“Give it up,” he said and I heard a click. I glanced down, and there was a switchblade pointed at my belly. I looked up and with genuine surprise replied, “What do you mean?” as I took my hands and arms away from my body.
As you practice, and when you’ve watched your mind long enough, you are aware of its movement. Not just how one thought turns into the next, seemingly with no thread of sanity or sense, but with time, you actually experience [...]
Begin at the beginning, end at the end refers to a very practical and straight foward practice that I recommend to everyone. (excerpt by Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings of the Practice of Lojong, Shambhala Publications Inc., 2013)
It can be difficult to be involved in knowing about and staying up to date with the news of the world day after day. Our heart mind might feel overwhelmed, angry, triggered, some of us might even be feeling hopeless [...]
What would it be like to receive whatever was given and not reject, close down or desire more? I’ve been imagining how to be more like this by imagining myself as a bowl. Either simply by picturing myself as [...]
Summertime greetings! Over the past few months I've met so many of you in Europe, London, and the U.S., - so many incredible heart/minds gathering to learn, practice and step into seeing things as they are, discover deeper meaning, unplug [...]
Just like a garden bed, seeds can be planted in our mind to either flourish or be prevented from taking root. This all depends on the how receptive and fertile the garden bed (of the mind) is at any given [...]
One thing leads to another. Karma is created by a cause and a resulting condition. Experience is met through the 6 senses: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin (sensation) and mind. What the mind does with what is met or experienced [...]
Not knowing, also called beginners mind can be a particularly helpful intention to work with as this new year dawns. Not knowing is a way to experience what we are experiencing with a fresh and untainted mind, as if we [...]
When thinking of ourselves, we generally have a pretty clear picture of who we are, our likes and dislikes, our strengths and weaknesses. What if we were to view and examine various aspects of ourselves and tease apart our various [...]