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Tag Archives: meditation
The Space Between
What do you do when you are between things? When you are waiting for the elevator, do you fiddle with your phone? When sitting in traffic, do you keep changing radio stations until the traffic signal turns green? Or, when … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, Uncategorized
Tagged breathing, buddhism, curiosity, meditation, slowingdown, thespacebetween, vulnerability
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Seeing is Believing
“See things as they are, and all your suffering will end.” So says the Buddha. This same message is given by Krishnamurti, Alan Watts, and the Bhagavad Gita. My favourite American Zen Buddhist nun, Charlotte Joko-Beck, says it too. I … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism
Tagged Alan Watts, Bhagavad Gita, Buddha, buddhism, Charlotte Joko-Beck, flow, joy, meditation, mindfulness, peace, stillness, suffering, vipassana, Zen buddhism
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My experiences with Vipassana meditation: Mindful eating
Recently, I went on a 10-day meditation retreat to learn Vipassana meditation. Vipassana means insight and the whole ten days were spent in silence, with no distractions of phones, reading, writing or conversations. No exchanges with the external world, not … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, Fitness
Tagged buddhism, farm to table, Food, meditation, mindfulness, slow eating, vipassana
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Do nothing
Do nothing: the two most pleasing words on some days. On a regular basis, I love giving myself the permission to not act, to not react, to not do. I give myself space, lots and lots of empty space. There … Continue reading
Posted in City life
Tagged activity, break, creativity, meditation, nothingness, pause, quiet, space, stillness
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Om, before and after
Om is a remarkable word, sound, utterance. It is a mantra in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, resonating for thousands of years across the universe. There is something powerful in the single syllable, in the vibrations it triggers. Without fail, the … Continue reading
Reality, through a pinhole
That’s what my zen meditation teacher, Reverend Takafumi Kawakami, said today. “We think we know reality, but the fact is, we know our reality, which is very limited. We think we are seeing everything, but our view is all that … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, Travel
Tagged buddhism, japan, Kyoto, meditation, Myoshin-ji Temple, Reverend Takafumi Kawakami, Shunko-in Temple, zen, zen gardens
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The struggle with mindfulness
Hold the experience, I’m told. Stay with it, be in it. I take my agitation in a fierce gaze, in a bid to stare it down. Don’t react. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly. If I don’t see it, I … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism
Tagged anger, buddhism, meditation, mindfulness, reaction, relief, Shantideva, sitting, stillness
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Stream of consciousness
The other day, I wrote about how only amateurs wait for inspiration to write. The real writers write, no matter what. But what if I can’t think of what to write? My mind is blank right now even as I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism
Tagged buddhism, meditation, rambling, spaciousness, stillness, writer, Writing
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Archana and more 