Many years ago I was interviewed on TV for one of my books. The last, rather surprising question was: What is the secret of life? Without thought or hesitation I answered: Breath. Even before my father took his last breath almost twenty-nine years ago, an event that rocked my world and set me on a [...]
“Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” ― William Faulkner “And by the way, [...]
This past weekend I attended the Garrison Retreat with New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. It was a rich and heart-opening experience that I will write more about soon! Until then, enjoy some of the scenery I was lucky enough to see and photograph!
I've been privileged over the years to witness the truth of this and watch as students recover from anxiety and depression by way of meditation. The hardest part for most people is trusting that it can work and then making a commitment to daily practice. It works, it really does! So to recognize world mental [...]
"A moment in time, a place in time, a breath. A quiet corner can be found anywhere, can be created anytime. It is an attitude, an outlook. It can be found in your particular approach to your particular day. A quiet corner simply needs a slight shift in perspective to emerge. A quiet corner is [...]
The first three weeks of the Buddhist Contemplative Care training have been rich, deep, and amazing, so I thought I’d share some of what struck me from the books we’ve read so far. More to come in future posts. "We all must deal with conditioning. The sense of ourselves as separate is what we are contending with [...]
Time flies like an arrow and moves much too swiftly. Although our all day sit was shortened to a half day, it was all the more intense and deep for we knew it would be over in a flash. And so it was, so still in the zendo as we sat together supporting each other, [...]
I’ve been thinking about love lately and what this word means and how we use it and why we say it and need it and misunderstand it and crave it and write songs and poems about it. I wrote a short piece about these three words, I love you, a few years ago for a book [...]
I am in a writing state of mind this month, so I thought I’d share some quotes from writers. Even if you don’t write, they make sense for whatever your passion is, don’t you think? “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” ― William Faulkner “A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, [...]
Is like a day without… You can fill in the blank. For me, it changes daily. Could be love, sun, laughter, a deep breath, a satisfying night’s sleep, a pleasant dream, a warm breeze. I’ve spent almost half my life, maybe more, taking care of what and how I eat. Avoiding processed foods, red meat, [...]
