Situating Yourself: What is Our Purpose Here? Like everyone else, you probably are searching for something in this life to satisfy a dream, a longing, or something that you can’t even name. As you begin to read this book you may even have an agenda for yourself. Perhaps you’re looking for answers to the gnawing [...]
On an unfamiliar road, Don’t pretend you’re Not lost. Just ask where you are: It’s a real shortcut. Japanese Folk Zen Saying “We ought to listen to music or sit and practice breathing at the beginning of every meeting or discussion.” Thich Nhat Hanh “Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual [...]
“All of man’s woes derive from the fact that he cannot sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal “As long as you are conscious of yourself, you can never concentrate on anything.” Buddha (by way of Walpola Rahula) “Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.” Lao-tzu “Real strength is not [...]
The love expressed between partners in our Imperfect Partners couples workshop and the trust and willingness they all have to be vulnerable in front of each other and the group, has been truly inspiring. Being witness to that is such an honor. So, in tribute to them, and to celebrate the imminent holy season (Passover, [...]
I have been preparing to die for five years now. Not literally, exactly. I have no terminal disease that I know of—except for the fact that I’m breathing, which is at first gasp a death sentence—and I rarely get sick. But death and loss, and the grief that always comes with it, have been informing [...]
“I am full of shit!” These are the five words I wrote in the middle of my shift at the hospital a few weeks ago, after conducting my first meditation/relaxation group in the Psych ward. On the way in that morning I listened to Pema Chodron talk about shenpa, which helped me to feel centered [...]
“If it has to be winter, it might as well snow.” This is something I say every year and I love it when the weather complies. We’ve had plenty of the white stuff and the forecasters say there is more on the way. And if the groundhog is right, we’ve got six more weeks before [...]
For the last few weeks it has felt as if I know less and less each day, and much less than when I started the Buddhist Contemplative Care course. I’ve walked away from more than a few patients thinking that I didn’t do enough, didn’t say the right words, couldn’t relieve them of even a [...]
The beginning of each New Year is a perfect time for reflection and looking forward, whether or not we’ve made a New Year’s vow, so that we might return to the present moment with gratitude and peace. Here are a few short poems to contemplate and carry with us as we breathe each breath and [...]
Or, we can’t know until we know! How do we get to the calm place in the center of chaos? Waiting for news of anything—from sources we have no control over, which is just about everyone and everything that is meaningful—can be excruciating. Will we get the perfect gift or the job? Do we need [...]
