Although this blog has mainly focused on the Budddhdharma, the teachings of the Buddha, it’s never been limited to that. Over time, I’ve shared skillful spiritual teachings, poems, and even music, that reflect humanity’s quest to come into a complete humanhood. I also strongly feel that the best in Western psychology powerfully complements the wisdom […]
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Tag Archives: forgiveness
How long will it take to bring our Narcissus off the cross?
2011/03/14 
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As I promised in my previous post, I am going to share passages from Stephen Levine’s spiritual autobiography, Turning Toward the Mystery. See: Everyone is Just Trying to Get Born Before They Die I found these passages very helpful in understanding how we identify with our pain and suffering and how letting go liberates our hearts. […]
Continue reading Am I Pleasing Others to Make Myself Feel Loved and Good?
2011/02/19 5 Comments
The path of awakening, of liberation, always includes self-observation and self-inquiry. Without them, we tend to repeat the same unskillful ways of thinking and acting over and over again. That’s what is called samsara in Buddhism. In this essay I’m sharing my thoughts and observations on something I’ve struggled with much of my life: a […]
Continue reading Choose life! Choose love! Choose to live!
2011/02/11 9 Comments
“Most people can look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under […]
Continue reading The Marriage of the Princess and the Dragon-A Dharma Story
2010/12/30 4 Comments
I’ve been thinking about “dragons” recently and thought I’d share this wonderful retelling of a Swedish fairy tale by dharma teacher Jack Kornfield from his wonderful bookAfter the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path. We all have our own “dragons” in our hearts. May this simple tale help us […]
Continue reading Veterans Day-The Wounds of Combat Can Be Healed
2010/11/11 1 Comment
As an ex-GI, I often find my heart and loving-kindness practice embracing our enlisted men and women throughout the world, and especially those in war zones. War is hell. That’s no cliché, and only those who have been in combat can truly testify to what that phrase means. That’s why around Veterans Day I highlighted the […]
Continue reading Hatred Can Never Bring the Changes Our Hearts Long For
2010/10/29 0 Comments
“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.” The Buddha ♥♥♥ “When we attack injustice, cruelty, and suffering with intolerance and loathing, we make the mistake of believing that hatred can generate compassion and goodness. Hatred is suffering, and can only perpetuate suffering, […]
Continue reading How to accept our faults without falling into self-condemnation or inaction
2010/09/13 4 Comments
Here are some more great teachings from Buddhist teacher Ayya Khema. If you, like me, often have to deal with self-condemnation and self-hatred because of continual personal failings, this article should be a big help in balancing seeing what needs to change in us and accepting everything in us without self-condemnation. Accepting Oneself Ayya Khema […]
Continue reading Thich Nhat Hanh-Can We Understand the Suffering of our Enemy?
2010/08/06 6 Comments
Few people in the world have worked as tirelessly for the cause of peace, individual and collective, as Thich Nhat Hanh. His effort to bring peace—to be peace—began during his days as a young Buddhist monk during the Vietnam War and led Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in […]
Continue reading What Actually Happens Inside Us When We Are Hurt By Another?
2010/06/04 2 Comments
We feel that someone has hurt us, but is the hurt we feel caused by the other person? Or are the actions of others merely the “approximate cause” of the suffering—in other words, the trigger, but not the actual cause of the suffering itself? Put that way, it might seem obvious. Others can’t really make […]
Continue reading Learn the Alchemy True Human Beings Know!
2010/04/17 7 Comments
This beautiful poem by the Sufi poet Rumi seemed a perfect postscript for the previous post “How Insight and Loving-kindness Free Us from Mental Parasites.” And the music of “Cry, Cry, Cry” (Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, and Dar Williams) seemed an appropriate way to wrap up the post. Enjoy! May we all skillfully and compassionately […]
Continue reading Audio Dharma-An Introduction to Metta by Gil Fronsdal
2010/04/01 1 Comment
One of the reasons I upgraded my blog for audio capability was so that I could include talks by Gil Fronsdal. Along with Thanissaro Bhikkhu, he was one of the very first dharma teachers I listened to, and he had a huge impact on my understanding and practice of Buddhism. I’ll always be grateful to […]
Continue reading How To Become a Loving Presence in the World
2010/03/15 5 Comments
Practicing loving-kindness, like mindfulness, isn’t just for our private meditation time or prayers. With practice, loving-kindness can actually become a way of being, a spirit of love that animates all our actions. If we open up our eyes and our hearts, we can find countless ways during the day to practice acts of loving-kindness. Indeed, […]
Continue reading The Difference Between Forgiveness and Reconcilation
2010/01/18 5 Comments
Inspired by the opportunity to tell the truth about what Buddhism teaches about forgiveness: What Brit Hume Forgot to Tell Tiger Woods I have posted a whole series of articles on the importance and practice of forgiveness in Buddhism: Yes-Buddhism Teaches Forgiveness! More Buddhist Forgiveness-Using Tonglen Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 1 Buddhist Forgiveness-When […]
Continue reading Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 3
2010/01/14 17 Comments
When we hurt others, and our conscience is awake, we suffer. While having a conscience is good, the Buddha is all about the ending of suffering, right? So, what do we do? Bhante Bodhidhamma is a vipassana (insight meditation) teacher of over 20 years experience. He offers some very helpful insight practices to help us […]
Continue reading Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 2
2010/01/14 7 Comments
When we hurt others, and our conscience is awake, we suffer. While having a conscience is good, the Buddha is all about the ending of suffering, right? So, what do we do? Bhante Bodhidhamma is a vipassana (insight meditation) teacher of over 20 years experience. He offers some very helpful insight practices to help us […]
Continue reading Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 1
2010/01/14 7 Comments
When we hurt others, and our conscience is awake, we suffer. While having a conscience is good, the Buddha is all about the ending of suffering, right? So, what do we do? Bhante Bodhidhamma is a vipassana (insight meditation) teacher of over 20 years experience. He offers some very helpful insight practices to help us […]
Continue readingMore Buddhist Forgiveness-Using Tonglen
2010/01/14 3 Comments
Tonglen for Self-forgiveness ~♥~ In my last post, All-Embracing Compassion-The Heart-Practice of Tonglen, I shared some introductory teaching on the Tibetan Buddhism practice of tonglen. In tonglen, we learn how to take suffering into our hearts—but without harm to us! And then to breath out love and compassion to the source and sense of suffering. […]
Continue reading All-Embracing Compassion-The Heart-Practice of Tonglen
2010/01/13 5 Comments
The devastating earthquake in Haiti is a terrible blow to good hearts everywhere. Already there has been a huge outpouring of physical aid and spiritual support to the suffering people of Haiti. In the days and months ahead, this support will need to grow and continue to help bring recovery and healing to Haiti. As […]
Continue reading Yes-Buddhism Teaches Forgiveness!
2010/01/12 8 Comments
Reading discussions on blogs and various web sites about Brit Hume’s assertion that Christianity is much better suited to forgiveness than Buddhism, I was struck by two things: 1) How sure some Christians were that Christianity had a special monopoly when it comes to forgiveness 2) And how unfamiliar some people defending Buddhism seemed to […]
Continue readingMay All Beings Be Happy
- Looking at the Ninth Zen Precept-I Do Not Indulge In Anger
- True God, True Buddha
- The Difference Between Compassion and “Idiot Compassion”
- Ajahn Brahmavamso teaches Loving-kindness Meditation
- Now-and-Zen-Are you still carrying her?
- A Buddhist Mantra based on the Prayer of St. Francis
- Mindfulness of Breathing-The Anapanasati Sutta
- Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 3
- Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing
- Practicing the Middle Way-not too much, not too little
- Look at the Three Characteristics in Terms of Actions
- Thich Nhat Hanh – Healing Through Resting in the Breath
- How Metta Can Help You When Meditation is Hindered by Overwhelming Feelings
- The Importance of Taking the “Should” out of Spiritual Practice
- Can We “Choose” to Be Happy? No—and Yes!
- Ken Mcleod on how to use Thich Nhat Hanh’s Five-Step Method of Emotional Releasing
- Non-resistance and the Art of Resisting without Resisting!
- Don’t be fooled! There is a Way and We Can Walk It!
- The Importance of Compassion in Assessing Our Dharma Progress
- Jesus and the Buddha on Good Friday
Metta Refuge 