When we take the one seat on our meditation cushion we become our own monastery. We create the compassionate space … More
Tag: Meditation
Do nothing
The method that the Buddha discovered is meditation. He discovered that struggling to find answers did not work. It was … More
Be like a newborn baby in its cradle
When you travel in an airplane, you can see all sorts of landscapes below — lakes, mountains, lush forests, deserts, … More
True purpose of Zen
f you want to obtain perfect calmness in your zazen [meditation], you should not be bothered by the various images … More
When meditating
“The towns and countryside that the traveller sees through a train window do not slow down the train, nor does … More
Stay with the moment
“In the practice I’m recommending, doing something different means staying with that moment. I talked about this in terms … More
Invitation to freedom
Repeated thoughts and stories are almost always fueled by an unacknowledged emotion or feeling underneath. These unsensed feelings are part … 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
Start where you are
“Tonglen practice (and all meditation practice) is not about later, when you get it all together and you’re this person you really respect. You may be the most violent person in the world—that’s a fine place to start. That’s a very rich place to start—juicy, smelly. You might be the most depressed person in the world, the most addicted person in the world, the most jealous person in the world. You might think that there are no others on the planet who hate themselves as much as you do. All of that is a good place to start. Just where you are—that’s the place to start.”
― Pema Chödrön, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
Root of Suffering
“According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. … More
The key point of meditation
The key point of meditation is to develop sympathy for yourself. You could enjoy being yourself. You don’t have to … More
Meditation is providing space
In Buddhism, we express our willingness to be realistic through the practice of meditation. Meditation is not a matter of … More
I’m getting more neurotic
Sometimes people will say, “This meditation thing isn’t working at all. I’m not getting calmer, I’m getting more neurotic!” But … More
Meditation is the key to seeing yourself
If we face ourselves properly, fully, then we find that something else exists there, beyond facing ourselves. Something exists in … More
Meditation is more than positive thinking
The point of meditation is not to just close our eyes and superimpose positive thoughts & repress negative ones. Rather, … More
Come back to your breath
…when one thought takes you away completely from what you are actually doing—when you do not even realize that you … More
Meditation is not about
In meditation practice, finally, we are exposed. We hoped that we wouldn’t have to go through the embarrassment of exposing … More
We meditate
We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God. Rather, just as we … More
Letting Be
The method that the Buddha discovered is meditation. He discovered that struggling to find answers did not work. It was … More
Our hearts can grow strong at the broken places
Naomi Remen, a physician who uses art, meditation, and other spiritual practices in the healing of cancer patients, told me … More
