to be a teacherthe place insidethat invites respectyour lightyour graceyour childrenI honor… George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays and letters have appeared in USA Today, The Wall Street […]
personal development
Gratitude: Silent Recitation for Falling Asleep

By Dogo Graham Thank you, pillows. Thank you, mattress. Thank you, sheets. Thank you, duvets. Thank you, floor. Thank you, ceiling. Thank you, walls. Thank you, windows. Thank you, door. Thank you, electricity. Thank you, water. Thank you, neighbourhood. Thank you, city. Thank you, country. Continue, with or without words. Support Our Dharma Work
Simon Hui’s Mindful Studio for Life

Simon Hui is founder of Mindful Studio HK, a yoga studio offering courses to seekers of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Try imagining someone born in Hong Kong who grew up in Nigeria, was educated in the US, learned yoga in India, and ordained as a monk in Myanmar. That is my continuously unfolding adventure, and […]
Anything but the Way to Make a Living

Our geneticsignature is how we makeour soul grow. It’s the clueswe leave in the dark energyall around us. Singing in theshower toVan Morrison. Writinga poem to a friendfor no reason. Learning that life isanything butthe way to make a living. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications […]
Primitive Religion

Like you, I amjust seekingan experienceof being alive. Stirred, smoothed,and thickened, freshas a rosemary sprig, my primitive religion feels strained througha sieve on topof a cooled caramel base. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary […]
Understanding Yoga with Ami Ganatra

On 7 October, a workshop titled “Understanding Yoga: The holistic health science” was conducted at The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Graduate House (GH). Ami Ganatra, who has been practicing yoga for over a decade, conducted the workshop with a presentation that covered yoga philosophy, scientific aspects of yoga, practices, and the impact of those […]
Integrating the Caravan Leader and Junzi in Buddhist Leadership

“Arise, victorious hero, caravan leader, Debtless one, and wander the world. Let the Blessed One teach the Dharma, There will be those who will understand.” I was discussing the subject of Buddhist leadership with one of our website contributors recently. I suggested that while the ten virtues of Buddhist governance articulate well what a leader […]
In Praise of the Monastic Experience, a Taste of Chinese Buddhism

In July I read the account of a philosopher spending time at the famous Trappist monastery called the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. This is the place where Thomas Merton lived for a while in the 1960s. Reflecting on the beauty and simplicity of monastic vocation, the philosopher wondered, “why do so few people choose […]
A Mind With Space in It Is a Lively Mind

Master Jingzong; English translation by Foyuan, edited by Jingxing In life, the first thing we have to do is to take good care of ourselves. If we don’t do so, who will? During all these years as a monk and an Amitabha-reciter, I have always felt that someone was looking after me. This is the “I” […]
Transitions

“All compounded things are impermanent,” we are taught by the Buddha. Yet how often do we cling to this or that manifestation of reality, or a particular manifestation of politics, or our religion, or the dispositions of our loved ones or ourselves? Spring has arrived fully in my city of Seattle. With it comes a […]