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The Power of Prayer
We’re familiar with the words of prayer – the supplications and rituals that are used to soothe and comfort. But, where within those words lies the power of prayer? Today is Martin Luther King Day, and a time of remembering how we gather as a society. One of Bruce Springsteen’s songs, “The Power of Prayer,”…
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Being Tara
These days, uncertainty and suffering seems to pervade our experience – whether it be connected to environmental change, political posturing, or social unrest. Buddhist contemplative practices encourage the practitioner to connect to Tara through images and supplications for her for health, longevity, and protection from obstacles. Tara is often invoked as an energetic quality –…
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A summer of family and travel – and courses for Fall 2021
It’s been a summer of visiting family and friends – a welcome break to see my boys and grandchildren as well as my friend Cathy in New England. I also got to visit with my sister in New Jersey and go to the Rubin Museum in NYC. I loved Tsherin Sherpa’s large “post-modern” paintings that…
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Finding Our Mutual Humanity
It’s been a long month, and I’ve been thinking a lot about diversity, inclusion, social injustice, and simply how we treat each other – people we are familiar with, and more importantly, people we don’t know, but have embedded opinions about. It’s about unconscious bias – and a yearning for community at the same time. …
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Cultural Humility and Listening to the Heart
Hey everyone, here’s a link to my talk on Cultural Humility and Listening to the Heart of Basic Goodness that was sponsored by the Boston Shambhala Center. Would love to hear what you think! https://youtu.be/Ab8GRckBYeI
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So what’s it like to be a Buddhist chaplain?
From 2000 to 2012 I was a Buddhist (and interfaith) chaplain intern at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where I also worked as a Research Professor of Public Health. While Buddhism is far from being a mainstream religion in the United States[i], I found that my Buddhist practices and understandings supported me in my…
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Motivation and the Path
In these days, we’re bombarded by news, household logistics, and finances (among other things) – the question may arise” how is my meditation practice fit into all of this?” In this short talk, I consider what might bring us to the path of dharma, and how we’re motivated to stay on (or stray from) this…
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Let’s meditate together on Zoom!
A guided meditation for the Zoom-weary. These days, many of our group practice and study programs are taking place on zoom. How do we create a felt sense of community over this medium? A challenge on meditating on zoom arises when our eyes and attention are often focused on an electronic screen, while our body…
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Engaging our world with contemplative practice
“How do we blend contemplative practice with service in the world? How can we extend ourselves, offer ourselves to that world in an authentic way? One where we’re not burning out at the same time? How can we support people both at the peak of tragedy, getting over the most difficult parts, as well as…
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Heart Sutra musings
I’ve been listening to the Heart Sutra that the Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche sangha put together for Saga Dawa about a month ago. Saga Dawa is the celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death. The Heart Sutra is practiced in many Mahayana Buddhist traditions in Asia and the West – in many translations and formats. It…
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The Ancestral Tablets
I’m sitting in DIA waiting for my plane to DC. Along with me are the ceramic tablets that my cousin Margo gave me a couple of weeks ago in Lodi – they were commissioned by Uncle Harry (in Hong Kong? China?) and are 30 pound large photos inscribed on white ceramic of my two grandparents…
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Not being caught in the trap of doubt
I’ve been thinking about how we are trapped – not only by doubt, but by so many other aspects of our life. Of course right now there’s the physical claustrophobia of being in lockdown, and how to “open up” – and not to go too quickly. There’s the trap of our expectations there – that things…
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Generosity is the virtue that produces peace
Generosity is the virtue that produces peace. By this generosity one has power over the bhūtas. By this generosity one is free from enemies. Generosity is the transcendent friend. Therefore, generosity is said to be essential. Generosity is the ornament of the world. Through generosity, one turns back from the lower realms. Generosity is the…
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Devotion and Exertion
Beloved wish-fulfilling jewel and emanation body Supreme of lamps that take the darkness of ignorance away Oh precious chakravartin king, the one behind the wheel At your feet, Oh Marpa the Translator, I bow in trusting homage! A guru truly reliable, belonging to a lineage This is the guide on the path of dispelling the…
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Cultural Humility
As meditation instructors and leaders in our centers, we might often find ourselves working with individuals with diverse personal qualities and motivations. Part of our practice as leaders is to develop genuine communication and connection with them, and their manifestations of basic goodness. To do this, we might want to consider how our own diverse…
