July Reflection Paṭicca-Samuppāda: All Things Arising Together "When this is, that is. From the arising of this comes the arising of that." The Buddha (SN 12.21) Dear friends, There's an important moment when I noticed my practice shift. On a Sunday morning sit at my local sangha, some time ago, I began to experience the boundary between the inside and outside of my body becoming porous. It was all of a sudden unclear where I ended and the space around me began. Maybe you'v

Mettā as strength, protection, and inner refuge Opening the heart is often associated with tenderness, warmth, and vulnerability. While these qualities can certainly be part of lovingkindness (mettā), the Buddha’s teaching points to something much deeper and more resilient. To open the heart is also an expression of courage. It is the willingness to remain present and non-hostile even when life does not listen. In the early teachings, mettā is not framed as a fleeting emotion

Beginning the year in presence, kindness, and receptive awareness The beginning of a year naturally invites reflection, intention, and resolve. Yet in the Buddha’s teaching, the question is not only what we intend, but from where those intentions arise. Before effort, before improvement, before insight, there is the quality of awareness itself; the way we are present for this life. Loving awareness is not something added on later, once the mind becomes calm or clear. It is