Gavril Nikolaev
Some poets have this power. They can help us stop and discover moments of spaciousness free of mundane troubles, free of our mind with its automatic reactions and obsessive self-concerns. One such poet is Mary Oliver (September 10, 1935–January 17, 2019), winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, who is known for … Read more
Sometimes, the most challenging part of practicing mindfulness lies in full acceptance of what is. It starts small, like letting go of a distracting thought and going back to the immediacy of your breath during meditation. But then it slowly becomes a part of your everyday life – an ability to stay grounded in the … Read more
How do we read a haiku? A surprising primer on this art comes from a slim volume by Yoel Hoffmann titled Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death. In the introductory part of the book, we learn that a haiku consists of seventeen syllables written in three … Read more
Although initially my daily meditation was secular, it eventually lead me to Buddhism and evolved into a spiritual practice. If I had to name its most challenging part, it would be following the five precepts. For example, a non-monastic life inadvertently leads to occasional alcohol use, white lies, and other morally questionable choices (no … Read more