 At least one of the derivations of the word “chaplain” goes back to the 14th century when a soldier was carrying the cloak of St. Martin into battle. He encountered another soldier who was shivering and cold and the word cloak, capella or cappa, in Italian, is the origin of the word chaplain, and in encountering this soldier, to shelter him he cut the cloak in half, and gave him half. So, what evolved as a usage or meaning is, in a sense, a kind of sacred cloak that one wears, that is offered by someone. A chaplain is someone who offers that cloak. And that resonates with what I’ve experienced in chaplaincy. I think that the core principles are just being present, just being able to show up in the room or a space, with someone, meeting someone who is in need. In that encounter, without making too much of it, we can create a kind of sacred space.
– Sensei Alan Senauke, Core Faculty, Upaya Chaplaincy Program 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 07, 2019
 Breathe yourself back to life.
“Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh 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 22, 2019
 The present moment is all you ever have.
“Life is available only in the present moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh 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 07, 2019
 Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
– Thich Nhat Hanh 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 27, 2019
 Uncovering Love
Because a loving heart is the very nature of every human being, to cultivate love does not mean to fabricate something that is not already present. Rather, it means to identify and gradually remove the many obstacles that block access to our loving heart. – Beth Roth, “Family Dharma: A Bedtime Ritual” |
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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 22, 2019
 Death Is a Part of Living
Until you realize the fundamental fact that reality is really in the moment, you’re thinking about long-term goals–‘when I do this’ and ‘when I become that’–so you think, I don’t want to die, because then I won’t be able to do all these things. But if you’re living in the present, death becomes a part of living. – Jason Lewis, “An Interview with Jason Lewis” |
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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 12, 2019
 Wisdom Arising
We train the mind to see things as they happen, neither before nor after. And we don’t cling to the past, the future, or even to the present. We participate in what is happening and at the same time observe it without clinging to the events of the past, the future, or the present. We experience our ego or self arising, dissolving, and evaporating without leaving a trace of it. We see how our greed, anger, and ignorance vanish as we see the reality in life. – Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Wisdom Arising” |
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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 March 05, 2019
 What is a Mindfulness Break?
A mindfulness break is a period of mindfulness, a period of living life deeply in the present moment which can be practiced anywhere, anytime from a moment, to a minute, to ten minutes, to a couple of hours, to a weekend, to a week, to several months or years. – Jerome Freedman, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening NOTE: This month we celebrate my teachers, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Father Eli, who taught me so much about meditation, “mind stories” and visualization. My book, Mindfulness Breaks, Your Path to Awakening, celebrates Thich Nhat Hanh and Father Eli. The book was released last month. Chick on the link below or in the bio 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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Mini Mindfulness Break for March 04, 2019
 Mindful Eating Practices
When we slow down and eat mindfully, our life and health takes on a much deeper quality. Being present with every bite benefits us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We feel nourished on all levels and this has a significant influence on the rest of our day. – Jerome Freedman, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening NOTE: This month we celebrate my teachers, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Father Eli, who taught me so much about meditation, “mind stories” and visualization. My book, Mindfulness Breaks, Your Path to Awakening, celebrates Thich Nhat Hanh and Father Eli. The book was released last month. Chick on the link below or in the bio 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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