying still Breathing in, breathing out Healthy cells grow all by themselves I am free of cancer. This poem came to me in a guided imagery session on the vernal equinox of 1997. It was a life changing experience to see so vividly that I was going to heal from cancer. When I told this […]
Richie Davidson Came To Stanford
October 5, 2012 by
Dr. Richie Davidson gave the Meng-Wu lecture for The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University last night. I felt really privileged to be able to attend. Richie Davidson is one of the world’s leading neuroscientists and considered by Time Magazine to be one of the 100 most influential people. He founded the field […]
The Buddhist Teaching of Non-Self
September 24, 2012 by
In a recent post on Best Meditation Videos, I asked the question, “Is there a self?” The post was inspired by a video featuring Dr. Thomas Metzinger, a philosophy professor and cognitive scientist. His answer to my questions is, “No!” The Buddhist teachings on non-self were outlined in that post. Here, we provide deeper look into the […]
Doing Nothing!
September 2, 2012 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh hold question and answer periods at most retreats. During one of these question and answer periods, this was asked: Question: I feel guilty when I’m not occupied. Is it okay to do nothing? Answer: In our society, we’re inclined to see doing nothing as something negative, even evil. But when […]
We All Have What It Takes To Thrive
August 21, 2012 by
Thrive is a two hour movie that has been reviewed on Best Meditation Videos. The movie demonstrates that we all have what it takes to thrive rather than merely survive. We All Have What It Takes To Thrive httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibqdwHyZxk This article presents an expansion of three of the themes presented in the movie: interbeing or […]
Loving Speech
August 20, 2012 by
Loving speech is the subject of the fourth mindfulness training taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. An older rendition of this training reads: Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and […]
Skillful Means
August 18, 2012 by
Skillful means in Buddhism are practices which promote listening deeply to others, understanding their suffering, and recognizing their different needs. Some people may need to appeal to the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara to assuage their pain and suffering. Others may simply need a compassionate listener to express their feelings. Skillful means enhance our social connections […]
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