I mentioned to a colleague at work the other day about going to a Buddhist class one night and she said that she didn't think she'd have it in her to meditate and "sit there with no thoughts". I rushed to say to her what I say to anyone who has similar apprehensions about meditative … Continue reading Bliss, Despair, Terror – Meditation + The Importance Of The Spiritual Community
My last post saw me getting transparent about my addictive tendencies and how meditation and Buddhism had provided the space and support to allow that transparency to blossom. So now I'm not on retreat anymore and I don't have a 7.00am rising bell to gently coax me out of bed, or a beautiful shrine room perfumed … Continue reading A New Normal
Since my last blog post, I've been on a week-long Buddhist retreat and celebrated my 24th birthday. I'll insert a passage from my journal reflecting on turning 24: "That's a great age," women in their 30's tell me; but in a way, I feel more pressure upon hearing that. I receive it to mean that … Continue reading Healing Addiction Via Buddhism + A Happy Birthday
On Saturday evening, I finished work after a fairly busy day (it's always busier towards the end of the day, too, because of all the cleaning that needs done, so we typically end it feeling a bit frenzied) and felt somewhat at a loss. Mothers talk about "empty nest syndrome", when they are forced to … Continue reading Exaltation + Indifference: Both Are Okay
"There are many ways to obtain altered states of mind. These special states are addictive. It feels so good to break free from our mundane experience. We want more. For example, new meditators often expect that with training they can transcend the pain of ordinary life. It's disappointing, to say the least, to be told … Continue reading Peak Experiences: You Might Feel Good After You Meditate – That’s Not The Point
I was brought up by an atheist father and a spiritual new-age Christian type mother. But despite the fact that my father is atheist, he periodically spoke about eastern philosophy and even had things like buddhas, prayer beads and a prayer wheel dotted around the house as ornamentation. He also had a small tapestry of … Continue reading Atheism + Spirituality
