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My late friend Brother Wayne Teasdale, who died a couple of years ago from cancer, wrote: “We are at the dawn of a new consciousness, a radically fresh approach to our life as the human family in a fragile world. This birth into a new awareness, into a new set of historical circumstances, appears in a number of shifts in our understanding: The emergence of ecological awareness and sensitivity to the natural organic world, with an acknowledgment of the basic fragility of the earth. A growing sense of the rights of other species. A recognition of the interdependence of all domains of life...

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Last week I was in Mexico, on the west coast at Chacala (population 300), an hour and a half drive north of Puerto Vallarta. It is one of the last undeveloped palm-fringed bays in the area, now being threatened by commercial developers who want to turn the lovely sylvan beach into a marina and condos. There I was fortunate to meet and get to know a wonderful medical missionary named Dr. Laura de Valle, a trained physician and alternative medicine doctor, grandmother and zen Buddhist who has worked there almost single handedly serving the area for twenty-five years and is currently embroiled in trying...

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My dear friend Mirabai Bush, founder of The Contemplative Mind in Society Institute, based in Northampton, Massachusetts, has this to say: “In this present political moment, words are being used both to inspire and to manipulate. What is a contemplative to do?  Well, for an organization committed to the power of silence, we find ourselves most of the time talking, writing, speaking out. And discussing contemplative speech-what it is, what it isn't.” I learned my first contemplative practices in a monastery in Bodh Gaya, India, a dusty village of temples and chai stands. I sat in meditation...

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I like someone who is young and fresh, represents diversity and the new rather than the Old Guard; is innocent of the cynical cronyism and partisanship of the nation’s capitals; and might be able to carry off true change-- and change for the better, for they are still growing and evolving themselves. Who can say: "Out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond that we can.” Let’s say a resounding yes to life. Many want to change, or at least say they do; but who is ready, willing...

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The single election issue that every member of the Text Message Generation cares about is the environment. To all Text Messagers: This is the year of the Text Generation. I hope y’all will get out the vote in the upcoming presidential election. In truth, every day is election day; whatever we do, say, think, desire and intend is a vote for how the world will be.  The world is your hands, head and heart, body and soul. Use it, don’t abuse it. It’s now or never—as always. Polls tell us that about half of youthful voters don’t show up on election day. I understand that many young people...

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Bob Dylan is, for my money, the poet of our generation, although Allen Ginsberg is a close second. And both figure in the new film “I’m Not There” about his life, his music, and most of all his protean self. Universally acknowledged as the pre-eminent poet/lyricist and songwriter of his time, he was prematurely elevated by the media--which he despised--to the role of spokesmen, yet the reclusive Dylan wouldn’t admit to having any particular message nor to being a poet. “I don’t like the word,” he said. However, his biting, often cryptic lyrics served as a running commentary in capturing...

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1. Generosity--Gift-giving, Volunteering, Reaching out (calling, writing, acknowledging), Cheerfulness. 2. Share a prayer. 3. Give yourself a gift: material, or simply of time and space. 4. Inspirational reading. 5. Plumb the meaning of the particular holiday and season (and your locale). 6. Connect with someone you have difficulty relating to-- for example, finding some ground ground to talk about or something to like about a family member you usually have difficulty with at holiday gatherings. 7. Serve at a shelter, provide food for those in need, make hospital visits or visit the elderly...

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Holydays can be stressful, even for an enlightened jolly lama like myself. Who doesn't have an in-law that drives you mad or a schedule which burns the candle at both ends? There are countless little tools, tricks and techniques to help us learn to relax, de-stress, and be more present and wakeful in the moment. Experiment and find your own. Cut yourself some slack, and relax. Give yourself some compassion and kindness. Don't strive for perfection; even the Liberty Bell has a crack. Take a breath, take a break. Give yourself the gift of time and space, at some time during the holiday, or even...

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As the holydays start coming upon us, fast and furious, I like to turn back to spiritual readings and teachings to refresh and remind me what it's all about. Of course, having been called the 'Ocean of Questions,' I like to start with questions and then live mindfully into them. So first my HolyDay questions: What is this really all about? Why are we here? What are we doing? And what is important and really matters? Aren't these all part of life's big questions, anyway? Let's start with Thanksgiving. It seems it's the perfect kick off for the HolyDays at the end of the calendar year. Thanks...

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I have been asking people around the country about what is their big life question. Many say in return, “What do you mean?” I say—“You know, the big questions of life and death, the afterlife, God, suffering, meaning and purpose, truth, happiness, love.” And they inevitably say, “Oh, those big questions.” For everyone is familiar with them. We are all faced with these questions throughout life, as well as with the many little quandries of daily life. How well and to what degree we attend to them varies from person to person and from decade to decade. I myself feel well endowed with...

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