With the fragile condition of our eco-system finally breaking through into the mainstream news cycle, we can easily be overwhelmed by the loss of biodiversity and permafrost, the pollution of earth, air and oceans,...
When others intentionally or unintentionally disappoint, disrespect, betray or harm us or our loved ones, we tend to stiffen, going into a defensive, frozen or fight mode. This hardening is not wrong, it can...
We just returned from sitting a wonderful week-long retreat to find two rooms of our small monastery flooded. With workers coming in, ripping up flooring and carpeting, tearing apart the kitchen and guest room/library,...
Most of us live in cultures that are super busy and goal directed. In our meditation life, that same goal-directed energy is always searching for a special experience that’s higher, better, different from what’s...
These days as I teach natural awareness practice, I’m encouraging meditators to relax the amount of effort they make in their meditation to access a more natural, spacious, effortless awareness. A common concern of...
Yanai writes: “I know there are many in our worldwide sangha, who like myself have engaged with, or are considering engaging with Extinction Rebellion, or have questions about it. As a young, but quickly...
I often recall a time many years ago when my grandmother was dying. I was with her during her final days, and sat at the foot of her bed during her last few breaths....
The dharma invites us to face ourselves fully. But through fear, we sometimes distract ourselves, over-fill ourselves, and hold onto external attachments, in order to avoid.…what? The illusion that we are separate and isolated...
The self (‘I’ and ‘my’) lands on objects, voluntarily or involuntarily. Primary objects of interest include forms, feelings, perceptions, formations of mind/speech/body and consciousness (mindfulness, awareness, concentration and meditation). The self also grasps onto...
It’s a simple question: Do you sense your own relatedness and does this feel like an important part of your life? The question is not whether your relatedness IS an important part of your...
