From author and contemplative photographer Andy Karr comes the latest “Seeing Fresh” contemplative photo of the week, submitted by Didi Young. Andy's comment: “These lush, curvaceous succulents are reminiscent of Edward Weston's work, but with the added bonus of color. It's a great example of fresh seeing.” [...]
Summer books: Looking for a fun and meaningful new read?
Then look no further -- in our new, September 2014 magazine, Andrea Miller tells you about the latest books from Tom Robbins and Peter Matthiessen, a re-release of Nyanaponika Thera's classic Heart of Buddhist Meditation, and more. Click here to read. (And once you're there, click any book's bibliographical information to purchase directly from its publisher.) [...]
Extreme Detox: How Buddhist monks led me to humility and freedom from alcohol addiction
Author Paul Garrigan tells how Buddhist monks in a Thai temple helped him to drop his drinking, and even the very idea that he was an addict. In 2006, I entered an addiction treatment program in Thailand. I did this in the hope of curing a problem that had been making my life miserable for almost two decades. I felt full of despair and saw the monastery as my last chance. That [...]
Pema Chödrön on the power of love, gratitude, loneliness, embarrassment, and inadequacy
"Without realizing it, we continually put up protective walls made of opinions, prejudices, and strategies, barriers that are built on a deep fear of being hurt. These walls are further fortified by emotions of all kinds: anger, craving, indifference, jealousy, and arrogance. "But fortunately for us, the soft spot — our innate ability to love and to care about things — is [...]
“All the Rage” — read Andrea Miller’s new Shambhala Sun editorial about working with anger
"At its best," writes Shambhala Sun Deputy Editor Andrea Miller in her newest Editorial, "anger is a formidable tool that shows us when something is unjust and needs to be rectified. Much more commonly, however, anger is simply an ugly and destructive force." So, she says, "I gave a lot of thought to anger and how it manifests in my life. I became curious about what it would [...]
The “Seeing Fresh” contemplative photo of the moment…
From author and contemplative photographer Andy Karr comes the latest “Seeing Fresh” contemplative photo of the week, submitted by Lis Maiz. Andy's comment: “It's just a hint of what's above, but the reflection of sky and leaves in the puddle makes the textures of this perception sparkle. It's a fine example of fresh seeing.” Contemplative photography is a method for working [...]
A Kickstarter for Nature lovers…
From TigerLion Arts -- who produced "KIPO!”, a circus of spirit, song and dance from Tibet, and the official arts component of the Dalai Lama’s 2011 Minnesota visit (the Sun was a sponsor) -- comes Nature, an "outdoor play, created by Ralph Waldo Emerson's great-great-great-grandson, about Emerson and Thoreau’s mutual love affair with the natural world." Watch above, and kick [...]
“No Time to Meditate?” Think again.
We all think, at one point or another, that we don't have time to meditate. But maybe time isn't the issue. Maybe the problem is that one part of us wants to do it, while another part wants something else. Author and meditator Tina Welling has some guidance for all of us who wish we could be more undivided when it comes to practice. Check out her Shambhala Sun article, "No [...]
Just days left to help make “The Dalai Lama Film” a reality
Word from the people looking to make Kickstart The Dalai Lama Film (see trailer above or more info below) is that they're "now 90% funded on with 11 days to go -- but, as you know, Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing enterprise." Meaning, they need your help, and need it now. Watch, and contribute to the Kickstarter campaign here. [...]
Subscribe to Shambhala Sun and receive the special e-book “How to Meditate” — in addition to a great discount
Want to learn more about how meditation can help us develop calm, awareness, wisdom and love? Subscribe to the Shambhala Sun today; you’ll save up to 62% on your order and receive a free digital booklet of great meditation teachings from the pages of the Shambhala Sun. Click here. Inside you'll find great meditation teachings from Pema Chödrön, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Joan [...]