In a recent discussion with old friends, we pondered different ways of experiencing the “self.” One felt that the self was something true that can be found and held dear. This could be accomplished, in her example, through painting -...
January is IDP's Responsible eConsumption Month, and there's a challenge to turn off your electronics for an hour a day. For me, the challenge is where can I find that hour?
We’re often being pressured to try any number detox diets, fasting programs, and master cleanses that promise to rid our bodies of toxins, shed pounds of unwanted body fat, increase our energy levels, and heighten our senses. Improved health,...
Modern research on ergonomics (the interaction between people and their work environment) is confirming what meditators have known and expressed for thousands of years: sitting with your legs and torso at 90° is mad difficult.
Are you thinking about making a resolution to live more mindfully in 2014? You're in good -- and trendy -- company, according to global advertising and marketing company JWT, which named "Mindful Living" among its Top 10 trends for 2014.
It's the time of year when we are most often asked to "think of the less fortunate." But what if we felt empowered to take action that might actually help them? #OpSafeWinter, inspired by the lessons learned at Occupy Wall Street and from teachers...
I'm not a big fan of the word "resolution" because there's something very rigid about it, and goal-setting in the usual sense can set you up for failure and frustration.
Having an intention, however, is like planting some seeds with the...
For most of us, this is an extremely charged time of year, emotionally and otherwise. The pressure and the expectations around Christmas and New Year’s Eve are intense enough to tempt even the most tranquil of Buddhas among us...
Physicists have reported the discovery of a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality, Wired reports.
Today is the Solstice, the day when the North Pole is at its maximum tilt from the sun, creating the
longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. I imagine that for the ancients, this marked the beginning of the new year, not some 10 days...
Standing on the L train heading into Brooklyn, I became concerned. The train sped up and appeared to accelerate faster than usual. I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice. The train barreled through the tunnel faster and faster. I almost...
The moment you start thinking you need to meet the world with good posture – it's over; you're screwed. You’ve empowered the belief that being upright means you can’t really be yourself. It’s too easy to jettison our spontaneity and sense of humor...
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Let's face it, sometimes the holidays just…suck. Maybe that's not the most Buddhist way of saying it, but it is how it feels. Even more than in past years,...
Ven. Robina Courtin says that anger is “the response to when attachment doesn’t get what it wants.” Surprised was I, then, to find that this applies to cats as well as humans.
This past week, a 16-year-old who had killed four people in a drunken-driving accident received probation instead of 20 years in prison, some claim in large part to his defense lawyer's claim that his client suffers from "affluenza"' Though not a...
This time of year can be extremely challenging for many of us. There's all kinds of pressure and expectations in the air. Strained family relationships often come to a head, and memories of past holidays have a way of creeping their way back into...
If you’ve never made your own snowman, you’ve seen someone else do it, either on television, or in person. If you’ve never made a snowman, you’ve made a sandcastle, or seen someone do that.
Many platitudes about the holidays focus on the joy of giving. Of course, ideas become platitudes by being generally true or at least by being generally accepted as true. As a parent, I gain a great deal of joy from watching my children...
The first truth of Buddhism is that suffering is inevitable. There's birth, old age, sickness, and death -- and Instagram. Actually, according to a New York Times article, "The Agony of Instagram," the photo-sharing app is related to the...
Living far away from IDP I sometimes struggle with the idea of membership or donating to an organization that's so far away, knowing I can't participate in many of the events or programs. There's this common perception that 'charity begins at home...
