Do you remember the last time someone said or did something you didn’t like? Did you notice how quickly you felt the desire to lash out at the person? At that moment, it’s easy to do something regrettable. Buddhist nun Pema Chodron reveals a simple way to avoid this outcome. In her book “Taking the … Read more
A quick YouTube search will reveal dozens of meditation techniques you can try right now. But in Buddhism, there are only two main types of meditation. The first is aimed at achieving serenity (samatha), the other is aimed at gaining insight (vipassana). Achieving serenity leads to one-pointed concentration of the mind (samadhi). And gaining insight … Read more
With a few exceptions, my current Buddhist self prefers to watch slow, contemplative TV shows like “The White Lotus.” One of my former selves, however, used to like violent action films. But even then that fascination was mostly prompted by the cinematic artistry rather than the violence itself. That’s why one of my top picks … Read more
“We only need to choose our words carefully, and we can make other people happy,” Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his meditation on deep listening and loving speech. Thinking about this advice, reminded of a book titled “What Would Buddha Say?: 1,501 Right-Speech Teachings for Communicating Mindfully,” written by Barbara Ann Kipfer, a … Read more