The ninth Paramita is Metta or lovingkindness. This is a quality we are very familiar with in class because I end each meditation with a metta practice, sending it first to ourselves, then to some person, a group or a situation in particular need of metta right now. And then to all beings: May all […]
Happy Summer Solstice! Can you be fully present in this miraculous moment and radiate lovingkindness like the sun?
This week I didn’t teach meditation because I had an appointment to renew my driver’s license. This is a necessary life event that’s hard not to dread — all that dreary standing in line and then sItting around in the crowded DMV office waiting for your number to be called, having your papers shuffled through […]
(Following up on a comment on the last post.)Empathy is inherent to brain development. From a very young age most of us are able to pick up on the emotional states of others. This ability is a benefit to the development of relationships, but it can also be problematic if a child is surrounded by […]
When we see how loving-kindness (metta in the Pali language) makes all the difference in our lives and in our relationships, why is it sometimes so difficult to muster? Believing that metta is finiteWhen we practice sending metta we are activating our natural sense of generosity. This generosity comes in part from understanding the nature […]
Throughout the day there are so many opportunities to practice coming fully into the present moment. Here are a few examples: Holding your cup of coffee or tea Watching a weather phenomenon arising and falling away Riding mass transit Waiting in line Walking anywhere Whether you meditate or not, you can still practice being present […]
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” – Abraham Lincoln What noises irritate you? I was asked this question by a recent survey about ‘noise pollution’ so it brought up a lot of thoughts about our relationship with sound. In Mexico a local once told me that when you […]
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder This quote was shared in the poetry class I attend and it has stayed with me. At first I thought it was because it speaks to the treasure of being alive to feel […]
When I’m studying French on the Duolingo app, sometimes I find myself thinking about a restaurant where we recently met up with family members. Why? I was early and used the time to finish up my lesson while we waited for them, and now the restaurant and Duolingo are linked in some mental thought thread […]
The definition of awakening (or enlightenment) is ending greed, aversion and delusion — The Three Poisons. It’s pretty easy to recognize greed: ‘If I just had fill in the blank I would be happy.’ It’s even easier to recognize aversion, finding fault and making an enemy of people, things, situations and aspects of ourselves. But, […]
