In this sharing, we look at the last of the 3 Marks of Existence– the reality of suffering in life. This is so easily misunderstood as pessimistic or a negative view on life. But in practice, when we follow the radical potential in this teaching, we begin to understand how a clear, wise seeing of … Continue reading Doorway to Empowered Compassion
In this talk, we explore what’s referred as one of the three “mark of existence,” the concept of non-self. We look at it through the lens of a translation that I prefer, “nothing exists in and of itself, without dependencies,” and in particular not only on the widened ethics that arise naturally through this understanding, … Continue reading A Joy of Inter-Dependence
Today we start with a short vignette on dandelions from Anthony de Mello’s book “The Song of the Bird, followed by a sharing by Michael J Fox and how he works with having Parkinson’s. I don’t look at life as a battle or as a fight. I don’t think I’m scrappy. I’m accepting. I say … Continue reading Dandelions and Michael J Fox
Today we explore the old story of Two Monks and the Lady as a way of deepening our understanding painful ruminating thought and how to cut through that habit.
In this sharing, I draw from Shinzen Young’s teachings on equanimity as non-self-interference and a radical permission to feel. We look at this in very practical ways of what does this mean for a moment of tangled reactivity and how to work in real life with these concepts with some skillfulness. When feelings are experienced … Continue reading Equanimity, A Radical Permission to Feel
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters is a much beloved poem from Portia Nelson. In my years of working with this poem, my understanding of it has radically changed, and that has been so helpful with orientating myself in a useful way with the world as it is: I I walk down the street. There is … Continue reading Revisiting an Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
In this podcast episode, I draw from a beautiful book called, Learning To Fall, by Phillip Simmons. Simmons was diagnosed with ALS at age 35 and given 5 years to live. He wrote this book at 9 years on the “blessings of an imperfect life.”
This week we look deeper at the movement from worry to care– worry, as a fear based reactivity and care, as a wise strong compassionate connected responsiveness. This movement is a powerful support in challenging times. I share Joseph Bruchac’s version of The Chenoo, a story of a man-eating ice giant from the far north … Continue reading The Chenoo
In this talk, we explore practices to support ourselves in the midst of a challenging Election. These include resourcing in the good, intentional planning with media consumption and practicing with “Don’t Know Mind.” Here are some of resources I would like to share: How to Survive Election Night and Beyond: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/election-day-toolkit/ Stability in the Storm, … Continue reading Election Week Mindfulness Practice
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