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Ordinary Mind Is The Way
We learn from the past what to predict for the future and then live the future we expect.... Predictions based on the past allow for more efficient brain function in the present, but can lead to mistakes. — Regina Pally, The Predictive Brain In the Zen tradition,...
Embracing Change
“Put aside the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases, and learn to take the backward step that turns the light and shines it inward.” These words are from Zen teacher Dogen Zenji who lived in Japan during the 13th century. I mentioned this...
Day Of Mindfulness/Weekly Sabbath
When my two children were in elementary school, a weekly day of doing less was an important part of our family ritual. We borrowed some ideas from the Jewish Sabbath as well as Buddhist Day of Mindfulness practices. At the heart of our day we had three simple rules...
How Do We Decide? Perched On Top Of a 100 Foot Pole
To go to war or not to go to war? To act or to wait and see? Women’s rights or the rights of the unborn? Collaborate or challenge? Step forward or step back? What is our real motivation? How do we decide? Where do we stand? There is a story, a koan in Zen: “How do you...
Goals and Intentions
The goal of our life’s effort is to reach the other shore…the true wisdom of life is that in each step of the way, the other shore is actually reached. To reach the other shore with each step of the crossing is the way of true living. –Shunryu Suzuki, from Zen Mind,...
Your Five-Year and Ten-Year Plan
I was recently celebrating my friend Darlene Cohen’s life by re-reading one of her books, Turning Suffering Inside Out. Darlene was a wonderful, brilliant, outrageous person, and long-time Zen teacher. She suffered much of her life from severe rheumatoid arthritis....