Buddhism is sometimes described as the middle path or the middle way. This has a specific meaning in the context of Buddhism, but for me the general concept of a middle way helped me navigate my journey with cancer this year. I have written over recent months about the challenges and blessings of this journey …
The words “scared” and “sacred” morph into each other with a simple switch of two adjacent letters. This connection became more meaningful to me recently as I found myself shifting back and forth between a transcendent experience of the sacred and a scary feeling of being overwhelmed and faced with the unknown. Curious about the …
A koan is a paradoxical statement or question used in Zen Buddhism to confound logical thinking and facilitate enlightenment. For example, what is the sound of one hand clapping? Our brains like to identify, categorize, explain, and evaluate. When they are not able to do this, they get agitated and start scanning more anxiously for …
Many of us have had the experience of hearing our name called as a teacher or group leader goes down the list. The typical response is usually “Here!” or “Present!” Sometimes this is accompanied by a raised hand to help identify ourselves. The person calling the roll is not asking anything of us at that …
The journey from teaching about love to allowing myself to be loved proved much longer than I realised. ~Henri Nouwen As a spiritual practice, “allowing” is often described as an acceptance of what is. We sometimes think of this acceptance of reality as not struggling against something that we don’t like. But we overlook the …
“Judge not,” said Jesus. Two words, not hard to understand. Yet, by all appearances, almost impossible to obey, even by, sometimes especially by, those who claim to follow the teacher who said them. I don’t think this teaching discourages using good judgment or discernment. I think it is cautioning us against setting ourselves apart by …
Mistakes. We all make them. Yes, even me. I wrote that last sentence with a smile because occasionally someone has a (mistaken!) perception of me that I don’t make mistakes. Perhaps they think that because I write this blog and lead a contemplation group and meditate and so on, that somehow I am always wise. …
I was chatting with my daughter about a situation involving my grandchildren. I can’t even remember what we were talking about, but at one point my daughter paused and looked at me. “You’re a ride or die Nana,” she observed. I had to look that up. A ride or die person is someone who will …
While I was visiting a friend who had gone through a rough time, she pointed out a chair in her apartment. That chair, she told me, was where she had spent many dark hours, full of anger and despair. It held too many bad memories; she wanted to get rid of it. In its place …
In the movie Peaceful Warrior, an injured gymnast Dan regains his health under the spiritual guidance of a mysterious man whom he calls Socrates. In the final scene, Dan is performing his routine in competition, centering himself by focusing his mind on this imagined dialogue: Socrates: Where are you?Dan: HereSocrates: What time is it?Dan: NowSocrates: …
Several times in recent months, someone has expressed to me hesitation to participate in a get together because, as they said, they felt that they had nothing of value to offer that particular day. Maybe because they were worried about something, or distracted, or just in a slump. They really wanted to come, but they …
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ~George Santayana Oops! I did it again. ~Britney Spears Many of us have caught ourselves at one time or another repeating a pattern or a mistake, and thinking, “I knew better. Why did I do that again?” Our history can teach us to …
I’ve had several conversations over the last month or so that seem to circle around the same theme of challenges in various types of relationships. In each conversation a friend was trying to be caring to someone else at deep cost to themselves. Maybe they felt obligated beyond what their personal energy allowed at that …
In the last post, I wrote about the idea of having a “burden bowl,” where we can lay our burdens down and be free of them forever, or at least until we decide to pick them up again. I left a lot of burdens behind on New Year’s Eve. I wanted to walk into the …
When our contemplation group used to meet in person, I sometimes placed a bowl by the door. As we settled in, I invited people to place in the bowl anything that was weighing them down, distracting them, keeping them from being fully present – worries, anxiety, should’s, judgments, have to’s, and so on. “Don’t worry,” …
The martial arts school I used to go to sits on the corner of a busy intersection. I just read that someone smashed one of the huge windows that face the street. With so much of this sort of thing in the news these days, I’m not sure why this particular act of vandalism hit …
Some of us like to know where we stand. Am I making progress? How do I know? Am I further along than [fill in the blank]? So here is a list of stages that I suspect many of us can relate to. I Want It The allure of awakening has caught our attention and we …
Eight Stages of Awakening, or “Are We There Yet?” Read More »
No one tells you There is a sadness When all is left behind Although shed willingly Touch lingers A last caress Of what was once a treasure There is no going back Nor would you want to Yet there were moments When happiness kissed your lips And longing stirred your soul When the dream sang …
Just a simple little key, right? A little house key that got lost when I went for a walk. When I got back home, the key was not in my pocket. What happened to it? It probably fell out when I pulled a poop bag out of my pocket to clean up after my dog. …
My last post was about a practice I’ve recently adopted of taking five mindful breaths at set times five times a day. Since I began this practice, it has created a rhythm of returning to stillness that has gradually shifted my default orientation back into balance and alignment. I find myself not getting so caught …
