Bringing the World into the Heart
These are divided times. At least, it’s easy for it to appear that way. We have no shortage of conflict. No shortage of judgment. No shortage of fear. For those of us practicing peace,...
Blog
Reflections from our teachers
Sajja: A Practice for Everyone
There is a monastery in central Thailand called Wat Thamkrabok that has become rather famous over the last 60-years for its unique approach to the treatment of alcoholics and drug addicts. The stories, and...
Using The Five Aggregates As A Strategy
The aggregates offer us a map for the exploration of our sense of self. Working with form, feeling, perception, identification and consciousness as we go through our daily lives, supports us in our pursuit...
Almost Unbearable
We are all going to die but don’t know when. Life is precious. These truths are traditionally contemplated to motivate a spiritual seeker to persist, with patience and trust, during the work of uncovering...
Letting Go of Fear – Finding Courage in the Face of Uncertainty
Even though we know fear does not serve us, we often allow it to stop or limit us. We might not even be aware of the ways it drives us and makes us smaller...
The Dharma on the Front Lines: How to Work with Conflict
Peace sometimes feels impossible to find. It is there for a while then something happens and conflict or friction returns. It may be conflict with ourselves, in relationships to people close to us, at...
Three Kinds of Liberation
The elevation of liberation into a metaphysic keeps liberation at a distance. The practitioner then perceives weeks, months or years to achieve liberation.The practices include ethics, meditation and wisdom. This sense of direction can...
The Urgency of Death and Love
How can the Dhamma and my meditation practice support me in the actualities of this life, so fragile and vulnerable? As much as the Buddha’s teachings point to the importance of being awake here...
The Contemplation of Death
This week, a friend of mine posted on Facebook a new ad he’d seen on the New York Subway. It was by the meditation app, Headspace, and besides a photo of some adrenalised looking...
Working with Difficult Emotions
Being able to work with emotions, both intense and subtle, is a skill that can be developed through the practice of mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness helps us to bring concentration, clarity, and equanimity to every...