“A proper grown-up communicates clearly and assertively.” This is something I have heard many people say. By that definition, I wouldn’t have been classed as a proper grown-up for most of my life. There was a time when I couldn’t even ask someone for a glass of water....

‘We are powerless to change the past, but the moment has endless possibilities.’ Zen Graffiti

For Suwarna, a doctor by profession, being human is like being a fish underwater. Just as a fish is constantly surrounded by water, humans live day and night inside a continuous flow of feelings. Even highly intelligent and successful people are constantly influenced...

When I shared my recent sound bath experience last week, many of you responded letting me know life has been particularly challenging for you too lately. If you’re in that same boat—and especially if you’ve been feeling lonely, down on yourself, or overwhelmed—I have...

‘The Prajna immanent in the Essence of Mind of every one may be likened to the rain, the moisture of which refreshes every living thing, trees and plants as well as sentient beings.’ Hui Neng

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...