-
February 2, 2010Finishing Jan’s book. And waking up more fully, more deeply. Dawn taking root. The holy fallout which I read about...
-
January 19, 2010Rather than an eye for an eye, karma can be seen as an act of love.
-
January 16, 2010For nearly a year, twice every month, I attended an event in town known as the Barefoot Boogie. Set in...
-
January 14, 2010I am being reassembled. The process is unmistakeable. It’s not over yet, but I feel myself entering a final phase,...
-
January 10, 2010One of the most potent forces that can close the heart is another’s apathy. We invoke apathy in response to...
-
December 26, 2009The ultimate goal of the spiritual path is to become lucid. Mindfulness meditation, the favored technique for beginners, is a...
-
December 24, 2009Can one respond to suffering the way a cat responds to falling off a roof? While meditating one night recently,...
-
December 23, 2009Can we use drugs to numb our emotional pain without losing our souls?
-
December 22, 2009The function of compassion for those who feel cut off is to return them to the whole. This is not...
-
December 17, 2009Among the most excruciating suffering one can endure is social death. Where does compassion fit in?
-
December 17, 2009On a walk through the park along Lake Wingra, I was contemplating the nature of deep transformation. I imagined a...
-
December 3, 2009What if some experiences that look like personal failures are actually markers of spiritual growth?
-
November 24, 2009The greatest healers in my life do not even know they are healing me, and most of the time, neither...
-
November 17, 2009In total love, there are no thoughts of self. Hence, one does not think, “My heart is awake.” Rather, we...
-
November 14, 2009There are times when we truly need far more than others can give. People help with the tools they have...
-
Regular stories and reflections from my journey through this communal reality as I follow the path of the waking heart....
-
November 2, 2009Being in total darkness recently took on new meaning for me. Rock bottom is not necessarily a bad place to...
-
October 29, 2009In his book, I Am a Strange Loop, Douglas Hofstadter proposes that the essence or soul of a person can...
-
For times of unbearable pain, panic, or overwhelming turmoil. The goal is not to escape pain and suffering but to...
-
Secret GoodwillOctober 26, 2009 When you would like to wish someone well, but you believe or feel that their best interests will put you...
-
A meditation designed to cultivate compassion that is free from selfish motivations. Especially useful for having compassion for those who...
-
MeditationsOctober 26, 2009 Following is a list of the specific meditation practices that have worked well for me in the past. In particular,...
-
October 26, 2009Why it feels so impossible to have compassion for those who cause injury or evoke repulsion and how to reconcile...
-
You may have won many battles with depression. Why can’t you win the war? A new way to...
-
On the verge of seeing through his illusory reality, the main character of The Truman Show has a veritable nervous...
-
PhilosophyOctober 10, 2009 We begin with a belief in separation, and we think oneness is the illusion. One day we realize we have...
-
A Love Story?October 5, 2009 The greatest love story is not about getting everything you want or creating feelings of union, but cherishing the well...
-
In times of great suffering, we look for teachers or healers who can show us the way out. The need...
-
“What if you let go of every bit of control and every urge that you have,” asks Adyashanti, “right down...
-
In Buddhism, samsara refers to a certain way of experiencing reality that involves an endless creation of mental worlds, or...
-
Accepting who you are is like recognizing the value of a cat even if you are a dog lover.
-
A fellow meditator recently asked me about feeling compassion and how to conjure it up on demand. In many Buddhist...
-
When I was nineteen, I woke up one morning, and my eyes were so red and dry, I could not...
-
Serious AngelFebruary 4, 2009 During my recent silent meditation retreat, one evening while sitting in the dining hall, it occurred to me that, although...
-
Why Bliss FadesOctober 16, 2008 I’ve experienced intermittent periods of bliss and tranquility, perceptions that everything is perfect and whole just as it is, and...
-
Ten years ago, I sought emotional support from a skilled listening ear and ended up even more afraid.
Written by an embodiment psychologist, Zen Buddhist, and single mother, "Waking Heart" is a diary of synchronicities, lessons both learned and forgotten, accidental awakenings, and the cultivation of love.