Humility: one of our hidden force towards equanimity  The following talk sounds distant from Zen philosophy, but stay tuned to the end. Suppose you are at a job interview with the HR recruiter, and she/he is asking the following: “ What is one of your best qualities?”... and, after a short pause, you answered: “ Humility.” At this point, […]

Start with the end in mind... So what happens in the end? We become dirt. We may be buried, cremated, or as in the case of Zoroastrianism left to be fed to birds of prey and then become bird poop. Either way, the end is dirt. So why are we, the walking pile of ‘eventual’ […]

Wanting to be happier Wanting to be happier is a universal daily expectation. The scientific study of happiness called positive psychology has mushroomed over the last two decades. Major research institutions have taken on provoking search into the joy of joy, with surprising results. Here are few: Researchers from UK used MRI, heart-rate monitors and […]

Controlling anger Anger is an emotional involuntary reflex mostly ego-driven. Its onset is impossible to prevent. This destructive emotion is very hard to control because it takes over our rational thinking, pushing us into further detrimental consequences. Whatever its sources and they are many, anger is affecting not only you and me but also people […]

          Circuit breaker A circuit breaker is an electrical switch designed to protect an entire circuit from damage caused by a sudden overload or from a short appearing somewhere in the circuit. By interrupting the current, the circuit breaker is protecting the entire system. Our brain-mind is also a giant electrical system made of 100 […]

I started meditating many years ago. I meditated primarily as a way to help me deal with stress and insomnia, both of which are related. My meditation wasn’t a routine practice and I did it only when I felt I needed to. As a result, I didn’t progress beyond a basic level. That level typically […]

               Did you give compliments lately? XIII century Japanese Zen Master Dogen, also a Samurai, used to teach the following. I am editing : “As often as you can, think about someone close to you: family member, friend or even coworker and give them a simple genuine compliment..... w/o expecting something back. The closer the […]

CONQUEST OF DEATH: AN EASTERN PERSPECTIVE Once when Buddha was passing through a village, a hysterically crying young woman accosted him. She stated that her young child had just died and she had heard that Buddha could save the child. Buddha tried to console the woman but she insisted that Buddha should come with her […]

       Practice the “don’t know mind”       also called an open mind and opposite of "mindset" How often do we say: “ I know or I don’t believe in that, or I believe in this” We are making these statements very often even if we have no clue or understanding. “I don’t believe that climate […]

  The 7wonders of the world We are in a classroom, somewhere, sometime. The history & geography teacher has decided to test the general knowledge of the students and invited the parents to join the discussion. The question is the following What are the 7 human-made wonders of the world and not the Nature- based […]