This post is sponsored content, paid for by Big Bear Retreat Center. Lessons from the Earth, Sky, and Stars In an increasingly fast-paced and digital world, spaces that foster tranquility, reflection, and reconnection with nature are more vital than ever. One such...

“Being a good person doesn’t mean being a doormat… You can be kind, giving, and full of love, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept disrespect or allow your boundaries to be crossed.” ~Unknown I can still vividly remember sitting in my seventh-grade classroom,...

‘The Buddha’s teachings do not call for repression but for illumination. Awareness, when steady and unentangled, remains untouched by the arising and passing of thought. The key is not to eliminate thinking but to cease identifying with it.’ Everyday Buddhism

The first retreat I ever went on with Thich Nhat Hanh was a revelation. In receiving profound teachings, finding stability in seated meditation, and connecting with others during dharma discussions, I felt like I was being peeled like an onion. Outer layers of myself...

Try to imagine that foods are neither good nor bad. Carrot is as perfect as carrot cake. Gummy bear is no other than avocado, and broccoli is no other than Wonder Bread. It’s tricky to have that mindset, right?  The Buddhist concept of nonduality teaches us that...

Jealousy can appear suddenly at the most unexpected moment, such as, for example, while you’re watching a show on Netflix. Even if you have no intention of becoming an actor, you might still feel jealous of a person you don’t even know because of their appearance or...

Mindfulness Mindfulness is the fulcrum of the seven factors of awakening, says Dawn Mauricio. It helps you balance the other factors. For many of us, mindfulness serves as the doorway into our practice. However, because it has become so mainstream, or because it...

We live in a world that’s increasingly fragmented, lonely, and individualistic. In the face of this, people in various corners across the globe have formed small communities based on principles of mindfulness and ecological viability. Author and former Buddhist monk...

Recently I suffered, grimacing, through several days of a bad toothache, soldiering through the pain in hope that it would spontaneously fade. Finally, I gave in and went to see my dentist. While he took a set of X-rays, I winced even more in the expectation that I...

Melvin McLeod: When did you start practicing meditation? Jon Kabat-Zinn: My first experience of formal practice—or even learning about it—happened one day in 1965. I was a molecular biology student in the laboratory of Salvador Luria, a soon to be Nobel Laureate, and...