Making sure that your intentions align with your real values is one of the best ways to lead the life you want. That’s why, says renowned Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein, right intention is the key to the Buddha’s eightfold path. I’ll never forget my astonishment when I heard the Tibetan teacher Nyshul Khen Rinpoche say, “Everything hangs on intention.” I thought, “Of [...]
Four Reflections That Strengthen Your Intention to Practice
Norman Fischer on four contemplations that will turn your mind toward positive thought and strengthen your intention to practice. Read Fischer's full teaching on the practice of intention. Every time we sit in meditation, every time we turn the mind toward positive thought and action to benefit others, we are strengthening our intention, our commitment, and our vow to [...]
Best Practices for Bodhisattvas
Traditional Buddhist vows can seem pretty hardcore, but they’re really just maps for a good human life. Zen teacher Josh Bartok translates them into values we can all relate to. During a recent Zen retreat, someone asked me, “Are there ‘best practices’ for living in alignment with awakening?” I pointed him to the vows and precepts that many Buddhists take. Vows are at [...]
Intention Is the Practice
On the Buddhist path, says Zen teacher Norman Fischer, our intention deepens into commitment and then into vow. At that point, our intentions and our life become one. When you practice meditation, you are assured of success. But by “success” I don’t mean that things will go as you hope they will. When you meditate, you soon forget about whether things go as you hope they [...]
Practice: What Are My Intentions for Today?
A daily intention-setting practice, from Sylvia Boorstein. Read her full teaching on the power of the Buddhist practice of intention. Here is a set of intentions based on traditional Buddhist precepts. Some people I know have them taped to their bathroom mirror and say them aloud each morning: On behalf of myself and all beings, I intend to refrain from consciously hurting [...]
How to Practice Mindful Eating
Jan Chozen Bays teaches us how to make every meal a celebration of gratitude, enjoyment, and true nourishment. In Zen we are instructed, “When hungry, just eat.” Whenever we eat or drink we have the opportunity to turn our attention to the vivid clarity of this very moment of experience—if we take time to just eat. Too often we feel that eating is something to get over [...]
Krista Tippett: Voice of America’s Spiritual Journey
The host and creator of On Being talks about her own spiritual journey, and the changing face of spirituality in America. As the creator and host the popular public radio/podcast On Being, and the author of Becoming Wise, Krista Tippett is renowned for her meetings of mind and spirit with wisdom figures, politicians, poets, and great thinkers of our time. She is the host and [...]
Do I have to put others before myself?
Buddhist teachings say that I should put others before myself. But they also say I should have compassion for myself. How do I do both? Most religions teach that we have a choice between being selfish (bad) and being selfless (good). Surprisingly, Buddhism doesn’t do that. The Buddhist principle is the “two benefits”—what’s truly good for me is also good for you, and vice [...]
What are The Eight Consciousnesses?
Mahayana Buddhism breaks the mind into eight separate consciousnesses. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said the point of meditation is actually to understand how the eight conciousnesses work, because together they create our samsaric reality. They are also the working basis of enlightenment. 1 through 6: The Sense Consciousnesses The first 5 are familiar: the eye, ear, nose, [...]
How long should you meditate for?
I’m trying to start a daily sitting meditation practice, but I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on how long I should meditate for. What’s your advice? There are two different views on this: 1. Any time spent meditating is good, no matter how short. 2. The longer you meditate for, the better. The thing is, they’re both right. Even five minutes a day is better than [...]