Watch your thoughts; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become stories. Watch your stories; they become excuses. Watch your excuses; they become relapses. Watch your relapses; they become dis-eases. Watch your dis-eases; they become vicious cycles. Watch your...

In our culture, people find it difficult to direct loving-kindness to themselves. We may feel that we are unworthy, or that it’s egotistical, or that we shouldn’t be happy when other people are suffering. So rather than start loving-kindness practice with ourselves,...

‘In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble, he has overcome what can upset, in the end sustained by Nirvana.’ Heart of Perfect Wisdom

Pema Chödrön: There’s an ideal in the Buddhist teachings called the bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas are people whose purpose in life is to alleviate suffering. The main thing they want to do is soothe the sorrows of the world. I’m sure that Father Gregory does not like to...

‘Joy is not something we can grasp and hold on to, it comes and goes like spring rain, softening everything.’ John Aske

Most of us start to practice Buddhism because we feel dissatisfied and disillusioned with life, in a general way or for some specific reason. Indeed, it is rare to meet someone who has turned to the dharma simply out of curiosity and not because of a real need to...

‘Don't let your insights get washed away in thought.’ Zen Graffiti

Stage One A Warm Fire in Your Heart Metta can accurately be compared with a warm and radiant fire burning in your heart. You cannot expect to light the fire of loving-kindness by starting with a difficult object, no more than you can expect to light a campfire by...

Having a spiritual practice doesn’t mean we only take care of our mind. Body and mind are two faces of one reality and they support each other. Because of the way we live and consume, stress accumulates in our body and erodes our sense of well-being. By taking care of...

Al iniciar la práctica del Zen, muchas personas se identifican con el maestro chino Mazu (709 – 788). Mazu, o Baso en japonés, fue uno de los primeros maestros del Zen chino (Chan) cuyas enseñanzas vibrantes y directas que invitaban a ver el Buda en nuestra propia...