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“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver [caption id="attachment_699" align="alignright" width="584"] Every moment is precious...[/caption] Since practicing mindfulness, I'm more aware of my surrounding. I find myself focusing on and attuning to the natural world; experiencing the poignant beauty of life. I'm not talking about the aesthetically pleasing, although that can be...[ read more ]

“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that.The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief,...[ read more ]

“The main affliction of our modern civilization is that we don’t know how to handle the suffering inside us and we try to cover it up with all kinds of consumption.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering     The lotus is symbolic of awakening. It's what Thich Nhat Hanh talks about when he says...[ read more ]

"Fearlessness also comes from benevolence and goodwill in the face of whatever oppresses you. You are afraid, but instead of fighting what faces you, you embrace it and accept it—you develop loving-kindness as a direct antidote to fear."  Sylvia Boorstein Calling on the power of kindness in the face of fear takes tremendous courage. It means we shift from automatically...[ read more ]

"At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi...[ read more ]

“The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you—when there’s a loss that will alter your...[ read more ]

"The two parts of genuine acceptance — seeing clearly and holding our experience with compassion —are as interdependent as the two wings of a great bird. Together, they enable us to fly and be free." It is said that mindfulness is like a bird; it needs two wings to fly. The two wings are clear seeing or wisdom and compassion. In our meditation circle,...[ read more ]

"Cherish this very moment. Let go of the stream of distress and embrace life fully in your arms." Thich Nhat Hanh These words are from a lovely poem by the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and Peace Activist, Thich Nhat Hanh.  Listening with an open mind and heart allows the words to move you, to realize that each moment is a precious...[ read more ]

'For someone deeply trapped in a prison of thought, how good it can feel to meet a mind that hears, a heart that reassures.' Ram Dass and Paul Gorman Going away on a spiritual retreat is an act of courage and kindness.  When we enter Noble Silence, we take a vow to keep silent for a certain period of time....[ read more ]