Letting go of the belief that the way you see things (the story you tell yourself) is either real or true is difficult–it’s the hardest lesson. It is when reality conflicts with the story, however, that a real opportunity for growth and shifting occurs. Given how 2020 went, a lot of people are questioning their …
I have 2 booklets, Half Asleep in the Buddha Hall and This Endless Moment 2nd. edition on a site called Smashwords. They do a nice job of promoting downloadable books. They’re running a promotion for the holidays. I added all 4 items to the promotion. From now until January 15, you can have any or all …
Going Home for the Holidays? Nope. Just stay away from the crowds, eh? Maybe next year… So, what might you do for yourself this year? Or for yourself and your home circle? Here are a few ideas. I suspect none of us are going to forget 2020. Masks. Isolation. Thousands upon thousands of deaths, millions afflicted. And …
Ceilings and The Dynamics of Depression — depression is simply a label, and for most of us, not a helpful one. Let’s explore depression and see if there’s a link between negative stories and depression. So, I received a question: “Recently started to follow your blog. I’ve been interested in Zen Buddhism for many years …
Setting Boundaries — one source for stress is a lack of boundaries, AKA the inability to say no. What Are Boundaries? Personal boundaries are emotional, physical, and mental limits that we establish. Boundaries differ from person to person, and are: based on one’s needs and desires designed to protect him or herself from being used, manipulated, or even violated by …
The art of appreciating life is seldom practiced. I suspect this is so because appreciation actually contradicts our belief about how much is ‘wrong’ with life. I decided to publish this the day before the elections in the good ole US of A. (Slight sarcasm there…) Either 4 more years of the “vulgar talking yam,” or 4 years of …
Communicate Better: Dialogue is a tool for self-exploration. It’s not a way to get others to behave, but rather a way to learn about yourself. I’ve written a ton of articles about communication and dialogue. I’ve focused on how to communicate better in all of my books, and can state categorically that good communication skills …
Fearless living: Many people wish to put their fears aside and to create and live a full and elegant life. In Zen, we say this is simple, as in “Simply Sit.” Or, “Pay attention!” Or, “Wake up!” Introduction to Fearless Living Many people wish to put their fears aside and to create and live a full and elegant life. In …
The Dance of Shadow and Light is where the juice is. Here, we discover the interplay of presence and action. Learn to let go of rules, and live! One way artists achieve “three dimensionality” is to create the illusion of depth through the interplay of shadow and light. A painting featuring nothing but light would be a …
Better relating — Of all the ways to Deepen Relationships, here are 6 of my favourites I suspect that most folk do not examine their relationship—except when things are off the rails. There’s a tendency to think that relationships are supposed to “just work,” and that the purpose of finding a partner is to have someone there to …
