Over the past seventeen years I have known Venerable Dhamananda we have had many discussions about compassion. She has helped me accept that there is no magic formula to learn how to be more compassionate; it is our practice that leads us on the pathw... Read more
Self Compassion for Anxiety
Anxiety and I are long-time friends. She has been present in my life since my earliest memories. However, we weren’t always friends and I didn’t know her name was anxiety until later in life. I gave anxiety a “her” pronoun because I have discovered th... Read more
Devotional Practice for a Peaceful Heart
There is a conundrum in spiritual practice. “I” practice meditation or Dharma to find peace of mind and that “me” must do something to get there. And yet, the very idea of me doing it, for myself, for my suffering, and the notion of “getting there” ar... Read more
You Are Good Enough
My daughter Hilary and I just made a pilgrimage back to Cambridge where she grew up. Her children are launched now. We’ve had a few days together, just the two of us – such a rare opportunity. Seeing old friends, walking around Harvard Square in the r... Read more
Navigating the Path of Service
Myself and Suzanne Smith offer a program that is geared toward caregivers and healthcare professionals; those working closely with death and dying, deep loss, and grief. ‘Meditation, Mindfulness and Coping with Death,’ is a daylong retreat offering to... Read more
Explore Unique Perspectives
Affinity groups are very helpful. It helps when people are able to gather with others who have the same unique experiences as each other. You feel less alone, and when you are with others going through the same things as you, you are able to come up w... Read more
Responsibility Over Reactiveness
Over a thousand years ago, the great yogi scholar Atisha created a mind training that is still helpful today. “Drive all blames into one” is a slogan that addresses the way human beings so often place blame on others when things go awry.
When some... Read more
The First Foundation: Why Body Practice is Essential
I arrived at a seven day meditation retreat feeling rattled and restless. Although I had been meditating for years and attended many silent retreats, this one felt different. I was unsure how to proceed. As a Zen student, I had plenty of experience me... Read more
Navigating Change and Transition in Elderhood
I catch a glimpse of myself in the hall mirror and see my white hair and the growing wrinkles that line my face. Who is that person looking back at me? My internal sense of myself largely remains the same, yet the visual effects of the passage of time... Read more
Mindfully Enhance Your Empathy
(This article is adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s Affirmations for Empaths: A Year of Guided Journaling and Dr. Ronald Alexander’s Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self)
Empathy is when we reach our hearts out to others and... Read more