Mindfulness is the practice of giving full attention to what’s happening within and around you, without judging yourself or others. It’s both a key component of Buddhist teaching and a unifying thread throughout Buddhism itself, and helps foster concentration, focus, and objective thinking. On a deeper level, extensive mindfulness practice culminates in a gradual awakening […]
July 6, 2021 More than 400 Americans died in 150 gun shootings across the long holiday weekend. Is that the America we want to continue to celebrate and defend? July 2, 2021 The second half of the year has started. I’m moving into a new phase of research for the nonfiction book I’ve been developing […]
Personal Mission: Best Person I Can Be. Best Work I Can Offer. Personal Vision: Decrease suffering and increase happiness for myself and others. Personal Values: Loving-kindness, compassion, gratitude, sympathetic joy, equanimity, curiosity, and creativity. Personal Strategies & Systems: Ongoing, intersecting, daily practices of mindfulness, health, learning, and vocation. Obstacles With Which I Sometimes Grapple: Shame, […]
As I’ve continued to grow and learn, as I’ve thrived and stumbled through various experiences and seasons of life, I’ve noticed that three practices in particular are the most powerful, transformative, and relevant for meaningful living and careers, in the face of both possibilities and threats. Mindfulness is the practice of giving full attention to […]
Buddhism is a natural foundation for racial justice activism. In fact, the Buddha was quoted as saying, “I teach only two things: suffering and the end of suffering.” As I continue to learn more about the pervasive racial suffering in the United States, and slowly embrace some crucial, ongoing steps toward its potential end, I’m […]
“Mindful Activism” seeks to influence the adoption of policies that reduce the suffering caused by various injustices–and to do so in a compassionate, skillful manner. Such activism, in order to be successful, must first be about “being” before moving into “doing.” The “being” has to be continuously nourished, lest the “doing” lead to burnout, discouragement, […]
The ongoing impact of the systemic racism that has plagued our country since 1619 (long before we were even the “United States”) can be reduced through new laws, policies, and changes at every level of government. It can be lessened through criminal justice reforms, and the reversal of mass incarceration along with the cessation of […]
20 years ago today I graduated with a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, en route to just under four years of pastoral ministry in The United Methodist Church of Florida. I’m very grateful for my three years at Asbury. I had brilliant, dedicated professors, several close friends, loving mentors, and […]
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is the study of excellent communication and is often described as a “user manual for your conscious and unconscious mind.” It was developed by modeling strong communicators and therapists who got results with their clients. The authors of NLP: The Essential Guide to Neuro-Linguistic Programming write that NLP is “a revolutionary study […]
Buddhism is a practical, non-religious framework of practices that helps individuals increase happiness and decrease suffering. It’s more than 2,500 years old, is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, and its mindfulness meditation practices have been proven by modern neuroscience to transform our elastic brains in positive, sustainable ways that align with high levels […]