Instructions: Place this extremely rich and delicious candy bar in your refrigerator. Each time the craving to nibble, eat, or taste the candy bar arises, gently say “No.” to the mind. Say “no” to the mind with tenderness and understanding. This is a “no” of lovingkindness. In the same way you might say “no” to […]
Guidance on Giving & Dana
Recently, I volunteered to serve as the registrar for an online retreat. This role primarily involved keeping track of participant registrations. It also included responding to their emails if they had issues or questions. Every email I received was about offering donations (called dāna in Buddhism). So, for this month’s blog article, I thought I […]
Do You Have A Meditation Ritual?
How would you answer if someone asked you to reflect on your practice? What would come to mind? Would you think about the time you spend in seated meditation? Would you jump to judgement on how your practice isn’t what you want it to be, or how you could make improvements? For newer practitioners, the […]
Tending The Garden
The Pali word that is most often translated to “cultivate” (also develop, produce, call into existence) is bhavana also often translated as “meditation”. We often overlook what bhavana can mean in the broader sense. In gardening, to cultivate can refer to the whole process of gardening, from preparing the soil, removing weeds, planting seeds, watering, […]
Shock The Monkey
The practice of renunciation is the practice of non-addiction. It is the practice of saying “no” to the mind. It’s not a “no” motivated by aversion but a wise “no” that sees clearly craving in the mind. Where there is fixation and dependency a skillful discrimination and kind “no” are needed. This afternoon while I […]
Embracing Grace
When I was in my chaplaincy program at Naropa University, an insight occurred to me one day. I realized that even though I was studying Buddhist chaplaincy, it was much more likely that I would be ministering to people who identified as Christian rather than Buddhist (and I was right, especially when I worked in […]