The Way In is the Way Out
.... and Life Coaching with Joe
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Compassion is a very large idea. But in order to make it a practical idea, we can see how it can become right-sized. If we conjure images of Mother Teresa, Gandhi or the Dalai Lama we are likely conjuring something inherently out-sized, that we can never attain. These outsized images are not only unrealisitc,
Seeing Beyond Our Pain
We are the product of love. Even if our life sometimes seems separated from love, the act of love happened someplace. Love is everywhere around us whether or not we are able to contact it.
Contacting love in our life is possible if we are free of the turmoil … Read the rest
Slowing Down to Move Quickly
We began our discussion of flow by establishing the practice of calm abiding (Shamatha) to settle into the present, so that we can let go into a natural organic flow in our practice and life. Last post we used an analogy of the flowing water to depict the movement of … Read the rest
LETTING GO INTO THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
This post follows “settling into the groove” and it indicates a next step, letting go and moving on. Settling in relates to the “Samatha” level of our meditation training. Samatha means peace, or cultivating peace in its active rendering. In Tibetan Buddism it is taught as a 9
SETTLING INTO LIFE’S GROOVE
There is an odd juxtaposition between settling and grooving. The seemingly disparate energies of connecting to the earth and letting go into the flow can be in opposition when we are not synchronized, when we cling to one over the other. On the other hand, they might combine into an elegant … Read the rest
DO I EVEN KNOW IF I’M NOT HERE NOW?
As we go through life things happen that stop the mind long enough for us to be fully present. Sometimes these moments are beautiful, as in the birth of a child, or a connection with nature that stills the mind. Other times they may be painful … Read the rest
WELCOMING SPRING – I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN
After some nagging resistance, spring has finally come to the Northeastern US. And with that comes a sense of renewal and joy. We feel the freedom of stepping out of our clunky winter garb. We scurry like birds building nests to clean our homes, shop … Read the rest
HEY, SOMETIMES WE JUST DON’T WANNA
Anyone engaged in the progressive paths of life, such as meditation, recovery, learning new disciplines, or developing a skill, knows the dread experience of the don’t wannas! I don’t wanna avoid pizza. I don’t wanna work out, I don’t wanna meditate. Sometimes, I don’t even wanna get out of … Read the rest
