One of the most influential Japanese poets of all time, Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) elevated haiku from a mere literary pastime into an exquisite poetic craft. Leaving his hometown of Ueno behind, he moved to Kyoto, where he studied poetry and Zen as a young man and later became a Buddhist monk. This, perhaps, is why … Read more
Have you ever imagined mindfulness as your best friend? An interesting perspective on this issue comes from the book Satipatthana: A Practice Guide by a scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo. In the chapter titled “Cultivating Mindfulness,” he makes the following comparison: Although mindfulness requires cultivation, being a quality that needs to be established, such cultivation is not … Read more
“Be yourself.” “Trust yourself.” “Love yourself.” At the heart of all such sentiments lies an unshakable belief that the quality of your relationships with others depends on the quality of your relationship with yourself. Hence the famous saying, “To love others, you must first love yourself.” In my opinion, many in the self-help industry who … Read more
I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes. I find them while surfing the web, reading a book, or doing research for one of my articles. As someone who’s passionate about writing, I like to keep these small reminders front and center because of their capacity to ground me in the present moment and … Read more