As the Buddha was about to become enlightened, his enemy Mara - and Mara's forces - arrived and shot 40,000 arrows of doubt at him. Who was he to be awakened to the Truth of Our Existence? I have heard two stories about what happened next. First, the Buddha calmly looked upon Mara and the [...]
I have been plagued by food cravings since I was eight years old. You might say my drug of choice was toast with cinnamon, sugar and butter. Ugh! Yet these cravings serve as a path to enlightenment. Lately, I have been putting into practice a meditation technique that has lead to a deep awareness within [...]
Throughout my years of yoga practice I have heard instructors say, "Suck in your stomach" to students. It resonates back to childhood and parents telling children, "Stand up straight!" I want to learn to be the best inhabitant of my body, right here, right now. As I have moved through meditative yoga this week, it [...]
If you made a New Years' resolution and have already slid back into an old behavior, then you may be ready to consider powerlessness. Up until the late 1930's, many people died of alcoholism. Some still do, but 12 step programs have changed the face of treating the once hopeless disease. [...]
Sugar. Childhood obesity. Adult onset diabetes. Makes one anxious. Feeling uncomfortable? Hey, h ave something sweet. Then, beat yourself up. Then try to get back in “control” of it. Then, eat it again. And again. Try to stop. Can’t? If this sounds familiar, you are so Not Alone. Me, I ask Jizo to hold the [...]
Our minds are full of thoughts, many of which do not serve us well, even causing physical and emotional pain, unnecessarily. We long for healing but our habitual thoughts block our progress at every turn. We have expectations of permanent change instead of accepting that we are works-in-progress. How can we let go of those [...]
Binge Buddies? Fat Serenity? Fear of intimacy? Do married couples eat more? The research says yes, which is all the more reason to practice mindful eating, get to know Jizo and stay grounded because, for most of us, intimacy is not what we bargained for. […]
Most folks in the West don’t know who Jizo is; I don’t expect them to. They know even less about how the Buddhist bodhisattva relates to the health of our pelvic floors. Such things are never written about. But the relationship is much closer than even lovers of Jizo may realize. In Sanskrit, Jizo’s name, [...]
We all are a little broken. And that’s okay. Really, it is. In “The Art of Happiness” the Dalai Lama confided to his interviewer that he had a huge regret. He then shared a very sad story. The interviewer asked him if he ever got over it. The Dalai Lama was surprised. “Get over it? [...]
Ever get into a huff that things are not going your way? Are you hurt when you don’t feel understood, and then think that there is either a) something wrong with you or b) something wrong with the person who hurt or insulted you? We toss the term narcissistic around like a ball. We insult [...]
