 Cherishing Existence
This is who and what we are: constellations of matter, vulnerable, impermanent, and–for moments? for lifetimes?–illumined by the miracle of awareness. Whether fleeting or eternal, it’s a miracle that we must never take for granted. – Noelle Oxenhandler, “Awake and Demented “ Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for August 06, 2019
 “Meditative states are not important in themselves. Meditation is a way to quiet the mind so you can practice all daylong wherever you are; see when there is grasping or aversion, clinging or suffering; and then let it go. What’s left is enlightenment, always found here and now, a release of identification with the changing conditions of the world,a resting in awareness. This involves a simple yet profound shift of identity from the myriad, ever-changing conditioned states to the unconditioned consciousness–the awareness which knows them all.
– Ajahn Cha, Dzogchen Center Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for August 03, 2019
 Be Aware of the Ebb and Flow
The Now does not come and go, but includes everything all at once. When we’re aware of being in the Now, present moments come and go, like ripples and waves in the ocean of awake awareness. – Loch Kelly, “When Am I?” Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for July 15, 2019
 A Life Informed by Death
If we really faced our fear of death, our lives would ultimately be lighter and more joyful. I don’t propose death awareness to depress us. It enhances our ability to live more fully. – Larry Rosenberg, “Only the Practice of Dharma Can Help Us at the Time of Death” Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for July 14, 2019
 No hero’s journey ever ends, and your next adventure is already happening. The moment you accept the call to adventure, the road of trials begins finding its way from your unconscious awareness into your consciousness, freeing and expanding your Imagination, helping you become the healing you hope to create.
– Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for May 09, 2019
 unfold your wings in the open sky;
Destroy the but of duality and inhabit the expansive mansion of awareness; Ignorance–dualistic thinking–is the great demon obstructing your path. Slay it right now and be free. – Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for May 02, 2019
 A New Year’s Resolution
I intend to cultivate equanimity and balance–not to panic when things appear to be off track, and not to relax when everything seems to be going smoothly. I intend to cultivate awareness and presence and not focus too hard on the outcome–paying more attention to the process and developing understanding and sympathy for myself and others. – David Nichtern, “A New Year’s Resolution to Consider “ Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for April 21, 2019
 Meditation Needs Context
The practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation does not take place in a vacuum. It happens within a certain context and point of view. In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is often presented in the context of view, meditation, and action. Each of these three is essential, as a system of checks and balances. If we do not understand the view, the practice of meditation can be more of a trap than means of freeing ourselves from deception. Rather than loosening our ego-clinging, it could further perpetuate our ignorance and grasping. Rather than connecting us to our world, it could draw us away from it. Meditation in and of itself is no magical cure-all. Proper understanding and proper motivation are important. The view informs the practice. – Judy Lief, “Is Meditation Enough?” |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for April 18, 2019
 The First Glimpse of Prajna
It is as if we were entering a school to study a certain discipline with great, wise, learned people. The first self-conscious awareness we would have is a sense of our own ignorance, how we feel extraordinarily stupid, clumsy, and dumb. At the same time, we begin to get wind of the knowledge; otherwise, we would have no reference point to experience ourselves being dumb. The first glimpse of prajna is like that. – Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “A Very Practical Joke” |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for February 16, 2019
 “If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of
paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are. “Interbeing” is a word that is not in the dictionary yet, but if we combine the prefix “inter-” with the verb “to be,” we have a new verb, inter-be. The observation that we “inter-are”, while true and poetic is not really the most important element of “Interbeing”. The important part is the realization that there is no independant self – that the perception of self, of “me”, of “mine” is an illusion. Awareness that “I” am made of “non-I” elements leads to the understanding of non-self and it is the realizaton of non-self that brings an end to suffering.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding NOTE: This month we celebrate my teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh who is now residing in his original temple, Tu Hieu in Vietnam. According to Plum Village sources, he plans to spend the rest of his days there, walking and visiting the resting place of his teacher. My book, Mindfulness Breaks, Your Path to Awakening, celebrates Thich Nhat Hanh and one of my first teachers, Father Eli. The book is being released this month. Chick on the link below for more information. |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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