Embracing Strong Emotions

Oct. 4, 2023 | PVTWS on FB, Readings

“Buddhist psychology offers a model of the mind that divides our consciousness into two layers: the upper layer is ‘mind consciousness,’ our waking mind, and the lower layer is ‘store consciousness,’ similar to the concept of the unconscious in Western psychology. It is called ‘store consciousness’ because it stores the potentialities of our mental states, which are described as seeds, sleeping in the depths of our mind. There are many kinds of seeds in our store consciousness, some wholesome, like mindfulness, generosity, and forgiveness, and some unwholesome, like greed, ignorance, and hatred. All of us have all of these many types of seeds.”

Strong Back, Soft Front—Equanimity and Compassion

Aug. 2, 2023 | PVTWS on FB, Readings

”All too often, our so-called strength comes from fear, not love. Instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front, shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open.”

6 Elements of True Love

Mar. 29, 2023 | PVTWS on FB, Readings

Cultivating the Six Elements of True Love in ourselves is the most concrete practice that enables us to fulfill a lifelong commitment first to ourselves, which in turn enables us to understand, love, and live in harmony with our beloved and all others as well.

Aimlessness Meditation

Mar. 22, 2023 | Guided Meditations, PVTWS on FB

A Guided Meditation on Aimlessness in the Plum Village Tradition You might enjoy listening to the 2014 translation of the Heart Sutra by Thich Nhat Hahn chanted by the Plum Village monastics via this YouTube video which shows the lyrics. I have based this guided...