One of the stickier concepts from Indo-Tibetan Buddhism that is difficult to translate, both into the English language and in Western culture, is “merit” (Tib.
A Song on the Six Perfections* by Milarepa
For generosity, nothing to do, Other than stop fixating on self.
For morality, nothing to do, Other than stop being dishonest.
For patience, nothing to do, Other than not fear what is ultimately true.
For...
Whenever I manage to get a driver’s license, I want to drive a hearse with a baby crib in the back. It will serve as an apt reminder of the constantly turning nature of birth and death.
I’ve been contemplating my aspirations for practice. Why do I meditate? Why do I practice the precepts? Do I have faith in the path of the Buddha? Do I feel compelled to attain enlightenment?
As the recession drags on in European Union countries and austerity measures affect more and more people, the newly poor aren't finding sympathy but are being blamed. People trapped in the fear that they too will become victims look for...
“Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all." -- Gautama Buddha Congrats to all.
We all get set off from time to time--we think, hear, see, smell or taste something that we really, really like or we really, really dislike...and suddenly we’re hooked.
Once we’re hooked, it feels as if the armor we normally try to hide...
I recently wrote this reflection for an ISHTA Yoga training I am taking through The Table. While here at IDP we are really focused on secular Buddhism, there are definite parallels with Yoga and I know some other folks here practice Yoga, too...
"Somebody said the rainy weather was 'unacceptable', and I said to myself, 'The weather's not unacceptable to me, I accept it."These words (albeit paraphrased) are attributed to John Lennon, who made an appearance on a news forecast in the 70's...
Every day, my high school art teacher would walk around the classroom to inspect each student’s progress on their project—but mostly to make sure people weren’t goofing off. I never goofed off. I was there to make art—and to escape from my problems...
A new study finds that lovingkindness meditation makes your vagus nerve more responsive. That's meaningful because it is involved in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immune responses.
Traditional Buddhist teachings tell us that we should love all beings because -- over the course of many lifetimes -- everyone has been your mother in one of them. In traditional Buddhist southeast Asian cultures, this is a valid metaphor for...
Mark Sanford, who on Tuesday was elected to Congress by South Carolina voters, reveals he turned to meditation after the spectacular implosion of his political career as governor of that state after the revelation of his trip to Argentina in pursuit...
When I began practicing Buddhism, I started attending a local Tibetan center because it was the only local center in which practices were conducted in English and where I, as a teenager from a poor family, didn't have to shell out much for...
Good morning or afternoon or evening, Contemplation Station travelers. We took advantage of current research into warp drive technology and got the train ready for space travel. Now, as you can see, we are orbiting Tau Ceti — we are like another...
People consider conscious rap now, in hip-hop circles, to feel condescending or feel like not a part of the mainstream. So the challenge for me is, "How do I be as good or better than these rappers out here?" and "How do I stay relevant with my...
The April 24 building collapse in Bangladesh is now the deadliest garment-factory accident in world history. The death toll as of Friday was 547, the New York Times reports, and was expected to climb. By contrast, New York's Triangle Shirtwaist...
One day, a baby fish asked his mother, “Mom, everyone is always talking about the sea...where is this ‘sea‘ I keep hearing about?”
“It’s all around you,” she replied, “you’re swimming in it!” “Then why can’t I see it?” said the baby fish.
Yesterday, a friend sent me this beautiful poem by Thich Nhat Hanh. You can read the moving intro here, where Thay, as he is affectionately known, writes about a young girl and a pirate, and how there is more to the story than the victim/...
Lots of schools are using mindfulness meditation to help students improve their focus and ease stress. There's both empirical and anecdotal evidence that it works. But one Ohio school system is moving the other way, dropping mindfulness instruction...
