When I was eleven, I ran home on the last day of school and tore off my dress, literally popping the buttons off, feeling simultaneously guilty and liberated. I put on an old, torn pair of cutoff jean shorts, a white T-shirt, and blue Keds sneakers, and ran with my...
Spirituality
3 Ways to Uncover Your Natural Awareness
Having taught mindfulness for twenty years, I’ve observed that a specific type of meditation practice has dominated the field for decades—classical mindfulness. Pay attention to your breathing, and when your attention wanders, bring it back to your breath. It’s great...
“May We Gather” to commemorate Asian American ancestors with ceremony, peace walk on March 16
May We Gather, a collective formed in response to instances of anti-Asian violence in 2020 and 2021, will commemorate the three-year memorial of the 2021 Atlanta area spa shootings with a pilgrimage and peace walk in Antioch, California on March 16. The memorial event...
Mahaprajapati’s Daughters
I was fifteen when my friend’s dad stumped me with a riddle: “A man and his son get into a terrible car crash. The father is killed instantly, but the son is rushed to hospital where the surgeon says, ‘I can’t treat the boy. He’s my son.’ How is this possible?” Being...
What Is Love Asking From Us?
Like so many around the globe, the shocking violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and the continuing, horrific reprisal by the Israeli government that has devastated Gaza has broken my heart and riveted my attention. Until last fall, the conflict and violence in...
Morning meditation — Doing a koan is a bit like.
‘Doing a koan is a bit like being a fly trying to get through an open window.’ Trevor Leggett
Morning meditation — We’ve fallen into existence because.
‘We’ve fallen into existence because of our disregard for cause and effect, so we have to return to a place where we stop the causal mind.’ Motoko Ikebe
Morning Meditation — When the hurricane of impermanence strikes.
‘When the hurricane of impermanence strikes, there will be no time to wait even a minute.’ Zen Master Hakuin
Morning meditation — There is a time in meditation.
‘There is a time in meditation when the subject of concentration becomes more of a hindrance than a help in staying with the moment.’ Everyday Buddhism
Morning meditation — Practice is separate from any posture.
‘Practice is separate from any posture. It is a matter of directly looking at the mind.’ Ajahn Chah
