I had a difficult time making and posting this video because I wasn't happy with myself for the approach I was taking with my son, Oliver. But shooting together provided a safe forum in which we were able to talk gently, for the first time in...
Sometimes we Westerners can get caught up in conflating Buddhism with sitting meditation, and then we become dismissive of other ways of practicing as if they are sub-par. I thought it was time to clear up for myself what chanting-based Nichiren...
Did you ever realize that everything going on in your mind, every thought, feeling, sensation, everything you are aware of, is in fact happening only in your private internal world?
At my meditation group last night, we discussed “letting go” in the context of painful memories, anger, disappointment, frustration, and injury. I found myself intrigued by what seem to be two different meanings – a conventional cultural one...
Witnessing my teacher lead a class while crying, I am inspired by the self-compassion and bravery she displays in opening to us and proving what it means to be human.
The other day my son, my greatest teacher as I’ve mentioned before, was having a tantrum. He’s only 18 months old so he’s entitled. Out of curiosity I offered him some instruction on following the breath. It seemed pointless given a...
For part of July and August I traveled throughout China and Tibet for my work with the Tibetan Village Project, a non-political, non-governmental organization I've recently begun working for. I’ve been meaning to write about my experience (adding to...
Sometimes we Westerners can get caught up in conflating Buddhism with sitting meditation, and then we become dismissive of other ways of practicing as if they are sub-par. In my view, Buddhism is a journey of cultivating the heart, and towards that...
While prepping the syllabus for my fall online course via Interdependence Project, The Journey of Relationships, I came across this quote from the Karmapa (head of a major Tibetan Buddhist lineage) on his Facebook page...
Today is the last day of IDP's Heavy Metta Month, in which members of the community committed to practicing lovingkindness meditation for every day in the month of August. Time to move on. Or not.
Have a safe and restful holiday weekend everyone. The beauty of a meditation practice is you can take it wherever you go. IDP lineage mentor teacher, Sharon Salzberg, says, "If you're breathing, you can be meditating."
Not too long ago, my ex-husband, Alex, brought us a big batch of his homemade almond butter. It is such a really delicious treat. I took a bite, and as I tasted it, I thought, “This is so good! I’m going to have some more.” And then immediately I...
I have to say that I cringe a little when I hear White Buddhists talk about "ethnic" Buddhist traditions. Sure, every large religious or philosophical tradition can stray from core tenets over time, or the connection to those tenets can be...
I’m pondering an issue this morning that I care about way more than Miley Cyrus at the Video Music Awards, although I am definitely a true-blooded American when it comes to getting some little rubbernecking thrill out of watching the psychological...
This last week of Metta Month we will focus on equanimity. Instead of discussing it directly, I attach some thoughts written at a difficult moment in the recent past.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marked by Martin Luther King Jr.s "Dream" speech. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King called for an end to racism in the U.S. and described his...
