Every Day Zen
When there is compassion in my heart, there is kindness in my words. But how to stay compassionate, to keep open the doors of my heart in all weathers. Some days, there are rainbows but not without storms. As one passes, another forms--the unknown--its forces full of fear. Impermanence. I rely on its inevitability--impermanence--immersing myself... Continue Reading →
Knowing the interdependence of all things, the compassionate heart arises naturally. Honshin “Interdependence of all things” is not a phrase that comes quickly to mind these days. The idea of mutual reliance--equanimity in relationship--seems far-fetched, a compassionate heart more a sunset than a dawn. Like any line in the sand, a new tide washes away... Continue Reading →
The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing. Jon Kabat-Zinn In my Zen life--so far--being in the moment usually means returning from some past or future scenario I am spinning. Focus is on-again, off-again but to... Continue Reading →
One word can either open a wound or a world. Words stretch into sentences, then stories. We love stories. They show us who we are, no matter what they reveal. Today, I return to the Cherokee story of the two wolves who live within us. A grandfather tells his grandson about the ongoing battle between... Continue Reading →
Things to Think Think in ways you've never thought before. If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message Larger than anything you've ever heard, Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats. Think that someone may bring a bear to your door, Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose Has risen... Continue Reading →
A lot of people turn away from activism because who can save the world, anyway? Maybe the better question is who would even want to try? I’m not sure activism has ever been about saving anyone or anything. What seems more likely is that effecting change is equated with saving or being saved, especially in... Continue Reading →
Every morning, I want to wake up to a world that recognizes the connection we have with one another. I want us to celebrate the kind of love each of us has to give. I want us to remember that the truth of who we are is what connects us, not how we look. I... Continue Reading →
Don’t worry if you feel you can only do one tiny good thing in one small corner of the cosmos. Just be a Buddha body in that one place. Thích Nhất Hạnh Every morning, I wake to my “small corner of the cosmos.” Its immensity is never lost on me. Mine is not to save... Continue Reading →
Buddhists believe the “genuine heart” (bodhichitta) resides in all beings--no matter the selfishness or unkindness. It is the possibility in each of us to awaken, to change. The genuine heart is neither neutral nor doormat. It is fiercely hard to be compassionate. After all, it’s so easy not to be. Why meet every situation with equanimity? For... Continue Reading →
Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Every thought you produce, anything you can say, any action you do, it bears your signature.” What else is authenticity if not accepting responsibility for our every footprint? Accountability is standing in our signature, the steps of our lives. Old signatures are reminders of other times and tribulations. The more mindful we are,... Continue Reading →
Aim For Even: The Daily Dose 