mindful dishwashing
When I do catch the mind moment, in mindful dishwashing, the most ordinary things take on inexpressible beauty. A few folks have asked me if I am feeling any lingering effects … Read more
not knowing
Anything can happen. Yes, on the surface, that can feel ominous, especially in these times. But it is precisely because anything can happen that allows us to experience freedom from stress, grief, … Read more
lotus blooms in fire
OK, that post title is a bit of click-bait. But you’re here now. So let me explain how the 13th century Japanese Zen master Dogen’s phrase is the title of this post. … Read more
let’s live like nomads
I love Buddhist humor. I especially love the way many Buddhist meditation masters find humorous ways to show us how uptight we can get. Back in ancient times, before kids, my wife … Read more
simple, clear and delicious
Our simple practice of sustaining mindful attention on the most ordinary happenings in our everyday life, can bring this feeling of really being alive. We meditate for many different reasons. Often, … Read more
have your self a foolish little Christmas
Ram Dass encouraged us to embrace our foolish selves rather than try to fix them I heard the news as I was driving home from work this past Tuesday morning. … Read more
I wish I could have given him the moon
Good poems, for me, are often potent teachings on how to live this precious life we are given. Over the years I have been moved to tears reading poems. There is one … Read more
just as you are
You can’t push the river, the Zen masters of old would say. And wow, how I have tried—reading, studying the Dharma, going on retreats, even fasting at times. I feel … Read more
suffering is natural
One of my teachers, Michele McDonald-Smith, once recounted that a 92 year old relative of hers, on being informed by her doctor of a terminal cancer diagnosis, became upset and implored: As … Read more
just try your best
Meditation is not easy, I get it. There are aches and pains in the body, the mind gets restless; the breath fades in and out of awareness. Sometimes, mostly out. … Read more
savor the resistance
Do we feel we are missing out on some better, or more spiritual, experience by being stuck with a mountain of laundry, a sink overflowing with dishes, or a yard full of … Read more
faith in small things
“Don’t think that love must be extraordinary to be genuine. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your … Read more
