Sometimes people find that being tender and raw is threatening and seemingly exhausting. Openness seems demanding and energy-consuming, so they … More
Tag: Awareness
The power of an open question
If we think about it, life resists definition. How can we truly know things that continuously change, are impossible to … More
Out of control everyday mind
“At my first meditation retreat, a two-week period of silent attention to mind and body, I was amazed to find … More
The trance of unworthiness
We focus on other people’s faults. There is a saying that the world is divided into people who think they … More
Awareness is the key
Siddhartha was also trying to cut suffering at its root. But he was not dreaming up solutions such as starting … More
“In-the-body experience”
You may have heard of “out-of-the-body experiences,” full of lights , and visions. A true spiritual path demands something more … More
Accepting things as they are
When we analyze our experience, we have ideas of time or space, big or small, heavy or light. A scale … More
When our stories no longer bind us
“When the stories of our life no longer bind us, we discover within them something greater. We discover that within … More
Purpose of a spiritual practice
In this way we stop the war, and we can embrace our personal griefs and sorrows, joys and triumphs with … More
Stories we tell ourselves are mostly untrue
It is a great relief to discover that our stories do not fully define who we are, or what is … More
Training to awaken
“Comfortable with Uncertainty those who train wholeheartedly in awakening bodhichitta are called bodhisattvas or warriors—not warriors who kill but warriors … More
There is another way of existing
In everyday life, we habitually try to conceal the gaps in our experience of mind and body. These gaps are … More
Using discomfort as an opportunity
“Strong determination is our commitment to use our lives to dissolve the indifference, aggression, and grasping that separate us from … More
Burden that I’m carrying all the time
Are you sure, though, that you are really experiencing pain, experiencing it in the fullest way? “Well, I’m not even … More
90 second rule
“An emotion like anger that’s an automatic response lasts just ninety seconds from the moment it’s triggered until it runs … More
Meditation is nothing holy
“When one of the emperors of China asked Bodhidharma (the Zen master who brought Zen from India to China) what … More
Our habitual patterns
“Our habitual patterns are, of course, well established, seductive, and comforting. Just wishing for them to be ventilated isn’t enough. … More
Driving away the unpleasant feelings
“According to Buddhism, most people identify happiness with pleasant feelings, while identifying suffering with unpleasant feelings. People consequently ascribe immense … More
The Answer Is YOU
Because we feel ourselves to be separate from the world in which we live, we have also grown to feel … More
Difference between reaction and response
In a healthy response to pain and fear, we establish awareness before it becomes anger. We can train ourselves to … More
