When an idea such as mindfulness ignites so quickly and spreads so widely, we benefit by returning to its historical origins. Then we can check for current misunderstandings.
Category Archives: Spirituality
Creating Space Between Stimulus and Response: Insights From Goenka
Emotions bubble up to the surface as discrete changes in breathing and physical sensation. Watching them allows me to hit the pause button before I respond to what other people say and do.
The Intimacy of Shared Silence
Our kids are grown and have homes of their own. But am I confident that they will remember the times we meditated together.
Bill Wilson and Carl Jung on Addiction and Spirituality
Addiction points beyond itself. It reminds us of our sacred impulse to expand, unite, and say yes.
Sam Harris on Spirituality Without Religion
“…there is no other term…with which to discuss the efforts people make, through meditation, psychedelics, or other means, to fully bring their minds into the present or to induce nonordinary states of consciousness.”
Bodywork as Spiritual Practice
During bodywork, I am complete. I fear nothing and want nothing. I feel empty and full at the same time.
Remembering Thomas Merton: Rain, Grace and Rhinoceros
“The rain has stopped. The afternoon sun slants through the pine trees: and how those useless needles smell in the clear air!”
Wear the World Like a Loose Garment
There’s a peace that comes to pass when we let go of our absolute and irrational demands.
Enlightenment: Possibilities and Limits
Genuine insight, decades of spiritual practice, and unethical behavior can coexist in the same person.
Meditating on Fear and Anxiety: Insights from Shinzen Young
We can analyze the experience of fear into three basic elements and observe them during meditation.
DOUG TOFT 