I just aided a weekend workshop at the DC Shambhala Center and one of the students raised a great question, something every social activist or engaged Buddhist has struggled with.
Michelle Obama's speech was inspiring. I encourage you to watch it. I like her. I might even say I love her, but in her passionate descriptions of her father’s struggles, Mr. Obama’s upbringing, and her and her husband’s very typical (and also rare...
A lot of us have chairs that talk to us, but our chairs are internal. They provide a spot for the inner critic, the committee that makes us question our buddhahood.
I started volunteering for the Interdependence Project out of a desire to help an organization that has helped me so much. IDP was my first exposure to Buddhism; last year, on my daily hour-long drive from Brooklyn to my college in...
"The Mindful Activist" is a monthly blog where I attempt to share what I experience as my Buddhist practice converges with my political and social interests. If any fellow "activists" (also called engaged citizens, bodhisattvas, or humans) want to...
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...
The end of May brings the end of Arts month at IDP, as well as Memorial Day in the US. Over the course of the month, I’ve been contemplating and studying the book True Perception by Chögyam Trungpa
Relationships change, power dynamics shift, internally and externally. The flow and force of habit and negligence pummel up against the revealing light of awareness, and something shifts...
How does one actually practice dhamma when faced with hunger pangs? With jealousy, delirium and hunger pangs? With uncertainty as to the state of the world around you -- and jealousy, delirium and hunger pangs?
I can’t wait to read this book by,Tim Ryan, Ohio congressman and author of A Mindful Nation in which he asserts scientific evidence that mediation does reduce stress, increase mind performance, and enhance overall moods. All of...
“It is increasingly clear that we can’t solve the climate dilemma without empowering all people to become part of the solution.” – Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez, CMB Program Director at Garrison Institute
I’m sorry this is the last week of this process, though it has had a good effect and perhaps it’s time to move on to other lessons in letting go. I packed up 10 books today for a writer friend, and another 10 for my local Goodwill, a very nice...
Week four, wow! How time flies when you're consuming responsibly. No paper cups were used this week. And... Hazzah, I've done it! I've opened an account with a federal credit union.
Week 4: Many, many fewer paper towels have been used in my household this month. After a few mindless wiping episodes, every reach for the roll brought the thought: Do I really need to use this? Much of the time, I didn't.
I used rags instead...
Ever wonder how to change your consumption karma? Or perhaps you're more concerned with how to motivate other people? Read this post to learn the psychological principles behind behavior change! But first, an update...
We’re still...
