This week, Ryan and I brainstormed about our family "mission statement." I find that it's helpful to be very clear on what my values and goals are and to re-visit them frequently, to help me stay focused on what's truly important. This helps me avoid getting sidetracked by things that seem valuable on the surface, …
3+4 = 4+3? Meditation Timer Experiment Report
In ancient China, a person raised a monkey. He fed the monkey 4 nuts in the morning and 3 nuts in the evening. The monkey was sad and cried. So the person gave 3 nuts in the morning and 4 nuts in the evening, the monkey was happy. The person easily outsmarted the monkey with …
Continue reading 3+4 = 4+3? Meditation Timer Experiment Report
Dhamma Friends Ski Trip
This past weekend, we went on a ski trip with some friends in the Pocono Mountains, and it was so much fun!! Well, we didn’t end up skiing due to balmy temperatures and ongoing rain, but I’m still calling it a ski trip :). There were 4 couples on the trip, including 5 serious meditators …
From Christian Mysticism to Vipassana
I grew up in a family oriented to Christian Mysticism. My grandparents from both sides were very focused in that way, though they followed different teachers. My mom's mom was very influenced by Joel Goldsmith who became well known in the 50's-60's and formed a group called the Infinite Way, this teaching rubbed off on …
Ryan’s Classroom
After only 54 minutes of meditation divided over 6 months of school, my high school student completed a survey, and the results are impressive. I've added a page to the toolbar of this blog sharing the progression of events that lead to meditation in my classroom called "Ryan's Classroom." If you have thoughts, ideas, or questions, let …
One-degree Warmer
“Did you sense the air you breathed out was one degree warmer than the air you breathed in?” On the 3rd day of a Vipassana mediation course, we focused on sensations of the tiny area between nostrils and upper lip. Theoretically, the air we breathe out is a little warmer, maybe only 1°F warmer, than …
My Vipassana Catholicism
I come from a devout Catholic heritage and navigating my spiritual/religious identity over the years has been a rich and complex journey. One of the more interesting turns was my discovery a few years ago that my Vipassana meditation practice actually enabled me to understand, appreciate and connect with Catholicism in a whole new way. …
Effects of Music and Dance on Meditation
I went to a 5 Rhythms dance about 2 weeks after sitting a 10 day course. The 5 rhythms is a free form dance style developed by Gabriel Roth which takes dancers through 5 distinct rhythms of flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. These rhythms mirror the rhythms of nature and the seasons. It’s about …
“Don’t use your meditation practice to harm yourself, only use it to help yourself.”
Do you know about Dr. Paul Fleischman's recent Old Student talks? The title of this blog post is a quote from one such talk, available for streaming audio or download by old students on the website pariyatti.org. You can link to the talks here. I am not always 100% successful at accomplishing my twice daily …
Success vs. Love
One reason I believe daily meditation is hard is because it's not simply about setting aside time in your busy day to sit. It's about actively shifting the way you live your life. For decades, most of us have been taught to measure the quality of our lives by our successes and failures. This implies …
Living Vipassana 