time, I was with a bunch of strangers in India. I was giving a presentation, and power went out. It was in a dark hall, and I was with two other colleagues. I was so embarrassed because we had invited all these people here. It was a public talk, and we couldn't do anything about it. Our mic was gone. There was no light. Everyone's sitting here in darkness, and I was just like, "Oh my goodness."You know, when the power goes out, you feel like you should be in control of it, because you're hosting the event. I was so embarrassed, and we just kept going on, talking in the dark, hoping people would stay. It was really ridiculous. I mean, there were no windows. Nothing. It was a dark hall.All... posted on May 14 2024 (1,889 reads)

each one, not just for somedisplay Kindness as you listenLove with love that never ends.search for Meaning as you NurtureOpenness makes strangers, friendsfoster Peace and learn by Playingas you Quest, may you Revere.welcome Shadow, welcome Silence,Teachers bring transformation near.work for Unity with Vision,Wonder at the mysteryYearn and follow your desireslive God’s Spirit Zealously.Charles: I'd love to invite us just to have a moment of silence, just to let that magnificent song, the images, the words, settle into a deep place. Let's just pause for a moment….Mary Ann, please speak to us of spiritual literacy.Mary Ann: Okay. Spiritual literacy is, we define that as the abili... posted on May 5 2024 (3,278 reads)

communities to hold conflict and navigate complexity across various levels of authority. She holds a Bachelors of Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and is an incoming PhD candidate at UC Berkeley, where she will research the pedagogical and theoretical implications of generative AI. Vartika Sharma is a collage artist and illustrator based in New Delhi, India. Inspired by surrealism and symbolism, she creates emotive images through bold compositions. Her digital and print work has appeared in The New Statesman, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Atavist Magazine, The New Yorker, and elsewhere. Poking fun at ho... posted on May 15 2024 (3,393 reads)

they would “shush and drop” them into shiny metal bowls. The aim was to separate out the little bits of stone or grit, the less-than-ideal specimens. Her mother wanted each bean to be perfect.  “Shush and drop, shush and drop, shush and drop,” Alice murmurs. Even now, the sound carries her back in time, back to herself at five and six years old. “More than anything in the world,” she says, “that sound transports me.” Many of us turn to images to spark our memories: the childhood drawings, still stuck to the belly of the old refrigerator; the family album crammed with faded photographs. But sounds, too, can be powerfully evocative.&n... posted on May 20 2024 (1,785 reads)

you ever woken up in the middle of the night with upsetting thoughts spinning through your head? Maybe you argued with your partner and you’re reliving the fight in agonizing detail. Perhaps you can’t stop worrying about all the things that could go wrong in an upcoming job interview. Or maybe you’re perseverating about the state of the world. Rehashing the past or imagining the future isn’t unusual. That’s how we humans figure out how to navigate our lives. But sometimes this system goes haywire, and we get stuck, like a needle stuck on a record album that plays the same riff over and over again. Repetitive, ruminative thinking can make it hard to see re... posted on Jun 13 2024 (3,748 reads)

seen in Parade - January 1, 2012) I’ve received quite a few nice notes and letters from people who saw my piece in Parade. That piece was necessarily much shortened, because of space limitations, so I thought I’d share an earlier draft with those who have taken the time to come to this page. Here goes. “Knowing that you had to work on Thanksgiving, of all days, I thought I’d express my gratitude that you have taken the time and made the effort to learn my name and greet me each day in a way that makes me feel like a person instead of a number.  It’s a small thing, but on any given day, it can make all the difference.  Thank you!” I sent th... posted on Aug 18 2013 (100,986 reads)

interview was first published on September 16, 2014.] Beginning in the summer of 1977, two American monks in the Chinese Mahayana Buddhist tradition committed to taking three steps and one bow for 800 miles along California’s Highway 1. A pilgrimage to bring peace within and without, their journey took them through some of the most beautiful and also some of the most dangerous parts of California. Two and a half years later, they completed their pilgrimage at the steps of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, in Ukiah, California. One of these monks was bestowed the name Rev. Heng Sure, or “Constantly Real.” Born into a Christian family in the midwestern city of Toledo,... posted on Jul 5 2024 (2,380 reads)

group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds: "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think... _____ "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8 _____ "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4 _____ "Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - ag... posted on Dec 29 2010 (643,970 reads)

in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods. “One of us starts sifting the flour and another washing the eggs,” explained Nana Mary Ellen, the appointed spokesperson for their secret society. “And someone else makes sure the pans are all ready. We switch off, depending on what we feel like doing that day. “But you make sure to say Nana Pearl is in charge... posted on Jun 29 2012 (1,785,731 reads)

delivered in January 2023 for the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at University of Pennsylvania. The evening was graciously hosted by Symposium Committee, Office of the Chaplain and Office of the President.] Thank you for such a heartfelt introduction. To be in the company of such inspired love-warriors from the community and to be in shared field of honoring Dr. King's legacy is a tremendous honor.  Having just spent a couple of months in India, today, I'm hoping to build a bit of a Gandhi-Dr. King bridge that perhaps points us to the hem of the Infinite. I want to start in 1958. Dr. King was 29 years old, his first book had come out, and he was  signing ... posted on Feb 2 2023 (10,589 reads)