This Moment is All We Have
By Kim Weeber. Mindfulness, Sati, is one of the key teachings of the Buddha. It’s one of the first things we hear about when we learn about Buddhism or meditation. Mindfulness is one of the Factors of Awakening, and is part of the Eightfold Path which can lead us to freedom from suffering. But how […]
Photography as Meditation Practice
By Kim Weeber. On Saturday, we held an outdoor photography retreat at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Now, you might think that this was about learning how to take better pictures. Of course, that is something that we would all like to be able to do. But, how is it to use photography as a mindfulness practice? […]
Practicing with Ease
We learn more easily in an environment where we feel safe, supported and at ease. And this includes the environment we set up for meditation. We can choose a posture which is relatively comfortable, and still allows us to be alert. Noticing body sensations which are already pleasant and relaxed can set the stage for […]
Reasons for Listening
by Devin (Practice Leader) Reasons for Listening We all know that hearing is one of the five senses gifted to us at birth, yes? Usually. Not always. There were quite a few deaf family members among my relatives as I grew up. My dad was one; he contracted measles in his teenage years and went […]
Frozen Buddha
By Devin (Practice Leader) I took this picture years ago, with a chuckle, in a moment of appreciating the equanimity of Buddha no matter what is happening. Coming across it again during our challenging midwinter cold, I thought about the teaching that one way of reaching equanimity is by viewing our thoughts the same way […]
The Effects of Our Actions
by Cheryl Wilfong, Guest Blogger I bought a pale yellow datura in the spring. Since the summer was hot and dry, not much happened, but now that it’s cool and dry, the Georgia O’Keefe flower is blooming. I’ve grown the lavender daturas (a.k.a. jimsonweed) before and sworn off the thorny seed pod because next year, […]
On Welcoming
by Devin R., Practice Leader At four this morning I woke up spontaneously, noticing that my mind had turned to writing a blog post in my head. Did I want to be writing at four in the morning? No I did not. And then I noticed the irony and began to chuckle–because the idea that […]
What is Mindfulness?
We hear a lot about mindfulness when we come to a meditation center or read about Buddhism. It is a very important factor in our practice, and I’d like to spend some time going into more depth about what it is and how to create the conditions for its arising.
