Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

Mindfulness Matters

“Dharma Day” is a commemoration of the day when the Buddha initiated his teaching career–a tenure that lasted for over forty years. According to legend, he hesitated at first to teach what he had experienced under the Bodhi tree. He didn’t think anyone could understand it or want to follow the implications of his insights.…

The worst fires in Colorado’s history are still burning and will be until the snows come this Fall. Hundreds of homes have been lost to fire. Thousands have been evacuated. This kind of disaster begs the question: When your house is about to burn down, what do you bring with you? For those in Colorado,…

The film Kumaré: A True Story of a False Prophet is a bold experiment–part social psychology, part Borat, part Being There. Vikram Gandhi was born in New Jersey. He developed an interest in film making and Eastern spirituality. The film starts with Gandhi interviewing gurus and spiritual leaders. In the process of doing so, he…

Hello readers. More to come soon, I promise. Meanwhile, read this article on FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) that I was consulted for. It appears in Women’s Health on the ABC News site. Fear of Missing Out: Are You a Slave to FOMO? by Sarah Miller.

We are in the midst of another heat wave. It’s in the 90s and that is unusual for Northern Vermont. It’s dangerously hot and humid. It’s easy not to like this weather and because of this ready aversion the heat has much to teach us about living an awakened life. The unpleasantness of the warmth…

The eleventh district of Ohio has a remarkable representative to congress–Tim Ryan. In 2005, of all the members of House of Representatives who received a copy of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s magnum opus–Coming to Our Senses–apparently Congressman Ryan is the only one who read the hundred pages on mindfulness and politics–or at least he appears to be…

I don’t feel like writing a post. I didn’t feel like exercising either. I don’t feel like sitting, too. Fortunately, I am hosting a group sit later this afternoon, so this will help me to overcome my sloth and torpor. Don’t ask me what the difference between sloth and torpor are. I suppose sloth, based…

Someone recently, said she was going to use mind over matter to deal with some discomfort that she was anticipating to arise during meditation. Insetad, I suggested she engage “mind with matter.” Mind over matter suggests a clear separation between mind and matter. I really don’t think this separation exists. All “mind” is influenced by…

In a contemplative context with a group of friends, we considered this most common of questions. “How are you” is a powerful communication and one that is not always asked with intention, authenticity, and interest. Sometimes it is hard to answer with the same qualities. What do you do when someone asks, “How are you?”…

This is the final set of reflections on obstacles to practice focusing on the Buddha’s five hindrances (well not his hindrances, but the five that he set out as obstacles to meditation). The Five are a laundry list of things that are rarely a good idea–sensual desire anger, anxiety, laziness, and doubt. We’ll look at these…
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners