Finding the Strength to be Kind
.... and Life Coaching with Joe
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Good and evil.
What cosmic narcissism to be the center of everything in the moral universe. The classic trope of the good angel on one shoulder and the bad angel on the other with us caught in a struggle between ultimate good and ultimate evil. Many of us continue to live under the weight of … Read the rest
I wanted to reach out in the spirit of my mother, who passed a few years ago and for whom I will always carry a quiet torch. In many ways, she was the great love of my life—a spiritual guide, a dear friend, and a near perfect mom. Trudi, … Read the rest
Choosing Peace in Times of War
These days many of us describe our world as crazy, cruel and chaotic. It seems socio political dysfunction is a common experience. This lack of stability in our outer reality understandably influences our inner health and wellbeing.
When our mental health is attacked, even the pressures we normally face … Read the rest
Learning to let go is important to our health and happiness. Letting go is releasing into openness, rather than creating tensions that to shut us down. But letting go is not getting rid of anything. It is not pushing anything away. It is simply releasing our stranglehold on the things … Read the rest
The Role of Prayer in a Non-Theistic Tradition
Buddhism has largely been divorced from the idea of an overseeing creator—someone to whom we can supplicate, someone managing our experience, someone to yell at us when we’ve gone astray. This is called Theism. Turning an object into a thing that, in turn, becomes a solid … Read the rest
And Living the Life We’ve Been Gifted
In some readings of Buddhist thought, there is the interpretation that desire is problematic—that people on a path to awareness shouldn’t be desirous. We shouldn’t want anything, and we most certainly shouldn’t hold onto it if we did.
I can’t think of a better way to forestall … Read the rest
Good morning.
Chögyam Trungpa often began his talks with that salutation. Regardless of the hour, he would hold his golden fan open and proclaim “Good Morning.” Even though he sometimes began his talks very late at night, there was no irony intended. He was inviting everyone to wake up.
Good morning.
Any moment can be … Read the rest
The Power of a Self-Healing Community
A basic premise of recovery and healing is that isolation incubates pain, expanding it into suffering. On the other hand, communication, community, and connection allow space for healing.
It is true that when we are triggered, wounded, or overwhelmed, crawling into our protective space is often needed in … Read the rest
Awakening Our Loving Kindness
Our minds are huge—larger than we understand—capable of being incredibly sane, clear, and beautiful. But at times, quite the opposite. We can get lost in cul-de-sacs of unresolved reasoning, like a kid in a hall of mirrors distorting and reflecting upon itself.
Today I want to address the circular, repetitive, … Read the rest
