Book Review: “29 Gifts” by Cami Walker
Sunada reviews 29 Gifts, the remarkable true story of how one woman rose above her debilitating illness — and started a worldwide movement that has inspired thousands to work toward reviving the spirit of giving in the world.
Cami Walker seemed to have everything going for her when a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis
15 Great Women Buddhist Bloggers
I’m very honored to be included in Marguerite Manteau-Rao’s (@minddeep on Twitter) list of 15 Great Women Buddhist Bloggers. May our collective efforts help spread more loving, feminine energy into the world!
In the moment, in the sweep of time
Sunada sometimes hears skepticism about the idea of being “in the moment.” Does it really mean we should cut ourselves off from our past and future? Are we to drop all our cherished memories? Should we naively stop planning for our future? No, she’s quite certain this isn’t what the Buddha had in mind when he taught about mindfulness. So let’s take a closer look at what it might really mean.
A different way to think about creative genius
This is a fun and funny video of Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) sharing her ideas on creativity. She says that that instead of the rare person “being” a genuis, all of us “have” a genius. And she shares how we might be in relationship with that part of ourselves. It’s from www.TED.com — a site that I highly recommend for many wonderfully thought-provoking and often moving talks.
Fear is my ally
Fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability stay with one’s fear and use its energy wisely. In Sunada’s monthly post on Wildmind’s blog, she explains how welcoming our fears can point us toward our own place of freedom.
Working with anger
I’ve been talking with some clients recently about anger. We all know what it’s like. It feels like an alien takes control of us. When in its grip, we can’t seem to stop ourselves from saying or doing things we regret later. Or it silently boils inside, leaving us simmering long after the incident is over. But the good news is anger can be overcome. I’d like to share with you some things I’ve learned about anger, and how we can loosen its grip on us.
The neuroscience of mindfulness
This excellent article by David Rock explains mindfulness by way of two key neural networks: the “default” network, which thinks about ourselves and our world, and “direct experience”, which takes in information through our senses in real time. People who practice mindfulness are better at using both and switching between them appropriately. It’s the latter that allows us to perceive more accurately, respond flexibly, and be less imprisoned by our habits. So here’s a strong argument for practicing mindfulness!
Never give up!
I love this video! It’s of a feisty little penguin who is surrounded by a whole pod of orca whales out to get him. But he refuses to give up, and ultimately outsmarts them all!
Book Review: “The Mindful Leader” by Michael Carroll
In The Mindful Leader, author Michael Carroll’s premise is that the best leaders aren’t those who take charge and make things happen. They’re the ones who are willing to be fully human and inspire the best in others. Sunada reviews this book that shows us how to pursue excellence at work and do so with decency, dignity, and authenticity.
Staying anchored through distractions
I recently read an interesting tidbit about distractions. It was a study that examined people’s different ways of coping with disturbances when trying to meditate. The study compared the brainwaves of three people: a non-meditator, a Hindu meditator, and a Zen master. While sitting, each subject was confronted with a sudden loud noise every three minutes.
Two wonderful quotes
Here are a couple of wonderful quotes that came into my email inbox this morning. One by Sogyal Rimpoche is an exquisite description of the joys of meditating in nature, and the other is by Bonnie Myotai Treace about confronting fear.
A leap of faith
Learning and growing as an individual is a do-it-yourself project… up to a point. Sooner or later, there comes a time when we need to take a risk and leap into something new and beyond our control. Sunada shares how a recent experience reinforced her understanding of faith.
This month’s favorites from the web
Here are a couple things I found in my travels around the web this month that I wanted to share with you. The first is an accidental photo with a squirrel that just made me laugh. The second is a video of the second largest aquarium tank in the world. Just watch those gorgeous sea creatures swim by for a few minutes.
Playing our way through life
Many people think of play as a fringe benefit of life. Work comes first. Play is an “extra” that we reward ourselves with only after finishing our work. But Sunada sees it differently. On the one hand, play has a generative quality that can help us navigate successfully through life. But even more so, she sees it as an essential way of expressing life itself.
Happiness isn’t just about me
I read a really interesting article in Ode Magazine yesterday. There’s now scientific research showing that happiness is contagious! This study suggests that if I’m feeling happy, there’s a good chance that my friends and neighbors will be happier, too. The analysis is distilled down to pretty significant numeric probabilities, based on degrees of separation in the relationship. The effects are so powerful that even if it’s a friend of a friend of a friend that’s happy, I’m more likely to be buoyed by that than if I gain an extra $5,000 in my pocket.
Authentic Creativity
Every time I watch Bobby McFerrin or Yo-Yo Ma perform, I’m left in awe. It’s not just their amazing musicianship. What uniquely comes through in their music is their generosity of spirit and totally engaging way of expressing their individuality. As a musician myself, I muse in Wildmind’s blog about what it takes to cultivate that kind of open-hearted spontaneity and creativity.
A Buddhist’s rethinking of the Law of Attraction
As a pragmatic Buddhist, I felt a lot of skepticism when I first encountered the Law of Attraction (LOA). Many things I’ve seen stretch my credulity. But the more I think about it, the more I see nuggets underneath the hype that make sense to me, if reformulated a bit. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the Buddha was a Law of Attraction proponent, I do think there is some common ground to be found between the two.
We create our worlds through our thoughts
In short, the Law of Attraction says we create our worlds through our thoughts. It’s not just our conscious thoughts – but perhaps even more so our subconscious and inchoate beliefs, attitudes, and feelings. So let’s say for example, we think we don’t have enough money and take a miserly view
CD Review: “Your Breathing Body” by Reginald A. Ray
When Reginald Ray speaks of “touching enlightenment with the body”, he isn’t just saying that we can touch enlightenment with our bodies. What he really means is that there is no other way to do so. I just finished my first pass through his 20-disc meditation CD series, Your Breathing Body, and give it my ringing endorsement in my monthly post in Wildmind’s blog.
These made my heart smile
These two videos came across my Twitter stream this morning, and I had to share them with you. The first one, Bodhisattva in metro, is a delightful piece reminding us how little it takes to make a positive effect on the world. The second one is a piano duet played by Fran & Marlo Cowan (married 62 years). Here they play an impromptu recital in the atrium of the Mayo Clinic. Marlo is about to turn 90 years old. May we all be as full of life and joy at that age!
If there is no self, then who’s sitting here?
Does the Buddhist idea of “no self” strike you as bizarre or outrageous? I’ve been reflecting on this difficult concept and, in my monthly post in Wildmind’s blog, share my thoughts on it so far. It isn’t just an obscure philosophical point for mental gymnasts. Paradoxically, I think the ideas can help us in a very real way toward finding and becoming more of who we really are.