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Michele Laporte
Artist, Calligrapher
Brooklyn, New York
“I do six-session yoga practice from the [Tibetan] Kalachakra Tantra. It’s done six times a day for a few minutes at a time, and it combines visualization, mantra, and meditation in ways that unify the mind of the disciple and the teacher. It reminds one of the primary aim, which is to benefit all beings at all times. That’s why I like that this practice is six times a day, because I forget that six million times a day.”

 

John Loomis, M.D.
Psychiatrist
New York, New York

“I meditate for about twenty minutes in the morning. I use imagery, and usually burn incense; but I also try to be mindful throughout the day.”

 

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Madeline Ko-i Bastis
Zen Monk and Hospital Chaplain
Easthampton, New York
“I rise at 5:30 A.M., and while I have a cup of coffee, I listen to a selection on the cassette from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. I’ve been doing this for five years. After I take a shower, I drive to our zendo and sit for forty minutes with others. Then I drive home and take my dog to the beach.”

 

Rebecca Smithson
Administrative Assistant
Eugene, Oregon
“I count my breath—inhalations and exhalations—for thirty minutes, then do 108 prostrations, take a shower, and go to work.”

 

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Gary Henderson
Credit Records Manager
Peoria, Illinois
“Trying to find time enough in a busy daily schedule to meditate, but also remembering meditation isn’t limited to sitting meditation, but can mean applying mindfulness in every moment.”

 

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Ken O’Neill
Buddhist Teacher
Tucson, Arizona
“Watching my temper and looking at the intrinsic beauty around us to see this world as a Buddha-land.”

 

 

 

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Leah Hamilton
Attorney
Tucson, Arizona
“I was introduced to Buddhism through the writings ofThich Nhat Hanh and began a sitting practice three months ago. I find that reciting gathas [sutras] helps me with mindfulness during the day. I find sitting challenging and am working up to thirty minutes.”

 

 

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Jean Ransick Thies
Importer of Dharma Goods
New York, New York
“When I can, I try to stay mindful and not be too nasty.”

 

 

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Artist
Seattle, Washington
“I recognize the importance of daily sitting but also what practice is in other situations—in the Safeway, etc. I became a Buddhist because it is a very practical way of life. Even though we know the world is in a bad state of affairs, practice is about the joy and recognition of what we’ve got.”

 

Andrew Welch
Optician
Tempe, Arizona
“Living life. Enjoying life as it is with no preconceptions.”

 

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Duncan Ryuken Williams
Soto Zen Novice Priest, Student of Religion at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
“First the principle in practice is: if we fall down seven times, we must get up eight times; so every moment is the time to have correct body and mind. In the morning I do zazen—one hour divided into two sittings. For a correct body I cross my legs and straighten my spine, and for the mind—I just let it be right there.”

 

Ani Kelsang Drolma
Tibetan Nun
Wilsonville, Oregon
“My daily practice is down to basics: sitting, paying attention. I say prayers, but only prayers that arise from my heart. There’s no set form. More important than anything I do on a cushion is practicing being humble all day.”

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