When we have a thought, do we respond to it as though it were true? Do we believe that our feelings tell us what is true about the world? Two big buzzwords these days are Emotional Dysregulation. It assumes that normal is, say, in the range of middle C, within an octave either higher or [...]
Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese art of appreciating things that are imperfect, primitive and incomplete. For some of the more perfectionist among us, this is a cultivated practice of seeing the world through different eyes. […]
Hi all. As I therapist, I have heard my patients begin to worry about the holidays as early as, well, about the time the lights go up in Bloomingdale’s, which is now in September. Even if you are not a worrier, there is a level of Shoulds, of stress, of pressure that our society places [...]
Recently, I took time to read my blogs. I was surprised to read pages and pages of my words. Seriously. Yet I could not find any mention by me about how to use your Jizo pendant to get centered, as if there is any one way to relate to a Bodhisattva. Still, my Jizo is [...]
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.” ~ Basho I have used beautiful quotes of Basho’s for a long time. And while I loved his words, I did not know anything about the man, the poet. It is in grounding myself in my Jizo-experience that [...]
I was an active kid. Not hyper-active, just spirited. Playful. Funny. In meditation, this part of me arises. Sometimes it is a whisper. Sometimes a volcano. Mostly, it’s just me being fidgety. Around age six, I attended Sunday church services with my mom. I remember her whispering, “Sit still.” She would promise me a root [...]
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 [...]
I was fortunate enough to find this picture of Jizo online at one of my favorite Buddhist sites, www.onmarkproductions.com, where much rich information is available. As you already likely know, Jizo has many manifestations throughout Japan. He is best known as the protector of children, women and travelers. He is also known as the Bosatsu [...]
