Musings on
the Middle Path

Unraveling the Why Behind Human Meanness Lately, I find myself deeply pondering the phenomena of harshness between humans, ruthlessness from humans toward other creatures, and indifference from humans toward this world we are so fortunate to inhabit. I find myself...

A Challenge of Contemporary Times The graphic above is a sketch of how I work with someone who asks me for private instruction. Recently such a person, who has been using apps only to practice both meditation and yoga, approached me. They were seeking clarification,...

Because of where I live and work, in the (fortunately protected) woods surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir, I drive a car a lot. To get to pretty-much-anywhere requires traveling at least a few miles, often much more. I have lived in this area for many years. It's the...

Practicing mindfulness and compassion makes an invisible, but nonetheless very powerful, heart-path for we humans who earnestly wish to directly connect with and understand what is happening within and around us. While the path may wend through both bright and dark...

In a world increasingly defined by the noise and rapid pace of mainstream culture, a growing number of people are choosing to forge their own paths and embrace simpler, more ethical lifestyles that diverge from societal norms. I call this contemporary wayfaring, and...

 Recently, in the weekly online sitting group, we've been exploring a series of ordinary words - words we use all the time - and contemplating how they may relate to or describe aspects of our practice, both on and off the cushion, chair or mat. The list of words was...

The image above was created by Dall-e (a wild new AI image generator), which I had fun playing with in the first few days after it was released to the public. I got an email invite, clicked on it, and was amazed at the possibilities... and then I started reading news...

The mountains around this beautiful old world are real, no doubt. The sky is spacious, and no arguments can make it otherwise. Water flows and ice stays still, period. We humans are part of nature, regardless of what we think, create or destroy. In the heart of our...

Winter Solstice Reflections: The beauty and benefits of turning inward.

Often, if you go to a mindfulness meditation class, the guidance will be to allow your breath to be natural. In other words, don’t control it. If you go to a yoga class though, you will likely receive instruction to intentionally lengthen and control your breathing,...