I am a runner—a reluctant runner. After nearly three decades of pounding the streets, my runner’s high has reached an all-time low, and unless I am filled to the brim with caffeine, I mostly grin and bear it, and wait for my run to be...
The consistent conduct of people of the Way is like the flowing clouds with no grasping mind, like the full moon reflecting universally, not confined anywhere, glistening within each of the ten thousand forms.
The Human Route
by Zen Master Seung Sahn on Sep 1, 1981
Coming empty-handed, going empty-handed — that is human.
When you are born, where do you come from?
When you die, where do you go?
Mindfulness is not what you do in your spare time. Mindfulness is what you do all the time. Mindfulness is being in touch with the present moment, with your original nature, which is always present but gets buried under busyness and thoughts of what...
The Buddha and his posse of monks once traveled to a town where the Kalama people lived. They told him how many other spiritual teachers had been there before him and they just weren’t sure which of their teachings were true and which were not.
The...
There was this famous sutra master in China named Dok Sahn who used to get off on traveling from temple to temple so he could test the resident monks in their knowledge of various Buddhist texts, particularly the Diamond Sutra.
The other night I went to hear Congressman Tim Ryan talk about his meditation practice, his new book called A Mindful Nation, and why mindfulness practice makes sense in American schools, our military, and just about...
Back in July, my best friend Patrick Morris and I set out for Times Square to try an experiment in our practice and in the way we share it. Our fellow IDP member Lani Rowe had come up with the idea of a...
Last night as our 6-month-old son sat in his bath he put his hand out under the tap to feel the flowing water. In that moment there was nothing else for him. It was as if the rest of the universe had fallen away, and all that existed was him, his...
At the end of a daylong meditation workshop, Pam, a woman in her late sixties, drew me aside. Her husband, Jerry, was near death after three years of suffering from lymphoma. “I wanted so much to save him,” she told me. “I looked into ayurvedic...
"I had an incident in life where I lost my 4 year old daughter in a tragic accident at home. I didn't want to live anymore... I had to change my life. I didn't have a problem with drugs or nothing. I had a problem with thinking. My thinking was...
Here is something I have been thinking about for about 22 years: Pre-Menstrual Syndrome or PMS. Kim's post on crabbiness was the perfect first read this morning. I have PMS right now, as I write this.
From the Sakkapanha Sutta:
2.2 Sakka asked, ‘What gives rise to jealousy and avarice? What is their origin, how are they born, how do they arise? Owing to the presence of what do they arose, owing to the absence of what do they arise?’
The...
As many of you know, I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican, and don't watch any of the televised political events. When I heard about Seane Corne and her people (including IDP's own Leslie Booker) from Off the Mat Into the World offering...
After about five years of meditating like my life depended on it, I hit a wall. For the past two months, getting my butt on the cushion has been a struggle and a constant internal negotiation process. Summer felt good. Life felt good. Samsara...
When we sit in meditation, having a firm tripod of support enables us to be upright and practice for longer periods of time. The posture inspires us to sit firmly on our seat with our buttocks planted firmly on the chair or cushion, and our knees...
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I always consider Labor Day and the beginning of September to be a more pragmatic and realistic New Year’s occasion than whatever happens in January. In fact, many people who question our...
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Hi, all. We are hoping you had a wonderful summer and are excited to announce our Fall 2012 offerings of exceptional online classes, retreats, lectures, and our continuing Transformational Activism...
I’m going to share with you a relaxation exercise that I do after yoga sometimes that can help you relax after yoga or whenever you want.
Lie on your back with your arms at your side, palms facing the ceiling. Relax your hips, neck, back, and the...
