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Breakfast with Ram Dass

It’s my last day at Ram Dass’s house. There’s a little card table set on the balcony outside his room and a chair ready for me. As I sit down, Ram Dass sweeps his arm across the landscape in a gesture of welcome and appreciation. The balcony outsi... Read more

The Emotional Currency of the Heart

“The game isn’t about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody”— Ram Dass If you’ve ever spent a second in Los Angeles, then you’re keenly aware of everyone’s need to be somebody. What follows the words, “I AM” are seemingly some of... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

Mother of Thousands

For many years, I secretly identified with a plant in my Cambridge psychotherapy office called “Mother of Thousands”. This kalanchoe plant has the amazing capacity to generate countless babies – her offspring grow as a delicate fringe of baby plantlet... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

We Are Sisters and Brothers

The waves and currents at Venice Beach are wild today. The ocean is gleaming in the bright sunlight while the wind whips the water into whitecaps out to the horizon. After getting tossed around on the boogie board, my mouth feels full of sand. Like y... Read more

Towards A Wise and Caring Nation

This is a (slightly abbreviated) letter from the Clergy and Leadership at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. It was sent to us by Tara Brach, and posted by Jack Kornfield as well. The letter expresses ethical concerns that mirror the teachings o... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

Not Too Late

In the course of this long life that glides by so swiftly, I’ve learned from different traditions and practices. Last Saturday, insight and inspiration appeared at the Venice Beach Music Fest – Free! Outside! At the beach! where I went to hear the Ace o... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

What Will You Do With The Rest Of Your Life?

When I first came to LA to help my mother and daughter, I knew no one; it was a lonesome, sad time. I’d left my 30-year community of friends and colleagues. I said my farewells to my home at the Cambridge Buddhist Association, to our marriage and my was... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

Refreshing Practice

This morning at dawn I brought cushions outside on the little cement stoop in front of my house to sit. I felt peaceful but tired, lackluster, needing to be refreshed by the cool air of early morning and the spaciousness of being outdoors. In the midst... Read more

Retreat Practice, Part II: What’s With All The Rules?

Last week I offered some general reasons for going on retreat. However varied, what they all point to is that the retreat center environment, the schedule, and the rules are all designed to make it as easy as possible for you to put aside your concern... Read more

Author: Trudy Goodman, PhD

Happy Interdependence Day!

Jack and I just finished teaching a retreat at the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat in Spain, known to the Catalans as Montsagrat, “Sacred Mountain.” In pre-Christian times, the Romans built a temple here to honor their goddess Venus. ... Read more

Breakfast with Ram Dass

The Emotional Currency of the Heart

Mother of Thousands

We Are Sisters and Brothers

Towards A Wise and Caring Nation

Not Too Late

What Will You Do With The Rest Of Your Life?

Refreshing Practice

Retreat Practice, Part II: What’s With All The Rules?

Happy Interdependence Day!

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