Attuning to the Natural Simplicity of Life

The ceaseless demands of today’s world so easily fill up our days. With our smart phones and computer screens we often remain caught on the surface of our lives, amidst the noise and chatter that continually distract us, that stops us from being rooted in our true nature. Unaware we are drowned deeper and deeper in a culture of soulless…

The Problems of the World Need Your Love

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by global problems. Climate change. Children fleeing violence in Central America. Wars across the Middle East. Streams of refugees.  Racism. Prison reform. Black Lives Matter. Homelessness. Economic injustice. Political gridlock. These are part of the fabric of the human race at this time. But the solutions to these problems are also within you. I…

Love Everybody

Lovingkindness practice asks us to embrace our shared humanity with all people, but it does not require us to agree with all of their actions.

Trusting the Three Treasures

The three treasures are the path to the awakened mind, and they are that awakening itself. They point to the ultimate nature that is realized through practice, as well as to how that nature manifests in our practice and actualization, how we embody our understanding of the real nature of things. The Buddha, dharma, and sangha are the real activity…

One Simple Practice That Changes Everything

I’ll never forget my astonishment when I heard the Tibetan teacher Nyshul Khen Rinpoche say, “Everything hangs on intention.” I thought, “Of course! Nothing happens without intention. It’s so crucial!” Wise intention is one of the steps of the Buddha’s eightfold path, and it might be the most important one. Wise intention is what keeps our lives heading in the…

Compassion and Wisdom

As human beings, we all try our best to bring about a world based on kindness and compassion. What seems to go wrong, however, is that what I want, what I personally would like, becomes more important than the benefit of the whole community. Whether we look at religion, philosophy, science, development, or politics, wherever there has been human society…

Paying Attention to Our Inner Child Can Heal Old Wounds

We can spend our days trying to meet ever mounting “to do” lists, unmeetable schedules, wearying routines, the ceaseless demands and responsibilities of adult life. After all, those bills don’t go away on their own. And so it’s easy to forget that along with us on this dizzying ride there’s a child, often bewildered, overwhelmed, still healing from old wounds.…