My eyes are closed, my breath warm and sufficient. I feel connected and ready for the next moment. I softly open my eyes, reach for my paintbrush, and slosh blue paint across my page. And there it is—fear. My teeth clench, and I think how silly I was to even think I...
Mindfulness is our ability to be aware of what is going on both inside us and around us. It is the continuous awareness of our bodies, emotions, and thoughts. Through mindfulness, we avoid harming ourselves and others, and we can work wonders. If we live mindfully in...
1. Wake with the sun There is no purer light than what we see when we open our eyes first thing in the morning. 2. Sit Mindfulness without meditation is just a word. 3. Make your bed The state of your bed is the state of your head. Enfold your day in dignity. 4. Empty...
Although I suffered from severe depression, I didn’t call it that for most of the several years I was in and out of it. I thought depression was for lethargic people who stayed in bed all day. But my pain was as sharp as an ice pick. Restless in the extreme, I paced...
I have experienced illness, heartbreak, aging, and disability. As a Black, elder, cis-gendered woman, I live with the trauma of social oppression on a daily basis. Like many of us, I’m also profoundly disturbed by the current suffering in the world. In these troubled...
When I first started teaching, I used a traditional style, focusing on theory and emphasizing fine distinctions from traditional texts. Most students were well-educated, intellectually grasping the meaning and asking sharp questions. I thought, Wow, these people are...
My birth was not a celebrated and magical event. My parents’ relationship had always been rocky and, sadly, it completely unraveled during my mother’s pregnancy with me. We lived in Bellflower, California, a low-income neighborhood between Long Beach and Compton, in...
‘All Buddha’s teachings end up here.’ Zen Graffiti
When someone we know goes through an illness or is recovering from an injury, there's really nothing we can do except care for them in a way that is possible for us. And unless we are part of their immediate family, we can't really participate in the regular...
‘I warn you not to use those exercises for meditation on quietude or for keeping the mind a blank.’ Hui Neng