From Senior Teacher Michael Stroud

How many times do we start a new year with big resolutions, only to quickly fall short and give up? We assume that change is an either/or proposition — we either “deliver” or we’re out of the game.  Mindfulness practice suggests a much more... Read more

Life Is But A Dream

I wake up to a clear winter sunrise in LA. It’s already the fifth day of the new year. Like a dream, the holidays are past, whether sparkling or somber. It’s 2019 now. Here we are, rowing our boats gently down the swift stream of time. Is life reall... Read more

Keep Going

  A spiritual tradition is not a shallow stream in which one dips one foot and retreats to the shore, it’s a mighty tumultuous river that rushes through one’s life. – Bhikkhu. Bodhi As one year morphs into the next, it’s a good time t... Read more

Going Deep

  Today is the solstice, the first day of winter, when Earth’s axis tilts the Northern Hemisphere farthest from the sun’s warmth. It’s the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This year a full moon (called the Cold Moon, or the Lo... Read more

What Pets Can Teach Us

It was love at first sight, when I first met Coco, a curly apricot poodle mix that melted my heart to a puddle. I was 23 years old and had no idea the walls around my heart were soon to come crumbling down. Up to that point, my relationships with pe... Read more

The Light of Seeing Clearly

For years, my vision couldn’t be corrected properly with glasses. Unlike most people, I’ve been waiting eagerly for the time to have cataract surgery where a new lens can be put into the eye. Usually it’s a simple, routine procedure, but with some d... Read more

Are We Rich?

When I was little, I wanted to know about money, and why some people were called rich. I asked my mother, “Are we rich?” My father was an academic and my mother a homemaker who sewed and ironed our clothes and froze our tuna sandwiches in bulk. Afte... Read more