Trigger warning: This story mentions addiction, homelessness, chronic illness, grief, and loss. Mary had a tough life growing up, though she is always quick to point out that it wasn’t entirely bad. At a very young age, she fell into an addiction to heavy prescription...

‘There is nothing more unskilful than hatred.’ Acharya Shantideva

‘None may consider himself the same a moment after.’ Chan Master Fenyang

‘Papañca — when you feel a certain way and your thoughts just go on and on without any direction, simply rattling on; one thought after another.’ Madhupiṇḍika sutta<

“Only when we realize that our time is limited do we begin to appreciate the value of every single day.” ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross I didn’t expect the trip to begin the way it did. In December 2003, I decided to take a holiday over Christmas. I booked an eco-tour of Sri...

‘Limitless are the practices of the bodhisattva; but first of all you should engage in the practice of purifying the mind.’ Shantideva

‘With awareness, we can see anger itself, feel its physical sensations, notice how it arises, stays for a while, and eventually fades.’ Everyday Buddhism

“The most common form of despair is not being who you are.” ~Søren Kierkegaard A few years ago, I was catching up over coffee with an old friend I’ll call Ray, a trusted mentor. He’s a few years older than me, silver-haired and down to earth, the kind of man who...

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~Oprah Winfrey My father died at forty-nine. I was young when it happened, still soft in the way grief makes you when you are not yet equipped to hold it. I was so consumed by the loss itself...

‘Delusion and awareness are not static forces; they are in constant motion. In one moment, we may be lost in delusion, caught up in a story of self. In the next moment, awareness may arise, illuminating the truth and revealing the emptiness of that story.’ Everyday...