Sometimes, you might need a personal consultation on how to meditate or overcome specific obstacles that hinder your practice. I believe my advice will be useful to those who consider meditation a part of their spiritual journey. As a lay follower, I do my best to embody the Buddha’s teachings in my daily life, no matter … Read more
I was looking back at an older article I’d written about keeping busy to avoid dealing with sadness when I came across a sentence I’d later decided to simplify. The original read: “The bath of self-pity, the wallow, the loathsome sticky-sweet pleasure of indulging in it — that no longer threatened to bring everything down … Read more
Although I own both devices, I prefer a dumbphone to a smartphone. It sounds counterintuitive, but that’s how I’m able to conserve one of the most scarce mental resources: my attention. Instead of scrolling through social media feeds, I spend my time reading, writing, and living in the present moment. It’s a powerful way to … Read more
Do you want to learn how to practice one-minute mindfulness? I’ve been reading 8 Mindful Steps to Happiness, one of the most accessible and lucid guides to cultivating awareness, by the beloved Buddhist teacher Ven. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. In the chapter titled “Beginning a Practice of Mindfulness,” in discussing what beginners can do to be … Read more
It was late enough that I should have been asleep when I opened the conversation again. Earlier that day, a friend and I had been making plans to see “Citizen Kane” at a local theater during a weekend retro screening. It was one of those repertory events that made the ordinary theater feel slightly different: … Read more