 The Universe of Wonder
To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe–to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it–is a wonder beyond words. – Joanna Macy and Sam Mowe, “The Work That Reconnects” |
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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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Mini Mindfulness Break for February 06, 2019
 The Mindlessness of Aggression
In the eyes of Great Compassion, there is no separation between subject and object, no separate self. If a cruel and violent person disembowels you, you can smile and look at him with love. It is his upbringing, his situation, and his ignorance that cause him to act so mindlessly. – Thich Nhat Hanh, “Great Compassion” 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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Mini Mindfulness Break for January 20, 2019
 Egocentric karmic conditioning/self-hate specializes in the “that’s beautiful/that’s ugly,” “that’s malevolent/that’s healing.” The dualistic world of the illusion of a self separate from Life is constantly comparing/judging. But we know that dualistic process is an illusion. There’s no such thing as this or that; there’s only and always this AND that. One whole.
– Cheri Huber |
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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 January 13, 2019
 How Habits Stick
Sticking to the precepts requires constant self-monitoring, discernment, and effort, but there comes a point when the practicality, the boon, of the thing sinks into the organic body and saturates one’s actions. Violating the precepts gets harder to do. – Mary Talbot, “The Joy of No Sex” |
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May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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