Do I have some understanding of the longing to not be a parent? Yes. Does that mean I would look away while someone hurt a child or let them off without punishment if there were proof that they did it? No.
Imma break it down for you. My body is tired and tight and I ran waaaaaay too much not to stretch while I was in Provincetown with my love. Unfortunately, I didn't stretch. Well, I didn't stretch sufficiently. Now I'm in pain, tight,...
One habit I've developed as a well-groomed American consumer, is the belief that questions, discomfort and uncertainty can be fixed by buying a product.
Is there a reason for being?
Krishnamurti: Why do you want a reason for being? (Laughter). You are here. And because you are here and don't understand yourself, you want to invent a reason. You know, Sir, when you look at a...
In our ongoing attempt to construct some kind of solid identity, we cling to all kinds of labels that we hope can clearly define us: our race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or national citizenship. Some of...
Let’s be honest: we love to be distracted. We just do. Or, I suppose, I should own it - even with my years of meditation practice I often still find myself pulled toward pretty shiny things (or feelings) when the moment I’m currently...
Mooooovvvvviiiiiiing Daaaaaaay!
Talk about groundlessness. Today I join the first-of-the–month-housing-shuffle, hauling myself and all of my stuff to a new neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. It’s not far, but I don’t...
"Hatred, jealousy and excessive attachment cause suffering and agitation. I feel that, again, it is compassion that can help you overcome these to move into a calm state of mind. Compassion is not being kind to your friend. That is attachment...
My sophomore year in college I proclaimed myself “an Aristotelian.” Beyond thinking the moniker would impress a certain class of women, I had read the philosopher’s theory of “the golden mean,” that is, a...
In Getting Unstuck, Pema Chodron talks about scratching the itch. The itch is all the discomfort of being; from the itchy leg during meditation to the stinging itch of aloneness, sadness or anxiety. We find these things unbearable, like a crazy...
last week was my girl's 25th birthday. it was riotous fun at the neighborhood gay bar for karaoke night. abby completely outdid herself, and sang her face off. amazing. i completely outdid myself also and drank to wiiiin. and the next day,...
"Two years ago I set out on a quest: To sift through the myriad of practice opportunities available to a 21st century American Buddhist and find a spiritual path that I could call home."
A man is riding on top of a horse that is galloping by frantically, as if he has to be somewhere important, as soon as possible. A bystander sees this and asks the man,“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know,...
How many times have you said this? Or thought this? Or been told this? I know you and you'll never change. She'll never learn. He'll always be a drunk. I'll always be fat. I...
What is the funtion of the bow in meditation practice? What does it say about our view of self and other? Is it submission or surrender? Is there a difference?
Last month, the IDPoC group met up on a Friday evening...
Sitting on the cushion, watching my mind lets me see that there is a gap – however infinitesimal – between the stimulus and the response. If I am aware enough to notice the gap, I can then choose how to react: to mouth off, to back off...
My girlfriend and I got into a fight last night because she says I’m a slob and that meditators should be more “mindful” of their living quarters. What would Sid say about that? – Messy Jessie
In the movie X-Men: First Class, a prequel in which we meet the younger, more innocent versions of the characters from the later movies, the ever-wise and telepathic Charles Xavier (later known as Professor X) coaches Erik -- the vengeful, angry...
The sound of my alarm at 5:30AM, causes a slight dread on the three or for mornings that I know I am getting up to go sell fruit and vegetables. The day is eleven hours, constant significant proof of the existence of suffering and impermanence.
