THE POWER OF SMILING: when, how, and why Most of us are resistant to doing this exercise. We feel it is fake or unnatural to smile w/o a reason. ….and yet it is recommended not only by psychotherapists (Ref 1) but also described in Zen literature (Ref 2). When to smile? Our face is a […]
EXPECTATIONS: HIDDEN SOURCES OF WORRIES Expectations are true desires projected in the future, and, like any desires they may cause suffering. Of course, we cannot live w/o expectations regarding our loved ones, self, work, events, and life in general.. […]
THE POWER OF THE 6 PARAMITAS or transcendent perfections The six paramitas, or “perfections,” hold great significance because they are the fundamental guiding principles for Zen practitioners. By cultivating the paramitas — generosity, discipline, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom — we can experience profound benefits in our personal growth, spiritual journey, and relationship with others. […]
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LEARNING TO PRACTICE LOVING KINDNESS OR METTA In our Western culture, we find it difficult to direct loving-kindness and compassion to ourselves. We may feel that we are unworthy, or that it is too egocentric or […]
How to cultivate resilience during tough times. All of us can feel the impact of challenging times. What we cannot control doesn’t mean we’re powerless. When we’re up against change, uncertainty, anger, grief, worries, and stress, resilience is the key to navigating life and emerging with more […]
Meditation as a Tool for Dealing with Distraction Being distracted is part of the human condition. Our monkey minds are often unfocused and trapped in thoughts and wanderings. Worse yet, modern life has added to our distractedness with its enticing baits, from scrolling on social media to binge-watching on Netflix. Although distraction is not new […]
Dialogue between a little dog named Maya and myself. or Zen Buddhism in a nutshell. Without having an exciting life, I could not understand Maya’s ongoing happiness, even serenity so, one morning, I took her for a one-on-one chat and asked her: “Maya: tells me how can you be so happy and serene all the […]
Not Knowing: being at ease with not knowing, and why that? Zen is teaching us to let go of our addictive preoccupation with accumulating knowledge, opinion, and judgment. He is asking us to embrace an attitude of “don’t know mind” or “not knowing” This “Not knowing ”does not mean stupidity, laziness, confusion, or rudeness. We […]
