Inner Peace – Even in a Chaotic World
I recently led a meditation retreat with the theme of finding “inner peace” even in a chaotic world. The attendees were thirsty for the teachings and space to allow inner peace to settle into...
There is No Way to Peace, Peace is the Way
“You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself.” — Buddha As the planet heats up, and hostilities flare between groups and nations, how do we touch and embody the possibility...
Moving Beyond the Myth of Loneliness
What changes as we consciously turn toward our suffering, rather than away? We are conditioned to experience ourselves as separate from life. When we identify with this perceived separation, a natural byproduct is loneliness....
The Happiness of a Liberated Heart
We all share one thing in common: we want to be happy. This wish suffuses our actions, our thinking and our relationships with others. In contrast to the importance of the quest, the number...
Biking with the Buddha: Responding rather than Reacting
There was a time when I was living through the identity of an angry young activist. It was the 1990s, and I was sad about the state of the world and trying to effect...
What the Dharma has to Offer
During this last month, I’ve learned so much about teaching the Dharma. I decided to do the Landmark Forum leadership program, after 30 years of resisting. The funny thing is that while I’ve been...
Find the Thread. Reclaim your Heart. Follow the Wobble.
The Kogi are an Indigenous people who live deep in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains in an intact pre-Columbus society. They understand they exist to care for the world and the Earth....
Love and Dust: Opening your Heart Wide to a Dying World
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,...
Soften the Hard Places: Opening our Hearts to Those we find Difficult
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...
Relief – In This Very Moment, In This Very Breath
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,...