Part of much meditation is a practice called tonglen. The Dalai Lama is said to practice tonglen every day. It is the practice of praying for yourself and for others, rather than focusing on breath, on the compassionate observation of the Monkey Mind, the Idea Horse. I was introduced to the idea of tonglen many [...]
Every Jizo in every village has a story. This is the story of Shibarare Jizo. He is completely covered with ropes people have tied around him while making wishes. The most well known Shibarare (Shi-ba-ra-re) Jizo is at Narihira Temple in Tokyo. In my search to understand this Jizo, I found this story from the [...]
Mizuko (水子), which translates into “water child,” is a Japanese term for a dead fetus, baby or infant. A grieving woman wrote to me today asking that a Jizo pendant be sent to her as soon as possible to help her grieve the loss of her Mizuko. For centuries, Jizo has helped those suffering through [...]
