On Moshe-Leib of Sassov

  Before we leave Sassov, let us take a minute to ask ourselves these last questions:  Was Reb Moshe-Leib the forerunner of all those helpless men and women who, generations later, eternities later, continued to…

We Inter-Continue

I continue in you You continue in me Maybe you will influence life In northwest China in 15 years Maybe I will influence life In southern Nigeria in 22 years We are the continuation of…

Mindfulness Has Genius, Power, and Magic in It

At this morning’s discussion of Thay’s The Art of Communicating, Madalyn spoke  about how she notices more interconnections the more she practices mindfulness.  This reminded me of the following reflection from W. H. Murray, which I’ve adapted: Until…

Devi

What did people see in [Sri Anandamayi] Ma that so captivated their hearts? They found a combination of the sweetness of maternal affection and the profound depths of a mystical knower of God. In this…

An Achievable Goal

“I vow to bring joy to one person in the morning and to help relieve the suffering of one person in the afternoon.” –Thích Nhất Hạnh

The United States versus the Gospels

The crime of liberation theology was that it takes the Gospels seriously. That’s unacceptable. The Gospels are radical pacifist material, if you take a look at them. When the Roman emperor Constantine adopted Christianity, he…

With the Sangha

Yesterday Brian, Melissa, Katie and I met in my home for our sangha’s second Saturday of the month meditation.  We listened to a talk Thich Nhat Hanh gave 30 years ago, in which he advocated…

Keep It Simple

“I vow to bring joy to one person in the morning and to help relieve the suffering of one person in the afternoon.” –Thích Nhất Hạnh

Word of the Day: Maitri

“Maitri is translated in a lot of ways, maybe most commonly as love, but the way Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche translated it was unconditional friendliness and in particular unconditional friendliness to oneself.” — Pema  Chödron