Intimate Relationship as a Spiritual Crucible

Living with someone we love, with all the joys and challenges, is one of the best ways to grow spiritually. But real awakening only happens, says renowned psychologist John Welwood, in the charnel ground where we acknowledge and work with our wounds, fears, and illusions. >>

Thich Nhat Hanh on The Practice of Mindfulness

“Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.” It is such a simple practice, but it can transform your life. The great meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches five mindfulness exercises to help you live with happiness and joy.

Read more from the mindfulness master and check out 10 Steps to Mindfulness

The Meaning of the Dalai Lama for Today

It is not merely that the Dalai Lama represents “Buddhism,” thought to be a distinct “religious system.” He is much more than a nominal leader of an organization. He does not seek to convert anyone to “Buddhism.” “Buddhism” is not a world organization, competing with other organized world religions, seeking strength in numbers. It is an age-old movement seeking to educate the heart and mind of any being for freedom and happiness, no matter what their ideology. It is a teaching of the reality of selflessness and relationality. The Dalai Lama is a simple monk, an adept mind scientist, a thorough scholar, a spiritual teacher, a diplomat, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, an apostle of nonviolence, an advocate of intelligence and universal responsibility, and the living exemplar of what he calls "our common human religion of kindness."  Robert Thurman explores the modern relevance of the Dalai Lama and his message.

How to do Mindfulness Meditation

“Mindfulness practice is simple and completely feasible. Just by sitting and doing nothing, we are doing a tremendous amount.”

In mindfulness, or shamatha, meditation, we are trying to achieve a mind that is stable and calm. What we begin to discover is that this calmness or harmony is a natural aspect of the mind. Through mindfulness practice we are just developing and strengthening it, and eventually we are able to remain peacefully in our mind without struggling. Our mind naturally feels content.

Read more from the Shambhala Sun article about:

Creating a Favorable Environment

Beginning the Practice

Posture

Gaze

Breath

Thoughts

Let Your Passion Cook

Mindful cooking is not detached or subdued, says Edward Espe Brown. It’s cooking with your whole being engaged—mind, body, and emotions.  A cook’s temperament is a passion for life. Learn to let your passion cook. More>>

Parents, Being Ordinary is Special

Today’s parents offer too much approval and enthusiasm for simply their children’s existence, disrupting kids’ growing abilities to accept realistically both their strengths and their weaknesses, which is the true foundation of self-esteem. Dr. Young-Eisendrath sees the solution in a return to being “ordinary,” as this is rooted in “wisdom about our human condition and a knowledge of how we are all connected.” Parents, avoid what Young-Eisendrath calls The Self Esteem Trap to raise well balanced kids. More>>>