Just lately I realized that I’ve lost my way in my meditation practice. I still get to my cushion most days, but the joy that was once my regular companion is often missing. And I think I finally know why. Since starting my practice 23 years ago it has felt as if my seat, my [...]
A couple of weeks ago I brought a student to this zendo for the first time. At the end of the evening she said: “Next time will be better; I’ll know what to do.” And I said: NO NO NO NO NO – the mind that you came here with tonight is the one you [...]
I once gave a Dharma talk entitled “I Don’t Know” which at the time was huge growth for me since I had come from the land of knowing and had often been referred to as Ms-Know-it-All. I didn’t, of course, know it all, but I was deluded enough to think it true and afraid to [...]
I’ve had them before, but not so deep and strong as this time. You’d think I’d be glad to be back to my “normal” life given what happened. Maybe it’s just shock and not depression. First, there was the death, cremation and burial of my father-in-law. After more than 10 years suffering from dementia, his [...]
The first thought that came into my head when I sat down on my cushion one day in late July was: “I don’t like my husband anymore.” We were in the middle of a NYC heat wave, temperatures rising each day to well over 90 and into the 100s. We had finally moved back into [...]
Already we’re on day 5 of another 30 sits in 30 days. I haven’t sat yet today. I’m not following Soyen Shaku’s first rule: “In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate.” My own rhythm is more like this: “In the morning before dressing, make tea, pick up notebook and fountain pen, write something. [...]
Four of the 12 people in our 30-day cyber-sitting Sangha got together last night to sit in the same room. We improvised, used yoga mats, sofa cushions, bed pillows and one chair. We sat for 30 minutes and it felt like 10 to me. The smell of incense, other people breathing and sitting still, Romeo, [...]
30 days ago today, one of my students had a brilliant idea. We were on hiatus from our weekly class (more on the hiatus and the class later), and without the support and encouragement that she got from the group sitting practice she was finding it challenging to get to the cushion every day. In [...]
