Spirituality
For thirty years now, I’ve been going on retreat several times a year, often for weeks at a time. From my small room in a Benedictine hermitage high up above the California coastline, the sea scintillates all around, a still blue plate impossible to refute. The hills...
Vesak represents many things to Buddhists: celebration, refuge, community, and more. For my temple, Vesak means the kids get to show off their knowledge! I’ve always known that there’s something special about my Sri Lankan Buddhist temple, Dharma Vijaya Buddhist...
“When something isn’t right for you, it has a way of letting you know. Not in one big announcement, but in a thousand small nudges.” ~Martha Beck I was sitting at the kitchen table with my coffee one morning when a thought slipped in that I hadn’t let myself think...
It had been almost twelve months since I’d last seen her, and many years since we had lived in the same place. After I’d moved away for college, I hadn’t spent many long periods of time with Má. The summer I graduated, I’d gone to Plum Village in France for a summer...
‘Get to the point of realising, without doubt, that negative motivations have negative reactions’ Everyday Buddhism
Welcome to May! May is also known as Mental Health Awareness Month 😇💖 For this special month, I wish to focus on being more consistent with my habit of journalling. Previously, for everything that was on my mind, I used to journal in my diaries. I find myself...
‘If I had set out for enlightenment, then I would wish to fully know it. But I do not strive after enlightenment, because enlightenment is just the same thing as this Manjusri, the Crown Prince.’ Prajnaparamita
Clinical psychologist and author Elisha Goldstein shares the wisdom behind his new book, Tiny Shifts: You don't need to add complicated techniques to an already-busy life in order to experience change. You just need to meet your life, exactly as it is, in small but...
‘The Buddhist practice of Metta, or loving-kindness, is much deeper than just having nice ideas and good thoughts.’ Everyday Buddhist
Back in 2000, our family van was getting old, with lots of miles on it, and we needed a new one. I did my research and decided to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan. The Sienna came in three models. The top of the line was the XLE. It was sweet. It had wood-grain trim,...