From basic science class, I knew that I was actually looking at the light from stars as they shone thousands, millions and billions of years ago, many of which were now extinct.
When I was in college, I went off to the mountains for a weekend of hiking with an older, wiser friend of twenty-two. At one point, my friend described how she was learning to be “her own best friend.” A huge wave of sadness came over me, and I...
After about two years of meditation practice, two years of off and on, here and there, but sitting in my bedroom by myself, meditation practice, a heavy blanket of confusion has been dissipated in my life, and I am able to handle life with a bit...
Every time I fall into thinking that something will make me happy, I fail. This might even be the definition of failure. Everything fails us when we expect it to cause happiness.
Ever since I was a teen, my drive to be productive has been a key strategy of what I often refer to as my “wanting self.” When I feel insecure, producing—whether it’s a finished article, a stack of paid bills or a clean kitchen—is my most...
I'm a big geek when it comes to stories about brave warriors battling the forces of darkness and tyranny. So naturally, I was excited about Game of Thrones, the show on HBO about seven medieval kingdoms battling to rule over a fantasy...
You’re the only one who knows when you’re opening and when you’re closing. You’re the only one who knows when you’re using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together and when you’re opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world...
I am feeling moved to respond to Kimberly Brown's piece about the experience of going to the Berkshires for a summer trip and coming back to New York City. THAT exact moment of returning to the city -- beautifully described in Ethan's novella -- is...
I began to realize that what I’d been taught was not just science, but science woven into a cultural view of the world based on assumptions that were now centuries old.
When I was first introduced to Buddhism in a high school World Studies class, I dismissed it out-of-hand. This was during the hedonistic days of the late ‘60's, and this spiritual path seemed so grim with its concern about attachment and,...
Before I became a Buddhist, I had a good life: beautiful girlfriend, lots of friends, money to burn, interesting career... but even rockstars, who are supposed to have it all, often feel a profound sense of emptiness. I was no rock star, but ...
Zen teacher Ed Brown is a brilliant cook and founder of the Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, famous for its natural foods cuisine. But during Ed’s early days as a cook at the Tassajara mountain retreat center, he had a problem. No matter...
Of all human cultures, India long ago foresaw the need for teaching the art of contemplative living not just to spiritual elites but to average people of all inclinations, backgrounds, and walks of life.
Is there a thread that ties together the runaway cost of healthcare, the epidemic rise of obesity and school violence, the bursting of the latest financial bubble, and the present dangers of terrorism and global warming?
I was stunned by the news that Jesse was in critical condition with pneumonia and heart failure. We had just talked the week before about his passion—bringing mindfulness to teens. He was in his early thirties and one of the most bright,...
Life is beautiful and full of pain. When we feel something painful in our hearts, our instinct is to escape. We can be like little kids, seeing a bee and running away in terror.
Sometimes, when our carefully constructed lives seem to be falling apart – when we get a divorce, lose a business, or are laid off, for example – we can torture and berate ourselves with stories about how we’re failures, what we could have...
It's easy to get fixated on resentment in life. We resent not being loved; we resent snarky remarks; we resent our talents going unnoticed; we resent prejudice; we resent not being perfect. But resentment is the ground for us to work from when...
On this Mother’s Day, the woman who is sort of officially/unofficially my stepmother is standing guard over my father, making sure that he does not kill himself. In the past few weeks, my father has been in the hospital three times, the latest...
