When a spiritual teacher accepts a student, a karmic bond is created. The teacher agrees to share their awareness, and the student agrees to complete the assignments given by the teacher. The assignments are designed to help students incorporate the new levels of awareness they are learning about into their…
The desert always has more to teach. In the past, I came to the desert seeking power. This time I asked to learn about Love. The desert greeted me and my Dharma Center students with the sweet scent of wild flowers perfuming the warm air. Birds cooed and chirped while…
O, to be a pratyeka-buddha Dissolved in private nirvana At peace as an eternal student of the Buddha But I know this Enlightenment is not mine. I see the endless game of samsara How could I ignore the cries of those who suffer from delusion? Jumping in with both feet,…
Hot and cold. Tired and Awake. Weak and Strong. Past, present, future and the Eternal Moment. This is the reconciliation of opposites. I am a rainbow of infinite awareness stretching out in and as all the worlds. I am the mind focusing on and experiencing God and soul. I am…
When I visited my family over Thanksgiving, my 12-year old niece wanted to learn how to meditate. The morning before our little class, she was having a rough day. Although she was feeling grumpy, she still was excited to learn. I shared with her this very simple 3 breath meditation…
Abandon ill-will and hate Abandon envy and greed Abandon anger and sorrow Abandon ignorance and delusion Abandon all these like a sinking ship For that’s what they are Bloated with self-importance They will drag you down to the depths of suffering. Cultivate Gratitude and Loving-Kindness Be neither attracted nor repulsed…
On Friday night, I discovered the Mark Hopkins is one of San Francisco’s most glorious hotels. It sits on top of Nob Hill, rising above the city lights like a castle. The 19th century architecture, with the intricate carvings on the archways, appeared like an entrance to a fairy tale…
1. Everything is Transient During my last pain flare, for over a week I lived with the feeling of two nails shoved in my eyes, causing an intense headache. It would be easy to say the pain was constant since it bothered me enough to interrupt my activity several times…
Between adventuring and resting, there was not much time to write while on retreat in Hawaii. On the plane ride home, I wrote until my hand could write no more as I tried to capture all the magical moments of this retreat. Traveling with a chronic illness is never easy.…
When your entire body hurts all the time, and the breast soreness becomes intense with each hormonal cycle, it’s natural to avoid things that increase pain. So I put off my mammogram for what I thought was 2 years, but turned out to be 3. The day after the test,…