The Second Arrow of Suffering with Dr. Valerie Mason-John
Life has a way of throwing us a curveball when we least expect it, and when we think we can’t withstand any more, something else happens. Author and mindfulness teacher Dr. Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John shares the parable of the “second arrow” – a metaphor for the extra suffering we cause ourselves – and five ways to work with habitual thoughts so we can start rolling with the punches, and stop kicking ourselves.
How to Love with bell hooks / The Truth of Romantic Love with Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath / Pure Love Tonglen Meditation with Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown
Author and activist bell hooks shares a simple formula for a healthy romantic relationships, starting with the myth that love is a feeling – a noun. In fact she says, “love is what to do.”
Jungian psychoanalyst and Zen Buddhist Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath lays out the pitfalls of romantic love that lead us to idealization, delusion, disappointment and depression, and how to avoid them.
Then an introductory tonglen meditation to refresh and expand your heart, from the online course Flight of the Swans: Dharma Comes West, by Lion’s Roar and Naropa University.
Black Buddhist Panel on Dharma, Community and Activism
How does personal experience shape how we understand the dharma? How does that understanding shape how we take social action? Buddhist leaders Kamilah Majied, Willie Mukei Smith, and DaRa Williams explore how their experiences as black Americans shaped their understanding of the dharma, interacting with other faith traditions to inform how they understand Buddhist teachings like collective karma, liberation, and the Bodhisattva vow to alleviate suffering.
Just Stop: The Simplest Meditation / Golden Butter Meditation with Koshin Paley Ellison
The simplest practice of all is the ability to “just stop,” says Chief Editor Melvin McLeod, but it’s not easy. In this brief editorial he sheds light on why we struggle to slow down, and why we should do so anyway.
Then, a guided meditation to help you embody your best qualities even when you’re deep in “the heart of your darkness,” with Zen teacher Koshin Paley Ellison.
Eating Oryoki with Claire Gesshin Greenwood
Claire Gesshin Greenwood discovered Oryoki in the monasteries of Japan, where monks in training practice a ritualized eating ceremony with bells and chanting. There’s a right way to use the bowls, a right way to clean them, a right way to hold them, and a right way to eat what’s in them – all to help them experience greater clarity and gratitude for their lives. Greenwood says we can experience this same stillness and sense of interconnectedness in our homes. She explains why, even after she left the cloistered monastic life, she was inspired to bring this practice back to her San Francisco home.