Physical Spaces Certain places can have amazing power over us. Anyone would agree that the Grand Canyon is a perfect place to sit in rapt silence and soak up nature’s majesty. There are few places as grand as the canyon, but our environment, no matter how grand, affects us. In searching for your quiet corner, [...]
Buddha said of himself and his monks: “When we walk, we know we are walking.” This is a beautiful practice and one of the simplest and most immediately rewarding and instructive. It is both grounding and freeing. The benefits suit our need for immediate gratification, because they begin to appear with the first step. And [...]
A Wild Goose A wild goose Passing the length of the sky Casts a shadow Into the cold water The goose has no idea Of leaving a trace, The water no consciousness Of the shadow sinking through. Zen Phrase The spring flowers, the autumn moon; Summer breezes, winter snow. [...]
We were invited to a July 4th party this year in our new hometown of Germantown, NY, where we met some lovely people who live in the area. The hosts, Alex & David, are the ones who introduced us to this special place in the Hudson valley. The food that evening was all vegan, homemade [...]
Our Ordinariness …continued from 7 Steps to Loving What You Do – Discovery 1:4 – Follow the Leader Do you compartmentalize your life? Do you have a work persona that is different from your leisure persona or the persona you bring to your intimate relationships? Who is the self that you bring to work each [...]
…continued from Becoming Aware 1:6 – Your Quiet Voice Just Sitting While much of what we do to be in tune with our own true voice involves action, the most important activity appears on the surface to be one of nonaction. Yet it is the key that unlocks our hearts and minds and awakens our [...]
Morning Early morning is the perfect time to begin looking for your quiet corner meditation. Getting up fifteen minutes to a half hour earlier than usual will give you plenty of time to spend on this new journey. And being awake before the rest of your world will add a new and peaceful dimension to [...]
Nearing the end of my five-week class at the JCC, I feel inspired to post a few gems of wisdom that I share over and over again with my meditation groups, words and inspiration from ancient and contemporary masters that I never tire of. If you’ve attended one of my classes, I’m sure you’ll recognize [...]
There is a grave misconception that serenity can only be had while meditating and that meditation can only be done in a quiet room with no distractions. Many people think that meditation is a break from life, a mind vacation, a time-out from the usual, and that if we do this, if we take these [...]
Follow the Leader …continued from 7 Steps to Loving What You Do – Discovery 1:3 – Things Change In Western culture we are conditioned to praise the individual on the one hand and to be like everyone else on the other. As children we are taught how to fit in, follow the rules and play [...]
