Honesty is essential for our practice to help us understand and improve our way of coping with the vagaries of life.  First, we need to practice using Wise Speech, a major part of which is truthfulness, an ‘external’ honesty that helps us avoid generating more dukkha for ourselves and those around us.  Then we also

When people have had a meditation routine for a while, they often start to want to go deeper in their practice.  There can be several motivations.  Maybe they’ve uncovered a habit of thinking or feeling that’s been causing a lot of trouble in their lives, and they want to focus on it and find out

After writing and talking a lot about the crucial relationship we all have with the notion of “self,” I have to emphasize that this relationship needs to be a loving one.  Misunderstanding the self, and trying to get rid of it can lead to a great deal of suffering and possibly to psychological trauma. On

A heart open to suffering allows us to hurt less and rejoice more.  The Greek, Latin and French roots of “compassion” roughly mean we’re open to a feeling of sorrow stirred by the suffering of others.  It may seem like compassion would add to the dukkha that otherwise fills our lives, but it doesn’t work

For many people, the Buddha’s teaching about “not-self” (anatta) feels like an assault on themselves.  In fact, it’s the jailer come to unlock their cell door.  Tagore, the Nobel poet laureate wrote:  He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon.  I am ever busy building this wall all around; and as

What is this word that begins so many endings or disappears as a mere mistake?  What is it that arrests the attention of someone who spends a career staring at shadows?  This ultimate darkness between the looming shapes of life emerges into visibility and drags with it life and death.  What is this spot sighted

It’s hard to see that we’re thinking without getting caught up in the thoughts.  It can seem like the harder we try the harder it gets, especially when we’ve just started to meditate.  Like getting on a skittish horse, all we can do is just try to stay with the bumpy ride.  As we relax

It’s actually a practice recommended by the Buddha to appreciate ourselves.  When asked by monks in his Sangha what would be good for them to think about when they weren’t otherwise practicing, the Buddha said they should think about their own goodness.  Almost all of us have been generous and kind, worked for the benefit

Most meditators who talk with me are concerned that they haven’t meditated as much as they think would be good for them.  For my part, I vividly recall my relief when I saw a video in which Pema Chodron acknowledged to Alice Walker that there were times when she couldn’t meditate.  The most common culprit

What makes you happy?  During the year, there are certain days that are ordained “happy” ones.  Holidays, your birthday, days that aren’t holidays but designated happy like Valentines’s or Mother’s or Father’s Days.  Days many people aren’t sure what they’re about, but they’re supposed to be happy nevertheless.  It can be a real strain to