Knowing what brings us joy and suffering reveals a path towards being of service to others.
Spirituality and Personal Growth
The Answer To Uncertainty Is Service
In a lot of ways, many of us feel at a kind of rock bottom. It doesn’t really matter who you voted for, either way, most of us are feeling a new level of uncertainty. What is going to happen in the world? Where do each of us go from here? The answer that is to be of service
Why Spiritual Inquiry And Social Advocacy Are One
According the the ancient Zen Master Won Hyo, “Helping oneself and helping others are like the two wings of a bird.” This is why I merge the discussions of spirituality and social and environmental advocacy. A video to watch and some text to read.
A Simple Mindfulness Exercise That Will Help You Waste Less Life
When we don’t pay attention, we waste money, we waste resources, we waste time, and we waste our lives. When we aren’t mindful of this moment, we waste. Therefore, paying attention and trying not to waste is a simple mindfulness exercise we can do all day. The simple act of being mindful and trying not to waste can both help us have better lives for ourselves and and help the world.
A Parable About Not Getting Quite So Caught Up in the Noise
The story of a wise man, faced with a conundrum that could result in the death of a bird, and how taking care of our own spiritual fitness matters when it comes to helping those around us and the world.
I Wanted To Tell You (My Recent Newsletter)
My most recent newsletter: An update on my life and work and news of a live, internet event you can participate in and nearly-free copies of my book!
Why Your Therapy Or Spiritual Practice Might Not Be Working (And What You Can Do)
When Freud, Jung, Rogers, Perls and others developed analysis and therapy in the last century, so many of them–and their patients–lived in stable, safe, happy worlds. If they were personally unhappy, there was something wrong with them and they needed to change themselves. But what if our unhappiness comes not from something we need to fix in ourselves but from something that needs to be changed in the world? Here are some hints.
Does Enlightenment Matter When Police Are Shooting Black People?
Many people seek enlightenment or peace or nirvana as the goal of their spiritual practice. But how can there be peace when other people are suffering? I wrote this article about using practice to help understand how to help in the face of institutional racism for the Kwan Um School of Zen newsletter Primary Point. The article’s original […]