On the eightfold path, right thought, right speech, and right action all go together and cannot be separated from each other. The most important is right thought, because—as Buddhism teaches—everything starts from thought. A passage in the Dhammapada phrases it this...

‘It’s astonishing how repetitive thoughts are. Sit quietly, and you will start to see it — the same worries, cravings, resentments looping over and over. This is not a failure of meditation; it’s the mind revealing itself.’ Everyday Buddhism

“Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love, belonging, and connection.” ~Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart This past year, I started the journey of investigating—maybe even befriending—“my” shame....

‘When faced with the forces of distraction and delusion — personified in Buddhism as Mara — he didn’t try to push them away or conquer them. He simply said, ‘I know you, Mara.’ Recognition was enough to loosen their grip.’ Everyday Buddhism

‘There is something urging you to look deeper, something which seeks to be known. Don’t you see it yet?’ Harada Tangen Roshi

“Rule your mind, or it will rule you.” ~Buddha I used to be trapped in a cycle of overthinking, replaying past mistakes, worrying about the future, and mentally holding onto every thought, just as I physically held onto old clothes, books, and my child’s outgrown...