Arnie Kozak's Blog, page 10
February 10, 2015
Visit With an Old Friend: Three Steps to Awakening By Larry Rosenberg
Larry Rosenberg's latest book came out in 2013 and I am just getting to it. I've been holding offer, like saving something precious that you know will likely not be replaceable. Larry is now in his 80s, and while he certainly may publish another book, this may...
February 7, 2015
The Anatomy of Grasping and Craving: Lessons from the Super Bowl
Two forces motivate much, if not all, of human behavior--grasping and craving, or crasping for an economical combination of the two. I should say that it's not just human behavior, all animal behavior falls under this rubric. Humans have our own particular virulent,...
February 1, 2015
Super Sunday
It's Super Bowl Sunday. Much of the world will be watching the game, the commercials, and the half-time entertainment. Many of these watchers won't be all that interested in the game itself.I will be. Having lived in Vermont for 20 years and in Boston area for seven additional...
January 18, 2015
Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
My dharma friend and mindfulness colleague, Elisha Goldstein has a fascinating new book out. It describes the ways that we can harness our own healing power to create natural antidepressants. These five include mindfulness, of course, self-compassion, living in accordance with purpose,...
January 6, 2015
Find Your GPS for Success
GPS has become part of our lives. We find it in our cars, our phones, and even in watches (I got one as a gift over the holidays). In any moment, we can know where we are and also communicate that information to others. GPS can be helpful for getting to a destination and...
December 21, 2014
Getting Past the Tyranny of Should: A Timely Message for the Holiday Season
There are many things we "should" be doing around the holidays. We should be happy, merry, and jolly. We should be with family. We should be the consummate hosts.In the course of the day, we might impose expectations, rules, and agendas on...
December 9, 2014
Finding the Fall Line: The Technique of Practice
As I was meditating this morning, I came up with a new practice metaphor. There were times when I was clearly in the flow of my body, very attuned the myriad body sensations and there were other moments where I was somewhere else or trying to manage some aspect of the moment,...
December 8, 2014
Prime Time, All the Time
An add for television streaming service Hulu states, "Every minute of every day should be considered prime time." This clever quip has a double meaning. On the one hand, it reflects the tyrannical notion that every experience that we have should be exciting, entertaining, and novel. On...
November 27, 2014
Giving Thanks 2014: Still a Lot to be Grateful For
There is not now, nor ever, a shortage of tragic, unjust, and violent events occurring around the world. The news media exploits these events and brings them into our brains 24/7 with an unrelenting insistence.
Our nervous systems...
November 18, 2014
Buddhist Icon–Thich Nhat Hanh Recovering in Hospital
Beloved Buddhist monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh (TNH) has experienced a severe cerebral hemorrhage and remains in critical condition. He recently had his 88th Birthday. I surmise that he is, along with the Dalai, Lama, one of the two most readily recognized Buddhist figures in the...
