For this short sharing and meditation, please have some small bit of food available, such as a couple of raisins. Contemplations before eating from Thich Nhat Hanh: This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as … Continue reading Short Noonday Practice– Eating Meditation
Excerpt from St Francis and the Sow, by Galway Kinnell The bud stands for all things, even for those things that don’t flower, for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness, to put a hand on the brow of the flower and retell it in … Continue reading Sitting Meditation– Reteaching a thing its own loveliness
In this sharing I explore lessons from both the Virginia International Raceway and Thich Nhat Hanh on opening to life well in all conditions. The Two Promises from Thich Nhat Hanh: I vow to develop understanding in order to live peacefully with people, animals, plants, and minerals. I vow to develop my compassion in order … Continue reading The Two Promises
This is a shorter sharing and practice with the sound of silence. This is a practice that has been offered in many meditation and spiritual traditions from around the world. Much of my sharing is drawn from a book by British monk, Ajahn Amaro called “Inner Listening.” The book is a lovely short read that … Continue reading Short Noonday Practice– Sound of Silence
In this longer combined talk and meditation, we will more deeply explore the practice sometimes called “the sound of silence.” It is a practice that has been offered in many meditation and spiritual traditions from around the world. Much of my sharing is drawn from a book by British monk, Ajahn Amaro called “Inner Listening.” … Continue reading Sound of Silence
Jack Kornfield offers the observation that at the end of life, our questions become very simple– Did I live fully? Did I love well? Meditation becomes a opportunity to learn to live into these questions now.
We think sometimes of compassion as a quality that we “should” be accessing if we are “good.” There is a totally different way of understanding compassion instead as that quality of being that brings us sanity, strength, courage and even ease in the midst of difficult situations.
There is a radical freedom offered in practice when we learn to open in all conditions. From the book, “Thoreau’s Ecstatic Witness,” comes this account of Henry Thoreau from his sister, Sophia, in his last couple of months before dying of tuberculosis in his early forties: One friend, as if by way of consolation, said … Continue reading Opening to Practice in all Conditions
It is very helpful to feel into how a true open mindfulness or loving awareness doesn’t discriminate or have preferences for what it is knowing in awareness. In this practice, we explore feeling into the relationship of loving awareness, preference and no-preference.
Join me for this short reflection and meditation on the usefulness of goodwill in challenging times.