Drop the Banana
In Thailand, here’s how hunters capture monkeys: They hollow out a coconut through a small hole about the size of a monkey’s hand when outstretched. They then put a banana inside the coconut hole...
Blog
Reflections from our teachers
Open Mind, Natural Joy
What wakes up curiousity? What opens our mind and heart? What makes us willing to rearrange our lives, if necessary, to discover for ourselves what is real? And, then, what is our way to...
The Unguarded Heart: Meeting Anger and Resentment with Love and Forgiveness
The Buddha taught that holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Most of us have...
Right Effort: A Noble Skill with Jewels
As I look at my watch and realize that I had used 8 hours (18,000 seconds) for sleeping of the 86,400 seconds that make up my 24-hour day, I realize that I have 68,400...
Why We Practice: Reclaiming Authority, Ending Dissatisfaction, and Engaging Wholeheartedly
So many people today are asking themselves: “How can I make an impact in a time of such adversity?” “How can I contribute to positive change in our world?” “How can I stay rooted...
Insight and Practices for Difficult Times
We are in a race between fear and consciousness. We live in strange times unlike any I’ve seen before in my lifetime. Never before, in my country and other developed countries, have forces of...
Awakening Together
Building community can seem like a worthy purpose, a high aspiration, even a wholesome ideal. But the teachings of the Buddha invite us into experiencing all of that and much more. The Dharma invites...
A New Year Enlivened by Love
Is it possible to create New Year’s intentions from the recognition of our wholeness, rather than as an attempt to improve or fix ourselves? When our attention is identified with the conditioned mind we...
This Is, Because That Is
“This is, because that is. This is not, because that is not. This comes to be, because that comes to be. This ceases to be, because that ceases to be.” –The Buddha Is it...
Sometimes Bodhisattvas Need a Rest!
The world right now is full of conflict, confusion, and crisis. If you’re walking the path of a bodhisattva you may be working overtime to care for the pain and suffering of those around...