The Tribe
“If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.” —14th Dalai Lama
We live in an interconnected world. Like ripples in a pond, our thoughts, speech, and deeds influence and affect each other, waxing and waning like a delicate dance of our lives unfolding. Read on for reflections, thoughts, and theories that examine how we interact with each other and our environment.
I recently turned thirty, and to celebrate, I spent a long weekend in a cabin in the woods with a group of my closest friends. Out of the ten of us that were there, none are married: one is engaged, another is in a serious relationship, and the rest are basically single. In other areas, [...]
We tend to think of good things as being positive, of positive things being good. When things are perfect, for example, that’s something positive, right? Everything is just how you want it; everything is just so. [...]
… it is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head. Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal-arts cliché about “teaching you how to think” is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: “Learning [...]
In January the Zen Chan Buddhist Catholic Dialogue took place at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Among the twenty-two participants were teachers and monks from Dharma Realm Buddhist University, professors from Catholic Theological Schools, a representative from the American Council of Bishops and representatives from the Zen tradition on the West Coast. The Dialogue [...]
As the school year wraps up, we asked the 4-6th graders to reflect on what they learned in meditation class. Their responses were both insightful and simple, serious and witty: I feel like my mind got a bath …. “I think meditation has been helping me. Not only my behavior, but my mind. I feel [...]
Bestow kindness and aid the poor, so that they can be at peace. When you witness people killing, have thoughts of compassion. – The Shramanera Vinaya I’ve been noticing…. One is that people seem to always have some kind of interpersonal conflict going on, and a second is that there’s always news of violence and [...]
For many students, Spring Break is a time to unwind. It’s a chance to relax, and enjoy a week away from school, teachers, and structure. But for several of the students here, it was a chance to roll up their sleeves, dive into a different country, culture, and language, and “seize the day!” as high [...]
The hardest thing I have ever done is to teach high school for one semester. In the grand scheme of things, I realize how ridiculously lucky this makes me. But I have to admit it’s true; I’ve never struggled or suffered so much as I did in that endless five month stretch in the classroom. [...]