Response Is Different From An Answer
The current moment calls for moral ferocity. We should not sleep well at night when we know others are suffering. Ferocity itself,...
Who Me, Stealing?
When I’m teaching the five (ethical principles of Yoga), I often feel a little stumped with conveying the practical application of...
The River Of Silence
Death, whether our own or others, can be a powerful gateway to complete tenderness. The confrontation with the impermanence of all things...
The Great Gesture That Unites Us
I recognize, I acknowledge, I am grateful; in French these three concepts are expressed by one term: “Je suis reconnaissant.”...
Heart Is Not About Emotions
"Put the mind in the heart." From page after page in the Philokalia, that hallowed collection of spiritual writings from the...
Virtues Are Like Vitamins
Virtues can be a little bit like vitamins. Vitamins are essential for health. But what if you get more than your body needs? If you take...
Just Become A Swinging Door
When we practice [meditation] our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into our inner world. When we exhale,...
I Am Me
I am me. In all the world, there is no one exactly like me. There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds up exactly...
Die Empty
I remember a meeting in which a friend asked a strange and unexpected question: “What do you think is the most valuable land in the...
Path With Heart
In undertaking a spiritual life, what matters is simple: We must make certain that our path is connected with our heart. In the end,...
Practice Over Parables
A Zen teacher once told me something interesting. We were meditating together at my home when my dog began to bark. He sensed my...
A Fixed Place To Stand
Archimedes (c. 287–c. 212 BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician, noticed that if a lever was balanced in the correct place,...