The moment my meditation habit was established for good was in a checkout line at Whole Foods. It was in 2002, I was in my early twenties, and I was living in Austin, Texas. I worked for a small software company, where I was failing. I smoked pot every morning before...
If you live long enough, sooner or later you realize you’re old. You may not feel old, but face it, you are. It took me a while to recognize that I was getting old. It seemed strange that I had friends in their seventies or eighties with grown children and even...
“Queer” has long been synonymous with “strange,” often carrying negative connotations. Literally, the word “strange” means something unusual, or surprising. As a queer woman, I can say that this life is indeed a strange existence, but in a profoundly positive sense....
‘We all have to learn the comfort of being ourselves — and not someone else.’ John Aske
We all long for deeper connection with ourselves and others, less stress, and a better understanding of what is really happening in our lives. Through the practice of Vipassana, or Insight Meditation, we find that peace and awakening are found right here in the...
‘Whether directly or indirectly avoid doing anything which does not contribute to the welfare of others.’ Acharya Shantideva
In December 2023, Hozan Alan Senauke, the celebrated dharma teacher, musician, author, and abbot of California’s Berkeley Zen Center suffered cardiac arrest following complications from surgery and was put immediately into the Intensive Care Unit. Now, after all that...
Welcome to our collection of abundance affirmations! I hope that my words will provide you with the inspiration and comfort you need. Life can get really tough sometimes to get through or understand, so any hint of support is welcome and appreciated. Let's do this!...
‘Our bodies do not belong to us. They are the true activity of the life of the great universe.’ Dôgen Zenji
In the four foundations of mindfulness, as laid out in the famed Satiphatthana Sutta, the Buddha offers four postures for practicing meditation: A monk knows, when he is walking,“I am walking”; he knows, when he is standing,“I am standing”; he knows, when he is...