Standing At the Edge is a once in a lifetime kind of book. I don’t say that lightly either. It’s a life-changing and life-affirming book that combines philosophy, Zen Buddhism, psychology, and much more and manages to be both personal and relevant for individuals as well as being vastly relevant to the entire human race.Continue reading “Book Review: Standing At the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet by Joan Halifax @jhalifax”
Tag Archives: Roshi Joan Halifax
Comforting Thought: The three forms of respect @jhalifax
Respect for others “When we respect someone, we understand our interconnectedness with them. My friends in Nepal ritualise mutual respect and interconnectedness by putting their hands together and bowing to each other while saying ‘Namaste’, which means ‘ I bow to the divine within you’. This is an expression of the interconnectedness of self andContinue reading “Comforting Thought: The three forms of respect @jhalifax”
Comforting Thought: Mitákuye Oyás
“The phase Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ comes from the Lakota language and was part of the language of resistance used in the Standing Rock demonstration. Translated to English it roughly means ‘All my relations.’ “During prayers and meetings at Standing Rock, the Lakota people used this phrase when they wanted to speak or when they finished speaking.Continue reading “Comforting Thought: Mitákuye Oyás”
Comforting Thought: Live now, as we think human beings should live @jhalifax
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history based not only on cruelty but also on compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. “What we choose to emphasise in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst,Continue reading “Comforting Thought: Live now, as we think human beings should live @jhalifax”
Comforting Thought: The Five Precepts of Buddhism @jhalifax
“When I am not clear what road to take, I might ask myself: ‘What would Buddha do?’ This is not to ask the impossible of myself. Rather, it is a reminder that the seeds of freedom are already in me. My vows water those seeds, and this seemingly innocent question has helped me to avoidContinue reading “Comforting Thought: The Five Precepts of Buddhism @jhalifax”
Kintsukuroi or why we are perfect in our imperfection
“There is a Japanese practice called Kintusukoroi or kintsugi which means ‘golden repair’. Kintsukuroi is the art of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold or platinum mixed with lacquer, so that the repair reflects the history of the breakage. “The repaired object mirrors the fragility and imperfection of life – and also its beauty andContinue reading “Kintsukuroi or why we are perfect in our imperfection”
Comforting Thought: Empathy Between Gift and Invasion
“I’m interested in everything that might be flawed and messy about empathy, how imagining other lives can constitute a kind of tyranny, or artificially absolve ourselves from guilt or responsibility. How feeling empathy can make use feel we’ve done something good when we actually haven’t. “We start to like the feeling of feeling bad forContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Empathy Between Gift and Invasion”
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