"A highly individualized spiritual belief system composed of selected elements drawn from various doctrines." — Judie Sigdel
Today was Sunday. I had a to do list a mile long. Thanks to a bad bout of insomnia, instead of getting an early jump on my day I got up really late. As I dutifully crossed tasks off my list my inner child whined, "I can't possibly get everything done. I want to relax. …
One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us. ― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel My mother taught me to read before I started kindergarten. She set up a classroom in our garage, complete with a blackboard and flash cards. By the time I reached …
Today I'm pleased to present the final chapter in the series about bardo, the “transitional” state between lives. As my regular readers know, I am reprinting it with permission from a scholarly work entitled Auspicious Birth by Master Shi Zhiguo, a contemporary Chinese monk. If you are a new reader…welcome! Please take some time to read the previous posts …
I hope that my regular readers are enjoying this series about bardo, the “transitional” state between lives. As you know, I am reprinting it with permission from a scholarly work entitled Auspicious Birth by Master Shi Zhiguo, a contemporary Chinese monk. For authenticity, as well as for the convenience of any subscribers who read Chinese, I am including …
This is the third post in a series about bardo, the “transitional” state between lives. It is from a scholarly work by a contemporary Chinese monk, Master Shi Zhiguo, entitled Auspicious Birth. For authenticity, as well as for the convenience of any subscribers who read Chinese, I am including the Chinese source as well as the English translation. …
This is the second post in a series about bardo, an “in between” or “transitional” state between lives. It is from a scholarly work by a contemporary Chinese monk, Master Shi Zhiguo, entitled Auspicious Birth. As you can see, I am including the Chinese source as well as the English translation. For additional background and context, please read Auspicious …
Several years ago, I was searching for an English-speaking Buddhist temple in Chinatown. I stumbled across a website, complete with a picture, about a Caucasian man who was a resident monk at a local temple. As fate would have it, I ran into the monk, Venerable Benkong, a couple of weeks later at the bus …
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone] In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry] An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promised joy. -- Robert Burns, "To a Mouse" DH and I were supposed to go antiquing upstate …
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. -- Jon Kabat-Zinn As my loyal readers (you know who you are!) may remember, I see a biofeedback therapist every week. Actually, I'm lucky enough to …
In addition to my meditation apps and gadgets, I have a virtual Sangha of like-minded seekers who I met online. I consider some of the people who have interacted with this blog to be members of this "e-Sangha." Others include online friends I have known for years who share their experience with Buddhism and other spiritual practices and support me on my quest.
Eclectic Spirituality 