The first verse of Shantideva’s “Patience” chapter, in his Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, reads: Whatever wholesome deeds, Such as venerating the buddhas and [practicing] generosity, That have been amassed over a thousand aeons, Will all be destroyed in one...

Growing up outside Philadelphia back in the 1980s, I found myself attracted to practicing meditation to attain enlightenment. When I was first exposed to Buddhism, I assumed that silent sitting meditation, with or without the single-minded contemplation of koans, was...

For over thirty years I worked as a doctor in the field of child abuse—examining and/or interviewing children who’d been raped, burned, beaten, and killed, most often by their caretakers. Every time I thought I’d seen the worst cruelty adults could perpetrate on a...

‘For us, to be alive is to practise. The question is our very life. If we hold it continuously, this is proof that we are alive.’ Haechun Sunim

Have you ever read about the "elder daughter syndrome"? A brief explanation of it is that as the oldest daughter in a family experiences immense responsibility and expectations from a very young age, it makes her have tendencies to be overachieving, people-pleasing,...

‘The enlightenment in which you see your true mind and realise your true nature is transmitted outside of the scriptures; it is not based on names and words.’ Bassui Tokushō

Brahmaviharas (The Four Immeasurables): Equanimity, Loving Kindness, Compassion, and Sympathetic Joy.

When I took my first steps down the Buddhist path I learned several uncomfortable truths about myself. For example, I learned that much of my suffering was self-created. Sometimes, my mind was clouded by feelings of greed, anger, and ignorance, which caused me to make...

‘All of these names simply point to the One Mind. Though there are ten thousand different names, there are not even two dharma realities.’ Bassui Tokushō

Finding the right words to say can often be challenging, and it is most difficult when we are trying to offer words of sympathy and hopefully comfort to someone who's lost a loved one. We often think, "What do I even say? What difference will it make?" But, it makes a...