breathe. And using smell and taste and touch.   RW:  What role does that play for you here in this beautiful place?   Grace:  I mean look at how beautiful it is! I wake up and think—as my teacher said, you've been trying to be a priest for years, but you've always been too busy to actually do it. He finally said you can't be so busy. I can be busy, but finally you don't have so many options. It’s true that I’ve gotten to be centered in nature much more because I've walked this path for 23 years and therefore I know when every plant blooms in this valley.      I used to walk out of zazen at 6 o’clock in... posted on Dec 31 2013 (26,891 reads)

turned to try to see what help I could be to another person. RW:  That’s interesting. JN:  That turns, very often that turns the whole thing around. RW:  I am sure that that is an absolutely authentic principle. It’s spoken of all the time by people with wisdom. And as you said also, there’s something that might come from listening to oneself. I think a basic principle of Buddhism is that our problems stem from ignorance about our true nature.      I had an interesting experience a couple of years ago. I had a beautiful condominium on the coast in Oregon gifted to me for a week. I was going to do some writing ... posted on Apr 3 2014 (21,318 reads)

mind-bending new understanding of our basic existential anchor. The fate of the world depends on the selves of human beings, " pioneering educator Annemarie Roeper wrote in her meditation on how poorly we understand the self. Indeed, while philosophers may argue that the self is a toxic illusion and psychologists may insist that its ever changing, we tend to float through life anchored by a firm conviction that the self is our sole constant companion. But when psychologist David DeSteno asks, "Can the present you trust the future you?" In his fantastic exploration of the psychology of trust, the question leaves us -- at least me -- suddenly paralyzed w... posted on Mar 13 2014 (28,492 reads)

in his self-built cabin at Walden Pond, where he attempted to grow most of his own food and live in isolated self-sufficiency (though by his own admission, he regularly walked a mile to nearby Concord to hear the local gossip, grab some snacks, and read the papers). It was Thoreau who gave us the iconic statement of simple living: "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone." For him, richness came from having the free time to commune with nature, read, and write. Simple living was also in full swing across the Atlantic. In nineteenth-century Paris, bohemian painters and writers like Henri Murger—author of the autobiographical ... posted on Mar 14 2014 (43,388 reads)

hurt and all the things that anyone would feel. So be willing to grieve, and then to let go. Ten: Forgiveness includes all the dimensions of our life. Forgiveness is work of the body. It’s work of the emotions. It’s work of the mind. And it’s interpersonal work done through our relationships.  Eleven: Forgiveness involves a shift of identity. There is in us an undying capacity for love and freedom that is untouched by what happens to you. To come back to this true nature is the work of forgiveness. Twelve: Forgiveness involves perspective. We are in this drama in life that is so much bigger than our ‘little stories.’ When we can open this perspec... posted on Mar 15 2014 (62,791 reads)

is a very first thing I try to find in you and it's the very last thing I want to show you in me because it's the glue that holds connection together. It's all about our community humanity and, when we own our stories and we share our stories with one another and we see ourselves reflected back in the stories of people in our lives, we know we're not alone. And to me, that's the heart of wholeheartedness, it's the center of spirituality. To me, that's the nature of connection, to be able to see myself and hear myself and learn more about myself in the stories you tell about your experiences. Ms. Tippett: I also see an upside of aging. When I se... posted on Mar 21 2014 (33,323 reads)

and uprisings -- and yet, he chose not to let the actions of others get to him. Instead, he always remembered that there is some of the "divine" in each of us: When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own -- not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. Aurelius believed that all men are made to coop... posted on Mar 29 2014 (106,415 reads)

I asked myself this question, it was out of absolute desperation. There was a part of me that was crying out. It was terrifying and it came out of the blue. It was so out of left field, I trusted it. The moment the brush touched the canvas, something opened in me, awakened. I connected to some part of myself that I recognized, it just had been completely neglected for years.” Art became a gateway, a homecoming to her inner self. Pamela reminds us that we are all artists and it is our nature to be creative, loving and generous. I felt a stirring in my heart In sharing with us how the “Beautiful Project” came about, Pamela relived a profound moment with a young boy... posted on Apr 9 2014 (26,230 reads)

is challenging to define, despite the huge role it plays in our everyday lives. Steve Jobs called it, for instance, "more powerful than intellect." But however we put it into words, we all, well, intuitively know just what it is. Pretty much everyone has experienced a gut feeling -- that unconscious reasoning that propels us to do something without telling us why or how. But the nature of intuition has long eluded us, and has inspired centuries' worth of research and inquiry in the fields of philosophy and psychology. "I define intuition as the subtle knowing without ever having any idea why you know it," Sophy Burnham, bestselling author of The Ar... posted on Apr 30 2014 (136,696 reads)

will give you honest and constructive feedback. It’s not always what you want to hear, but that is often exactly what is needed. It can be very confronting, but very useful. This brings us to the most poignant question: How to unbridle one’s work, whether lauded or criticized, from one’s sense of self-worth. Collage and mixed-media artist Hollie Chastain reflects: I think as an artist it’s very easy to [equate self-worth with artistic success] because of the nature of the work. If you think of art as a job, then your product is so much more than hours invested. The product is a piece of yourself, so of course if the reception is not the greatest, then it ... posted on Apr 22 2014 (26,534 reads)

You could just walk in and talk to him. He was also pretty fearless about saying what he thought. There were two things about Desmond Tutu—his great sense of humor, which is always appreciated with people in high and important positions. People said that about Mandela, too, that he had a very impish sense of humor. But Tutu did, as well. He was having a laugh about everything, and he had great humility. When I would interview him, he would say, “I’m a leader only because nature abhors a vacuum.” Meaning the real leaders were all in jail. So South Africa for me was like, “Wow! This is the real deal! These are people!” When I came back to the Sta... posted on Apr 18 2014 (9,137 reads)

story at Rochester. I left in 1956. Then afterwards I would help Minor with workshops on occasion. We wrote. We kept in touch. So when did he start? I’m guessing it would have been about the early sixties. RW: Well, going back to when you were first a student of his, one assignment was to go out to photograph the essence of a place. What were some of the other assignments? JU: Some of them were more conventional. In portraiture it was about, again, understanding the essence or true nature of the person you were photographing. And when we went to Point Lobos, essence was part of it. It wasn’t until Minor began doing workshops—and this was after I’d gone to Roche... posted on May 12 2014 (22,550 reads)

movement has enormous potential to grow.... The Choice for Simplicity The circle has closed. The Earth is a single system and we humans have reached beyond its regenerative capacity. It is of the highest urgency that we invent new ways of living that are sus­tainable. The starting gun of history has already gone off and the time for creative action has arrived. With lifestyles of conscious simplicity, we can seek our riches in caring families and friend­ships, reverence for nature, meaningful work, exuberant play, social contribution, collaboration across generations, local com­munity, and creative arts. With conscious simplicity, we can seek lives that are rich with... posted on Apr 29 2014 (19,574 reads)

creative activities like knitting and cooking can boost your levels of serotonin and decrease anxiety. Photo by Asife/ Shutterstock. Do you consider yourself creative? If the answer is "no," you are not alone. We have been working as creativity facilitators for close to two decades, and whenever we ask people this question, shockingly few hands go up. It turns out that you don't have to be a great artist to be creative. Creativity is simply our ability to dream things up and make them happen. Cooking breakfast, planting a garden, even developing a business plan are all creative acts. But here is where the arts do come in. Participating in the ar... posted on Jun 5 2014 (1,860 reads)

attracting attention. Like being in the middle of it without being the center of anyone’s attention. Perhaps like a fly on the wall. Later I engage and I find that my engagement is more informed, more connected. If I feel over-stimulated by a place (e.g., the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh or Mumbai, India) I find that this approach helps me to to better take in the big picture so I’m not as overwhelmed by the action, the sensory overload that comes with immersion. In nature, this means finding a spot to sit. Give this one at least 15 mintues, longer if you like. All day even. You may be overwhelmed not only by the greater range of sights, smells, and sounds availa... posted on May 7 2014 (16,264 reads)

invaluable insights from contemporary psychology. Schwartz and Sharpe write: [Aristotle] thought that our fundamental social practices constantly demanded choices — like when to be loyal to a friend, or how to be fair, or how to confront risk, or when and how to be angry—and that making the right choices demanded wisdom. To take the example of anger, the central question for Aristotle was not whether anger was good or bad, or the abstract question about what the nature of the “good” in fact was. It was the particular and concrete issue of what to do in a particular circumstance: who to be angry at, for how long, in what way, and for what purpose. ... posted on Jun 13 2014 (17,896 reads)

Bruner writes: The servant can pattern himself on the master — and so he did when God was master and Man His servant creating works in His glory — but the machine is the servant of man, and to pattern one’s function on the machine provides no measure of dignity. The machine is useful, the system in terms of which the machines gain their use is efficient, but what is man? The artist, the writer, and to a new degree the scientist seek an answer in the nature of their acts. They create or they seek to create, and this in itself endows the process with dignity. there is “creative” writing and “pure” science, each justifying th... posted on Jul 31 2014 (21,365 reads)

can’t use these. They look like heirlooms!” Gina, a guest at my holiday gathering, holds up one of the elaborately embroidered napkins from the buffet table. “Where’d you get them?” “Out of a dumpster. The tablecloth and those candleholders were in there, too.” “You can’t be serious! Why would they be in a dumpster?” The shock in her voice carried across the room, and others looked up. It’s common that women ask where something came from, especially if it’s an attractive article of clothing or new addition to the house. But to name a dumpster as the source of anything, especially an obj... posted on May 27 2023 (24,991 reads)

and other North American birds were claimed within three weeks, and donors eventually contributed $200,000 to restoration efforts. In the media coverage that followed, Bouler spoke about the importance of small actions in response to big environmental issues like habitat loss and pollution. She sees kids' ability to focus on one piece at a time as a lesson to adults for whom the overwhelming magnitude of a problem may be an obstacle to taking action. To spark kids' interest in nature, Bouler, now in high school, regularly shares her knowledge and enthusiasm for birds and drawing in classrooms, sometimes with the help of her younger brother Jackson, a puppeteer. A traveling ... posted on Jul 4 2014 (13,979 reads)

orchestra or sing background vocals with a really great band? Everyone has had that fantasy, you know, so they want to do it. They're ready to go, you know. Ms. Tippett: Mm-hmm. It's the karaoke — the impulse behind karaoke. [Music: “Ave Maria” by Bobby McFerrin] Ms. Tippett: If I ask you, you know, if you think about — what does — what does that teach you? What do you take from that about — like what — what makes us human or the nature of God? Because there is something — if for — it's rare but it's also completely essential, this singing together. Mr. McFerrin: Singing together, it's essential for ... posted on Aug 15 2014 (14,472 reads)