Thich Nhat Hanh – Healing Through Resting in the Breath

I’ve not posted here at Metta Refuge for quite a while, which I something I plan to remedy, and I thought I would begin by sharing an excerpt of a wonderful talk from my heart teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.  It’s called “Healing Through Resting,” though it could just as well be called “Healing Through Resting […]

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Pema Chodron – Renunciation as saying “yes!” to life

Trungpa Rinpoche once said, “Renunciation is realizing that nostalgia for samsara is full of shit.” Renunciation is realizing that our nostalgia for wanting to stay in a protected, limited petty world is insane. One you begin to get the feeling of how big the world is and how vast our potential for realizing life is, […]

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Quiet in Every Way – Breaking the Mind’s Chatter

I just finished a 14-day intensive meditation/metta retreat at home, which is why I haven’t posted for a while.  Looking back at the 2 weeks work, I couldn’t help but think of this article by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. One of the things that became so evident to me, day after day “on the cushion” or in […]

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The Power of the Smile in Our Meditation and Lives

At my first retreat with my heart teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, I was struck by how many times Thây talked about smiling and its importance to the practice he was teaching. Of course, it was so wonderful to be in the presence of this living Bodhisattva, and his loving, compassionate monks, it was hard not […]

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Four Steps to Better Meditation Practice

If you are learning to meditate, this is a terrific “short course” in the basics of mindfulness. If you’re an experienced meditator, this dharma talk by Ajahn Chah is a great refresher. (This is a revision of an earlier post called “How Confident Are You About Your Meditation Practice?”) This excerpt come from “The Teachings […]

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Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing

This excerpt from a talk by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to use mindfulness of breathing to bring loving-kindness to our dear bodies. The physical effect of this can be truly remarkable. As Thây says, “You should really love your body. You should really take care of your body. Mindful breathing, with rest, […]

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Developing the sensitivity that lays golden eggs

This post is a “supplement” to “How to Become a Loving Presence in the World,” because it speaks to developing the kind of presence that is a sensitivity, a deep mindfulness, of what’s going on. (This mindful sensitivity is the very opposite of the “sensitivity” that is reactive, fearful, and self-defensive!) If we aspire to […]

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What does it feel like to walk like a Buddha?

My last two posts have been about walking meditation: Freshen Up Your Practice with Walking Meditation Some More Helpful Tips on Walking Meditation I thought it would be appropriate to end this particular series on walking mediation with the “Zen poetry,” so to speak, of my heart teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. There are so many […]

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A Guided Meditation with Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Metta Refuge includes some great introductory talks on the “how to” of meditation as explained by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Brahmavamso,  Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, and Bhante Vimalaramsi. Check out the “Meditation” page on this site. Today, I thought I’d share another skillful teaching by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, this one being a “guided” meditation. I’ve been meditating for […]

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Breathing in Peace-Breathing out Love (music)

With so much pain and suffering in the news, I wanted to share this guided metta meditation that I’ve used for years. It’s from the book Who is My Self: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Ayya Khema, a wonderfully skillful nun in the Theravada tradition. This particular guided meditation has been especially helpful in […]

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