Dear Friends, Today we begin by setting an intention for the month ahead. At this time of year, we are often encouraged to make New Year’s resolutions – goals about what to change, improve, or fix. Resolutions tend to be future-focused and outcome-oriented. They can be useful, but they can also carry pressure: succeed or fail, keep up… Read More »
Dear friends, Thank you for choosing to be part of this monthly offering. This marks the eleventh year of this shared practice, and I continue to be grateful – both for these teachings and for the presence of everyone who joins in this month of exploration. This month, we will be exploring the elements – earth, water, fire,… Read More »
Dear friends, I will be offering daily meditation emails again for January 2026. Are you interested in participating? As in previous years, I will send an email each day throughout the month of January. This year’s theme, Belonging to Nature: A Month with the Elements, offers a gentle, embodied exploration of the Buddhist elements – earth, water, fire,… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we bring this shared journey to a close, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who have made this offering possible. If you have appreciated this month of offerings, feel free to support these teachers and resources. To each of you who joined me in this month-long exploration of… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we reach the end of this month-long journey of daily meditations on Strength for the Journey: Energizing Mind and Heart, I am deeply inspired by the themes we have explored and the connections we have cultivated. Together, we have delved into practices that support resilience, intention, and the steady nurturing of wholesome qualities. Here are… Read More »
Dear Friends, Today, I offer Mark Nunberg’s meditation “Spiritual Urgency,” in which he invites us to rest deeply in the present moment by cultivating non-distraction and openness. In this meditation, Mark guides us to relax and open, by assuming a posture that balances courageousness with softness, letting go of defensiveness and opening to whatever arises. Then we are… Read More »
Dear Friends, In our last reflection, we explored what inspires energy in our practice, including reflecting on impermanence, the uncertainty of life, and the inevitability of death as motivators for wise effort. The poem “If You Knew” by Ellen Bass offers a poignant lens for deepening this exploration. Her words remind us of life’s fleeting nature, the moments… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we continue this exploration of energy and wise effort, here is an excerpt from Joseph Goldstein’s Mindfulness that speaks to the courageous energy needed to sustain our practice: Notice carefully the moments of coming out of long trains of thought. It’s like coming out of a movie theater. When we’re lost in the story, it… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we continue exploring the fourth wise effort of sustaining wholesome states, Andrea Fella offers a beautiful perspective on how mindfulness and equanimity can help us nurture these states skillfully without clinging, in her talk “Fourth Right Effort and Equanimity.”https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/9603?code=YLNL (1 hour) Andrea reminds us that wholesome states like calm, joy, or equanimity can sometimes be… Read More »
Dear Friends, Building on yesterday’s reflection about sustaining the sweetness of wholesome states, today I invite you to a practice that helps us connect with stability as a foundation for those states. In Guided Meditation: Unwavering, Gil Fronsdal guides us to cultivate stability and steadiness in meditation as foundational qualities for developing wholesome states of mind. Guided Meditation:… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we continue to explore the fourth wise effort of sustaining wholesome states, I found this advice from Gil Fronsdal on preserving moments of peace and joy very helpful: If you feel happy and unusually settled and peaceful, maybe it is not the time to get lost on the Web, or the news, or start doing… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we continue reflecting on the Four Wise Efforts, we arrive at the fourth: sustaining and strengthening wholesome states that have already arisen. Joseph Goldstein refers to this as nurturing the “beautiful mental factors” and reminds us how often we overlook these qualities, and end up focusing instead on our shortcomings. In the book Mindfulness, Joseph… Read More »
Dear Friends, Courage is an essential quality on this path. It empowers us to face challenges, stay present, and remain committed to our growth. Here is a talk and meditation from DaRa Williams, titled “Reflections, Guidance, and Courage.” DaRa explores the many dimensions of courage, drawing from a framework that includes physical, emotional, social, moral, intellectual, and spiritual… Read More »
Dear Friends, Following our reflections on cultivating courageous energy, I was drawn to this quote by Thomas Merton, which speaks directly to the challenges of navigating times of change: In a time of drastic change one can be too preoccupied with what is ending or too obsessed with what seems to be beginning. In either case one loses… Read More »
Dear Friends, Joseph Goldstein describes energy (viriya) as the power to act–it encompasses strength, perseverance, and the courage to meet challenges with determination and skillfulness. This courageous energy sustains our practice, helping us abandon the unwholesome and nurture the skillful, both within ourselves and in the world. Joseph highlights that viriya is not about avoiding difficulties but engaging… Read More »
