The Amazing Power of Grace By Michelle Hobby It was 1986 when I went with a group of doctors and nurses to Haiti on a medical mission trip. Tensions were high with the turmoil related to their dictator Papa Doc’s regime. We were surrounded by guards with automatic rifles protecting our group the first few… Read more »
Sangha Members Share At one of our group meditation sessions, sangha members shared their reflections on the experience of bare awareness. Here’s a list of their contributions. Awareness is… seeing through the eyes of a newborn. not getting caught up in content, but staying in spacious context. not getting caught up in details, but expanding… Read more »
The R.A.I.N. approach, originally developed by senior mindfulness teacher Michele McDonald, is a great tool to utilize in your Mindfulness/Vipassana practice. Use it when you’re overwhelmed and need to regather your inner resources to respond rather than react to your current situation. If an intense experience floods you with emotion and you feel lost in… Read more »
By Paul Hibschman There are (supposedly) 200 billion stars in a galaxy and 200 billion galaxies. That is an unfathomable number with a four followed by 18 zeros, or commonly written: 4 x 1018 . That does not count planets or any dark matter or other universes. All told, earth is not even a grain… Read more »
Many of us gravitate towards and feel safe around the “Mary Poppins” of this world – those people known for their sweet, angelic, and “appropriate” behavior. Similarly, we tend to frown upon and judge those who act out their anger “inappropriately.” Somewhere along the line, many of us have subscribed to the story that anger… Read more »
A dharma presentation on dana, or “generosity,” was followed by a rich group discussion in our sangha. Sangha attendees explored their beliefs about generosity and the value it holds in their lives. One man commented, “Sometimes I feel guilty and fear that the recipient of my generosity will think that my intentions aren’t pure.” A… Read more »
Gotama Buddha is historically portrayed as a young prince over 2500 years ago, in what is now known as India, who saw the reality of human suffering so deeply that he left his kingdom with a vow to discover the end to this cycle of unavoidable human stress. As his story unfolds, this intelligent, intense,… Read more »
For many, the Holiday season is one of great joy, sharing and togetherness. Along with joy, however, this season has also been known to set up the perfect conditions for darker and more difficult moods to emerge. It is well-known that this season tends to bring up a lot of confusion and stress for many,… Read more »
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