Religion

Trivia, Dogma and Ego

My family had an affinity for trivia, nothing excessive, but it wasn't uncommon for my dad to randomly ask a question that might not have had much to do with anything that was going on at the moment and my brothers and I would rack our brains to answer before the others did. We didn't watch Jeopardy religiously but if it was on when we were home we enjoyed it. My older brother and I were active members of our high school knowle… Continue Reading

Contributor: Kyle Smeby

Clear Mind, Empty Head?: A Leak in “Mind Like Water”

There's a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying the mind. This is a roadblock for many people. Why? Because it's counterintuitive. After all, we spend most of our waking hours filling up our minds. We go to school, we get trained, we read, we learn, we absorb information from all around us. Then someone comes along and tells us that the best thing we can do is EMPTY our mind? Why would we want to do that? Empty i… Continue Reading

Contributor: Maya Frost

Mindfulness and Square Dancing

Do-Sa-Do Awareness When I was 12, one of my best friends was a square dancer. Twice a week, her family would pile into the Country Squire station wagon and head to the Grange Hall, where they'd gather with their square dancing club for an evening of music, friendship and do-sa-do (That’s the correct spelling, by the way). As a regular guest, I was fascinated by the form but, in the height of my coolness-conscious years,… Continue Reading

Contributor: Maya Frost

The Four Noble Truths - an example

The Four Noble Truths are a teaching from Gautama Buddha that explains how all people can attain true happiness in life. Through the Four Noble Truths, Gautama Buddha found a way to help people recognize the true source of their unhappiness, so that they could find their own way to peace, love, and harmony. No one can make us happy; we must find it ourselves. The Four Noble Truths are as follows: The Nature of Dukkha: Dukkha h… Continue Reading

Contributor: Michelle Smeby

The Book of Awakening, Mark Nepo

Every time I pick it up, The Book of Awakening inspires me to be more peaceful, more loving, more thoughtful, and more kind to myself and to everyone around me. During a day-long retreat dedicated to interfaith mindfulness in April, 2006, Brother Chi Singh, a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, defined the word repent as “to choose again.” I truly like this definition: instead of reviewing previous choices we have made in our lives and having… Continue Reading

Contributor: Michelle Smeby

What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula

This book is the source to which I refer whenever I seek an explanation of exactly what Gautama Buddha taught. Dr. Rahula has most thoroughly researched and quoted the Buddhist texts (Tipitaka, Agama, Nikaya), and provides translations of the ancient Pali and Sanskrit, explaining in footnotes where previous authors have mistranslated the original meanings. Though there are chapters that can seem daunting by the sheer magnitude of mate… Continue Reading

Contributor: Michelle Smeby

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