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Mindfulness Matters

The Buddha used metaphors as upaya, which translate to skillful means. One Buddhist scholar said, “The Buddha’s skill in teaching the Dharma, demonstrated in his ability to adapt his message to the context in which it was delivered. Parables, metaphors, and similes formed an important part of his teaching repertoire, skillfully tailored to suit the…

Mind, in the sense that it is used here, means the totality of our experience of awareness and includes both the intellect (thinking) and the heart (feeling). Becoming familiar with the various aspects of the mind is an important part of developing the Exquisite Mind. This section is organized in six sections (principles, mental factors, mechanics,…

It’s TED Tuesday! We tend to think of play as something kids do and as frivolous for adults in our work-ethic driven culture. But as Stuart Brown demonstrates in this TED talk, play is anything but frivolous and not just for kids. Since animals play, play is part of our genetic inheritance and serves important…

There are two things we can safely say about human beings. The first is that we are social creatures. The second is that we are highly resilient, able to withstand the most horrific of circumstances and resume life once the trauma is over. These two basic human truths are intertwined as portrayed in the story…

Has the Buddhist revolution begun? This Wall Street Journal headline, “U. S. Superrich Vow to Share Wealth” gives hope that perhaps the revolution has begun. Buddhism doesn’t have a patent on generosity and none of these philanthropists has cited Buddhist reasons for doing so, but doing so certainly embraces the virtue of dana (generosity). Nevertheless,…

I recently rented and watched “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” starring Richard Gere and an array of Akita’s. The movie is based on the true story of an Akita who waited for his deceased master at the train station everyday for ten years until his own death. The original story took place in 1920s Tokyo and…

Q: Talk a little bit about mindfulness. What is it? What are it’s benefits? How can it be cultivated? A:  A New Yorker cartoon shows a beleaguered looking man clutching the arms of a stuffed chair being addressed by his wife. She tells him with a look of pity and concern, “You should never engage in…

The Buddha noted three obstacles to seeing reality more clearly: delusion, greed, and hatred (or sometimes translated ignorance, desire, and aversion). These forces bias our perception and the distorted experience does not map onto reality. The results of pursuing such biased perceptions is usual destructive. Take the recent collapse in the financial system. Greed led…

The first time I heard of Bob Thurman it was 1984. I was in the small audience of the Amherst College Chapel for the first Inner Science Meeting. The Inner Science Meeting was the predecessor to the Mind and Life Meetings that have taken place since 1987 where His Holiness the Dalai Lama confers with…

Dear Readers, It’s been nearly a month since I started writing Mindfulness Matters: Tools for Living Now, and I thought I would take a moment to say thanks to those of you who have discovered the blog and have been following it faithfully. It is my aim to offer something each day that will teach,…
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