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    Let Grace In Paid Member

    By Dharmavidya David Brazier
    Grace provides the framework within which a meaningful life is lived. Love is the substance of it day to day. To live a spiritual life, then, is essentially to do things “for the love of it”—to do things without attachment to a result or reward. It is a matter of living in a simple way and having a practice that enables you to return again and again to the consciousness of life’s all-enfolding blessing. Grace is the key to happiness. When bad things happen, if we have confidence in grace, then we can remain grounded in that and not be overwhelmed by the soap opera of life. And grace is a circular blessing. The more grace enters your life, the more grateful you are. The more grateful you are, the more easily grace seems to enter. You can do the following things in order to let grace enter your life: More »
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    Tortoise Steps Paid Member

    By Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
    Practicing dharma is necessarily a frustrating business. What practitioners, especially beginners, often fail to realize is that frustrations are the signposts of our success. An exasperating lack of concentration, devotion, or inspiration might be just what you need to make the extra effort to tune in to your practice fully. Alternatively, of course, it may topple you in the other direction and stop you practicing altogether—a temptation you must resist at all costs. Always remember, though, that frustration with your spiritual path is often an indication that you are becoming a genuine dharma practitioner. More »
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    The Right Mind and the Confused Mind Paid Member

    By Takuan Soho
    The Right Mind is the mind that does not remain in one place. It is the mind that stretches throughout the entire body and self. The Confused Mind is the mind that, thinking something over, congeals in one place. When the Right Mind congeals and settles in one place, it becomes what is called the Confused Mind. When the Right Mind is lost, it is lacking in function here and there. For this reason, it is important not to lose it. In not remaining in one place, the Right Mind is like water. The Confused Mind is like ice, and ice is unable to wash hands or head. When ice is melted, it becomes water and flows everywhere, and it can wash the hands, the feet, or anything else. More »
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    Don't Become Somebody Paid Member

    By Anam Thubten
    There is a funny story told by a very renowned swami from India. One time there was a guru, or master, and his disciple. They both were swamis, renunciants. The master taught the disciple informally. He didn’t read texts, and he didn’t elaborate on commentaries or holy scripture. Instead he taught informally through gestures and examples. The guru always told the disciple, “Don’t become somebody. Never become somebody.” That was his message. The disciple said that he understood that. One day they set off on a pilgrimage. They traveled together, and the guru took him to a royal palace. It was quite a long journey, and when they finally arrived they both were exhausted. In the garden of the palace there were cottages. The guru entered one of the cottages and immediately fell asleep. More »
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    Desire and Craving Paid Member

    By Bhante Gunaratana
    Desire is everywhere. Every living thing has the desire to stay alive. Even plants “strive” to propagate themselves. Craving is our creator. Our parents’ craving for each other and our craving for rebirth combined to create us. Even painful feelings give rise to craving. When a painful feeling arises, we do not like it. We wish to get rid of the pain, and we wish to enjoy some pleasure. Both wishes are craving. More »
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    Do Your Best Paid Member

    By Elihu Genmyo Smith
    Just do your best. This is the whole of practice, the whole of our life. All sorts of chatter comes up in the midst of the circumstances of our life. Something breaks, we clean it up or fix it up. Or we can start chattering about, “Why does this happen to me? Oh, I always do this. What am I going to do? What does this mean?” We all know the consequences of that. After speaking with someone, do we continue holding on to the discussion with “internal” chatter, like, “Why did they say that to me? It’s not fair.” If that chatter—habits of reactions, habits of thoughts and emotions—arises, then right there in the noticed chatter is our practice. Just be chatter in the midst of doing, and allow chatter to pass. Bodily experience this. More »