Thought for the Day
Delusion is dreaming; enlightenment is awakening. –P’u-an
Category: Wisdom Traditions
Spiritual Exercises (for Social Workers, Nurses, Parents, Teachers, Students…)
“To take flight” every day! At least for a moment, which may be brief, so long as it is intense. A “spiritual exercise” every day—alone or in the company of a person who also wants…
Passage to India: From a Letter by Allen Ginsberg to Jack Kerouac
May 11, 1962 I do wish you were here, only calm and peaceful and not yelling at me much, as we could take long 3rd class comfy train trips to the Himalayas and read Mahabharatas…
Accompaniment
If we have one close friend who can understand us and know our aspirations, we feel greatly supported. A good friend does not have to do much. He or she only needs to see us…
What To Do
A student asked Soen Nakagawa During a meditation retreat: “I am very discouraged. What should I do?” Soen replied, “Encourage others.”
Reflections for Today’s Sangha Meditation
If we meditate on and develop compassion—the wish that all others be without suffering—we hold within us the essence of all other Dharma practices. We should unhesitatingly give ourselves to any beneficial task, no matter…
On Bhakti Yoga
1. Allen Ginsberg: Well, the Hindus say that this is the Kali Age or Kali Yuga or Kali Cycle, and we are all so sunk in matter, the five senses are matter, sense, that they…
Itadakimas
Itadakimas is an important word in the Japanese language. Literally, it means, “I place this over my head,” and is translated as “I humbly receive.” It is the blessing which all Japanese, from the day laborer…
Mindfulness with Words
Before hurling insults and accusations at another, one should consider one’s own state of mind and circumstances. The tendency to lash out, defame, and belittle is an aspect of conceit. The scriptures illustrate it with…
Breathe, We Are Alive!
Concentration is Consecration. Eknath Easwaran In Thich Nhat Hanh’s 1993 revised edition of the Tiep Hien precepts, the 7th reads, in part, as follows: “Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both…