Bodhisattva. For the non-Buddhist, it is almost certainly a foreign term. Maybe you recall the name of an old Steely Dan album, at best. Put simply, bodhisattva is “a Sanskrit term for anyone or anything motivated by great compassion.” It is a combination of two separate Sanskrit concepts: Bodhi—meaning awakening or enlightenment Sattva—meaning existence, reality [...]
In the movie Harvey, starring James Stewart, he has an invisible friend, a puka, who is a 6-foot-tall rabbit. In college, it was one of my favorite old films to watch. […]
So, Chibi has a stomachache. (Note to new readers: Chibi means “little one” in Japanese. For this author it includes all children and inner kids, as well.) Chibi usually feels great on the weekends, but by Sunday night or maybe Monday or Tuesday, Chibi gets a stomachache. Or a headache. Or a backache. Let’s assume [...]
Chibi, which means “little one” in Japanese, is the main character in my books, “What I Heard & What You Said” and “Why a Fly?”. I created jewelry designs from my first illustrations, a childlike figure floating on a chain that can stand upright, lie down sideways or do a head stand. […]
Hey you guys… My first children’s book is available now on iTunes, with me reading it aloud! This is almost too fun. It’s called What I Heard & What You Said. So often we think we know what someone has said. But if we repeat back what we Think We Heard, the other person says, [...]
It is uncanny how many people I meet who had early childhood trauma. It’s not just patients in my office, it’s people I meet in casual conversation. I mention Jizo & Chibi, and the moment I start telling them about Chibi — the inner child, the infant self — they open up and tell me [...]
A few years ago, children’s books started to pour out of me during meditation. For about eight weeks in a row, at least once a week, a sweet and slightly rhyming story would appear. I have been a writer since I was eight, so I am happy whenever poetry arrives, fresh off the universe, minimal [...]
I am having a day to read and rest and look at the sky. It is ultra-blue since the winds blew through Southern California the past few days. I find a post in my inbox from the Harvard Business Review on why people buy beautiful things. I decide to share it with my readers (it [...]
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 [...]
Suzuki Roshi said there is no better instruction for how to meditate than just “Sit Still.” Buddha said there is no greater suffering than craving. In fact, his definition of Hell was just that: craving, desiring, hankering, longing. […]
